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Sorry DirkNation, I've been slacking in the write-ups, especially for this time of year. Dirkness likes to get out and boogie though, and this Thanksgiving week was the perfect opportunity to do so. Combine that with the fact there was little to say about the Chiefs beatdown of Arizona and here we are. In the meantime, enjoy this article I wrote over at Husker Corner defending the BCS. Yes, you heard that right.
A Sonic-Sized Defense of the BCS (yes, I sold out)
I'm about to take a very unpopular stance on a very prevalent topic in today's world of sports. This activity, unconventional wisdom if you will, is one of my favorite pastimes. I call it my fight against "mothoughtony." After all, conformity is for the weak. But, here goes…
I think the BCS is great. Yep, go ahead and let that soak in for a minute.
We live in a society of discontentment that believes constant complaining is the best way to improve our existence. I'm here to set everybody straight.
I'll start with the most common argument against the BCS, which doubles as the biggest fallacy against the much-maligned system: The BCS is unfair.
First off, an example of what's truly unfair: A team that goes 32-2 in the regular season, yet whose season is ultimately considered a disappointment and a failure, because of one loss. This is exactly what happened to the 2009-10 University of Kansas Basketball team.
Yet, nobody complains about how "unfair" College Basketball is. Sorry Jayhawks fans, but nothing you accomplished during the regular season mattered because your entire season is judged by what you do in the NCAA Tournament.
I've never understood why College Football receives so much ridicule on this topic, while other league's structures are, at best, equally as inept. It's been widely accepted that going all out in the NBA regular season actually hurts your chances in the playoffs, while the College Basketball regular season is even more meaningless. Your team's season can go down in three games after playing a 162 game marathon of a season in the MLB. The NFL? Well, they got some things figured out.
College Football boasts the best regular season of any sport. The implementation of a playoff, which is what most BCS haters want, takes that fact away. Suddenly, big games lack meaning, because a loss wouldn't kill a team's chances at winning it all, a fact that I believe to be underrated in most people's minds. A big upset, while fun for the day, might not have a lasting impact on the season. These are points that shortsighted BCS-haters fail to realize.
I'm not saying a playoff wouldn't be incredibly entertaining because it most definitely would, but it would have just as many problems as the BCS. Include too few teams and someone would be wrongfully excluded just as they are now. Include too many teams and the regular season loses its zest. You will never satisfy everybody.
The absolute beauty of College Football is that you cannot take a week off. Your season could go up in smoke on any given Saturday. Every week is do or die.
For this reason, I cannot ever support putting a Boise St, TCU, or Utah in the National Championship game. They cannot possibly face the same rigors week in and week out as a BCS conference team, making it unfair to the teams that have to face that. And if they want an invite to the big party, they need to do everything in their power to join a BCS conference. I'm sure they'd be happy to have them (after all, the Pac-10 wanted Colorado).
Structurally speaking, College Football is built very differently from all other sports, and is the polar opposite of College Basketball. And that's great. Why do we need all of our sports to be constructed the same way? Variety creates balance.
Now I want to make it very clear that I don't believe College Football, or the BCS, is flawless by any means. There are many problems within the game, but the BCS shouldn't top that list.
Preseason polls are based off nothing more than expectations, yet can easily shape the season's outcome. If a BCS team goes undefeated, they will get to the National Championship Game, with one notable exception (more on that in a bit).
However, if it comes down to numerous teams with one loss, the team starting out the season ranked highest in the preseason polls is the most likely to be selected.
This becomes an even bigger problem when voters use what they call "slotting," which basically means they will not drop a team in the rankings for winning. This makes the preseason polls overly critical. While the problems with the BCS are discussed insurmountably more, the incompetence of the human voting process is a much larger problem in College Football.
Other problems that I would aim to fix before taking down the whole BCS system: The amount of time off from regular season to the BCS bowl games (makes games very sloppy, kills momentum), the inconsistency of conference championship games across the nation (an extra game that is oftentimes the toughest of the season creates an unfair advantage for conferences with the extra affair), and too many bowl games (which encourages teams to schedule soft non-conference games).
The one black eye with the BCS that I cannot justifiably defend occurred in the 2004 season. The Auburn Tigers went undefeated but were left out of the National Championship Game for undefeated Oklahoma and USC teams. This is a very rare feat, and has yet to repeat itself (excluding Cincinnati from the ultra-weak Big East in 2009). Auburn remains the one team to be truly jobbed by the BCS.
Every other year the BCS has accomplished exactly what it was designed to do.
The BCS was implemented to unite the elite conferences, and to take human bias out of the equation in deciding who plays for the National Championship. When humans didn't want to decide between two contending teams, the BCS would. Wrongly considered failure, that is the BCS's sole purpose.
Before the BCS, the top two teams weren't even guaranteed to meet in a National Championship Game. In fact, with conference bowl ties, the top two teams rarely squared off in bowl games. This led to #1 teams playing teams outside the top 10 to conclude their season and wrap up a National Championship. Talk about unfair. There were also multiple years that saw the National Champion designation split between two teams (occurring in 1990, 91, and 97).
So remember the next time you're watching a big game in October, about how the circumstances would change with a playoff system in place. Think about how the loser of that game wouldn't be out of the race for the prize. Think about how that stunning upset earlier in the day did little to change the final outcome of the season. Think about how dominant the NFL would become over College Football, and whether it would remain as relevant, or if it would be relegated to little-brother-status instead. And then ask yourself….
Do you still hate the BCS?
His Dirkness
Showing posts with label boise st. Show all posts
Showing posts with label boise st. Show all posts
Friday, November 26, 2010
Friday, September 17, 2010
2010 College Football ~ Upset Saturday
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Last week may have had more prestigious matchups, where traditionalists were rewarded with recognizable uniform clashes, but this week could prove to be much more significant. Their's only one bout involving two Dirkness ranked teams- (6) Iowa at (16)Arizona- in what seems like a passover Saturday. But, nah-unh, not so fast my friends! Many of the top teams have potential stumbling blocks (some more hidden than others). What do I see a chance for? Upset Saturday (not good for thy Huskers). So I'm gonna lay some of these out for all of you to see, and let you know which of them have the best chance of happening.
I'll be rating them in Not so Fast my Friends's! (This, of course, is in reference to Lee Corso, who became a Dirkness favorite after predicting Nebraska to win the National Championship). The more NsFmF's the greater chance I believe there is to be an upset, with 5 being the greatest. That's a 0-5 scale, low chance-high chance. With me? Let's boogie...
Games (teams ranked according to Dirkness Top 25):
11am- Kent St at Penn St- Hey, don't say I didn't warn you. The Golden Flashes are my surprise team out of the MAC so how could I turn my back on them now? This is more of a testament to how bad Penn St. might be this year (they were never in that game with Alabama). They lost too much from last year, so hopefully JoePoo can grunt out another year. 1.5 NsFmF's.
2:30- Air Force at (4)Oklahoma- Did this one slip by you when looking over this week? Don't let it. Air Force beat BYU who beat Washington who might beat Nebraska who almost beat Texas last year. Think about that. But, seriously, Air Force runs a difficult offense to prepare for and Oklahoma struggled with Utah St in the first game of the year. If they're ready, it won't be close, but if they aren't....3.5 NsFmF's.
2:30- USC at Minnesota- Wait, that's right, USC is no longer relevant. No further comment. 2 NsFmF's.
2:30- (9)Nebraska at Washington- Absolutely terrified of this game. If you noticed my Preseason Predictions I had them losing a non-conference game. It wasn't to Idaho. I can't shake a rainy game nightmare of getting behind 10-14 points on something like a punt return out of my head. Why won't it leave? I'm confident in our guys as long as we don't get behind two scores. That changes everything. What QB do we play? Stick with T-Mart (way better than T-Magic)? Incumbent Zac Lee appears to have no chance of playing this year. Cody Green was very erratic last year. We will have to deal with a deficit at some point this year. But, there is also the chance we beat the Starbucks out of the future first-round bust for the Arizona Cardinals, Jake Locker. I'm predicting Nebraska 21, Washington 20 in a comeback victory. 4 NsFmF's.
2:30- (3)Alabama at Duke- Maybe not, but it is the matchup of the past National Champions in football and basketball. Hopefully, Greg Paulus is playing. Maybe they should bowl to decide the ultimate college champion. Or play Flip Cup. 0 NsFmF's.
3:30- Baylor at (7)TCU- One of these games starting in the afternoon will see an upset on Saturday (or atleast a major scare), so you better find one you like. Upsets always seem to breed other upsets though. Baylor's QB Robert Lee Griffin III appears to be at full strength after missing all of last year. I'm expecting big things from Lil' Baylor this year, and for them to finally break their bowl-less streak This one goes into the 4th quarter. 2.5 NsFmF's.
7- (5)Boise St at Wyoming- I made mention of this at the end of my Article on Boise St. and I meant it. Wyoming gave Texas fits for a half last week. However, if I hear one other person on espn say this before Saturday, the deal is off. It needs privacy like airing it on Fox Sports Mountain Hills will give it. Keep an eye on SM West graduate (poppin' up all over these days) WR David Leonard, who leads them in receptions. 2 NsFmF's.
7- (14)Texas at Texas Tech- The Longhorns have turned in two subpar 1st half's this season. Lil' G.G. Allin (Garrett Gilbert) is the Kevin Kolb of College Football. Everyone assumed he would be a minimized step down from Colt McCoy (Kolb to McNabb), when there was every reason to think it would be a gigantic leap. You're replacing two all-timers. Meanwhile, the Bell Ringin' Red Raiders have averaged 43.5 points so far this season. Maybe Mike Leach's B.O. remained behind. Wait, that's Lubbock's natural smell? 4 NsFmF's.
9:30- (6)Iowa at (16)Arizona- The best game on paper of the weekend. The Hawkeyes beat Arizona 27-17 last year in Iowa City. This time they head to Tuscon. Arizona has a promptly spelled RB named Nic Grigsby. Iowa made my revised National Championship prediction (along with Oregon), which may be more of a kiss of doom than anything. 3 NsFmF's.
Last week may have had more prestigious matchups, where traditionalists were rewarded with recognizable uniform clashes, but this week could prove to be much more significant. Their's only one bout involving two Dirkness ranked teams- (6) Iowa at (16)Arizona- in what seems like a passover Saturday. But, nah-unh, not so fast my friends! Many of the top teams have potential stumbling blocks (some more hidden than others). What do I see a chance for? Upset Saturday (not good for thy Huskers). So I'm gonna lay some of these out for all of you to see, and let you know which of them have the best chance of happening.
I'll be rating them in Not so Fast my Friends's! (This, of course, is in reference to Lee Corso, who became a Dirkness favorite after predicting Nebraska to win the National Championship). The more NsFmF's the greater chance I believe there is to be an upset, with 5 being the greatest. That's a 0-5 scale, low chance-high chance. With me? Let's boogie...
Games (teams ranked according to Dirkness Top 25):
11am- Kent St at Penn St- Hey, don't say I didn't warn you. The Golden Flashes are my surprise team out of the MAC so how could I turn my back on them now? This is more of a testament to how bad Penn St. might be this year (they were never in that game with Alabama). They lost too much from last year, so hopefully JoePoo can grunt out another year. 1.5 NsFmF's.
2:30- Air Force at (4)Oklahoma- Did this one slip by you when looking over this week? Don't let it. Air Force beat BYU who beat Washington who might beat Nebraska who almost beat Texas last year. Think about that. But, seriously, Air Force runs a difficult offense to prepare for and Oklahoma struggled with Utah St in the first game of the year. If they're ready, it won't be close, but if they aren't....3.5 NsFmF's.
2:30- USC at Minnesota- Wait, that's right, USC is no longer relevant. No further comment. 2 NsFmF's.
2:30- (9)Nebraska at Washington- Absolutely terrified of this game. If you noticed my Preseason Predictions I had them losing a non-conference game. It wasn't to Idaho. I can't shake a rainy game nightmare of getting behind 10-14 points on something like a punt return out of my head. Why won't it leave? I'm confident in our guys as long as we don't get behind two scores. That changes everything. What QB do we play? Stick with T-Mart (way better than T-Magic)? Incumbent Zac Lee appears to have no chance of playing this year. Cody Green was very erratic last year. We will have to deal with a deficit at some point this year. But, there is also the chance we beat the Starbucks out of the future first-round bust for the Arizona Cardinals, Jake Locker. I'm predicting Nebraska 21, Washington 20 in a comeback victory. 4 NsFmF's.
2:30- (3)Alabama at Duke- Maybe not, but it is the matchup of the past National Champions in football and basketball. Hopefully, Greg Paulus is playing. Maybe they should bowl to decide the ultimate college champion. Or play Flip Cup. 0 NsFmF's.
3:30- Baylor at (7)TCU- One of these games starting in the afternoon will see an upset on Saturday (or atleast a major scare), so you better find one you like. Upsets always seem to breed other upsets though. Baylor's QB Robert Lee Griffin III appears to be at full strength after missing all of last year. I'm expecting big things from Lil' Baylor this year, and for them to finally break their bowl-less streak This one goes into the 4th quarter. 2.5 NsFmF's.
7- (5)Boise St at Wyoming- I made mention of this at the end of my Article on Boise St. and I meant it. Wyoming gave Texas fits for a half last week. However, if I hear one other person on espn say this before Saturday, the deal is off. It needs privacy like airing it on Fox Sports Mountain Hills will give it. Keep an eye on SM West graduate (poppin' up all over these days) WR David Leonard, who leads them in receptions. 2 NsFmF's.
7- (14)Texas at Texas Tech- The Longhorns have turned in two subpar 1st half's this season. Lil' G.G. Allin (Garrett Gilbert) is the Kevin Kolb of College Football. Everyone assumed he would be a minimized step down from Colt McCoy (Kolb to McNabb), when there was every reason to think it would be a gigantic leap. You're replacing two all-timers. Meanwhile, the Bell Ringin' Red Raiders have averaged 43.5 points so far this season. Maybe Mike Leach's B.O. remained behind. Wait, that's Lubbock's natural smell? 4 NsFmF's.
9:30- (6)Iowa at (16)Arizona- The best game on paper of the weekend. The Hawkeyes beat Arizona 27-17 last year in Iowa City. This time they head to Tuscon. Arizona has a promptly spelled RB named Nic Grigsby. Iowa made my revised National Championship prediction (along with Oregon), which may be more of a kiss of doom than anything. 3 NsFmF's.
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
2010 College Football Top 25: Week 2
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That monster Saturday turned into a bit of a dud, which wasn't too surprising, given that the better team was the home team in most of the big games. The biggest deal to come out of it was Virginia Tech losing to James Madison (cheer up KU fans!), thus killing any virtual shot that Boise St. had at reaching the National Championship game (computer numbers will be abysmal). The only way they get in now is if they can finish the regular season ranked #1 in the country (and even that might not be enough). I believe they only get to that top spot if all BCS (minus the Big East) conference teams lose two games, which seems highly unlikely.
As always, I do not even look at my last week's rankings when making each week's new rankings. They are completely their own which cause a bunch of movement in the rankings. Here we go, comin' at ya....
Dirkness' Top 25:
1. Ohio St. (2-0)
2. Oregon (2-0)
3. Alabama (2-0)
4. Oklahoma (2-0)
5. Boise St. (1-0)
6. Iowa (2-0)
7. TCU (2-0)
8. Stanford (2-0)
9. Nebraska (2-0)
10. South Carolina (2-0)
11. Texas (2-0)
12. Wisconsin (2-0)
13. Michigan (2-0)
14. Florida (2-0)
15. Miami (1-1)
16. Arizona (2-0)
17. Oregon St. (1-1)
18. Houston (2-0)
19. Cal (2-0)
20. LSU (2-0)
21. Arkansas (2-0)
22. Clemson (2-0)
23. Texas A&M (2-0)
24. Utah (2-0)
25. Georgia (1-1)
(Also Receiving Votes: Auburn, Florida St., Missouri, James Madison, North Dakota St.)
Biggest Rise: Stanford~11 spots (19 to 8)
Biggest Fall: Virginia Tech~15+ spots (10 to off the face of the earth)
Most Overrated Team (comparing Dirkness rankings to USA Today): Auburn~10+ spots (15th/NR)
Most Underrated Team: Stanford~11 spots (19th/8th)
Go Dancing Trees!
H'Dirkness
That monster Saturday turned into a bit of a dud, which wasn't too surprising, given that the better team was the home team in most of the big games. The biggest deal to come out of it was Virginia Tech losing to James Madison (cheer up KU fans!), thus killing any virtual shot that Boise St. had at reaching the National Championship game (computer numbers will be abysmal). The only way they get in now is if they can finish the regular season ranked #1 in the country (and even that might not be enough). I believe they only get to that top spot if all BCS (minus the Big East) conference teams lose two games, which seems highly unlikely.
As always, I do not even look at my last week's rankings when making each week's new rankings. They are completely their own which cause a bunch of movement in the rankings. Here we go, comin' at ya....
Dirkness' Top 25:
1. Ohio St. (2-0)
2. Oregon (2-0)
3. Alabama (2-0)
4. Oklahoma (2-0)
5. Boise St. (1-0)
6. Iowa (2-0)
7. TCU (2-0)
8. Stanford (2-0)
9. Nebraska (2-0)
10. South Carolina (2-0)
11. Texas (2-0)
12. Wisconsin (2-0)
13. Michigan (2-0)
14. Florida (2-0)
15. Miami (1-1)
16. Arizona (2-0)
17. Oregon St. (1-1)
18. Houston (2-0)
19. Cal (2-0)
20. LSU (2-0)
21. Arkansas (2-0)
22. Clemson (2-0)
23. Texas A&M (2-0)
24. Utah (2-0)
25. Georgia (1-1)
(Also Receiving Votes: Auburn, Florida St., Missouri, James Madison, North Dakota St.)
Biggest Rise: Stanford~11 spots (19 to 8)
Biggest Fall: Virginia Tech~15+ spots (10 to off the face of the earth)
Most Overrated Team (comparing Dirkness rankings to USA Today): Auburn~10+ spots (15th/NR)
Most Underrated Team: Stanford~11 spots (19th/8th)
Go Dancing Trees!
H'Dirkness
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
2010 College Football Top 25: Week 1
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To clue everybody in on my style of ranking teams, they don't operate like your average AP poll. Teams are in constant fluctuation based on who they played, how they looked, and how teams they've already played are doing. The strategy of not dropping teams for winning games is majorly flawed, putting way too much emphasis on preseason rankings, which are purely projections (in other words, nothing they accomplished in the year the rankings are trying to record). This is a far bigger problem in College Football than the much publicized absence of a tournament. I will expand on this thought throughout the season, but must get to the rankings. Here we roll...
Rankings every week will be accompanied with their last week's rankings in my poll (LW) as well as their ranking in the USA Today Coaches Poll (USA).
Dirkness' Top 25: LW USA
1. Ohio St (1-0) 1 2
2. Oregon (1-0) 4 8
3. Boise St (1-0) 3 3
4. Alabama (1-0) 2 1
5. Iowa (1-0) 7 9
6. TCU (1-0) 12 5
7. Miami, FL (1-0) 11 12
8. Nebraska (1-0) 9 7
9. Wisconsin (1-0) 10 11
10. Virginia Tech (0-1) 6 13
11. Oklahoma (1-0) 5 10
12. Florida St (1-0) 20 18
13. Florida (1-0) 8 6
14. Texas (1-0) 14 4
15. Georgia Tech (1-0) 13 17
16. Georgia (1-0) 21 19
17. Arkansas (1-0) 15 15
18. Houston (1-0) 19 (26)
19. Stanford (1-0) 22 (28)
20. South Carolina (1-0) NR 25
21. Michigan (1-0) NR (35)
22. Oregon St (0-1) 16 (30)
23. Auburn (1-0) 17 20
24. Clemson (1-0) 18 (33)
25. Arizona (1-0) NR 23
(Sorry for the poor formatting, its an issue that's being resolved)
To clue everybody in on my style of ranking teams, they don't operate like your average AP poll. Teams are in constant fluctuation based on who they played, how they looked, and how teams they've already played are doing. The strategy of not dropping teams for winning games is majorly flawed, putting way too much emphasis on preseason rankings, which are purely projections (in other words, nothing they accomplished in the year the rankings are trying to record). This is a far bigger problem in College Football than the much publicized absence of a tournament. I will expand on this thought throughout the season, but must get to the rankings. Here we roll...
Rankings every week will be accompanied with their last week's rankings in my poll (LW) as well as their ranking in the USA Today Coaches Poll (USA).
Dirkness' Top 25: LW USA
1. Ohio St (1-0) 1 2
2. Oregon (1-0) 4 8
3. Boise St (1-0) 3 3
4. Alabama (1-0) 2 1
5. Iowa (1-0) 7 9
6. TCU (1-0) 12 5
7. Miami, FL (1-0) 11 12
8. Nebraska (1-0) 9 7
9. Wisconsin (1-0) 10 11
10. Virginia Tech (0-1) 6 13
11. Oklahoma (1-0) 5 10
12. Florida St (1-0) 20 18
13. Florida (1-0) 8 6
14. Texas (1-0) 14 4
15. Georgia Tech (1-0) 13 17
16. Georgia (1-0) 21 19
17. Arkansas (1-0) 15 15
18. Houston (1-0) 19 (26)
19. Stanford (1-0) 22 (28)
20. South Carolina (1-0) NR 25
21. Michigan (1-0) NR (35)
22. Oregon St (0-1) 16 (30)
23. Auburn (1-0) 17 20
24. Clemson (1-0) 18 (33)
25. Arizona (1-0) NR 23
(Sorry for the poor formatting, its an issue that's being resolved)
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
2010 College Football: Boise St-Virginia Tech
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Boise St 33, Virginia Tech 30.
That is what college football is all about baby.
What felt like an old school duel turned into a capitalistic shootout. What started as a Boise St. route became an assured Virginia Tech (the Ghetto Hokes in those uni's) comeback. Boise St. quarterback Kellen Moore evolved from softly coiling into fetal position (albeit after a Bradshaw clothesline) to cooler than a cucumber. Tyrod Taylor (Ty-Tay, Tay Day, Twyce) transformed from confused to fast to gunshy to downright dominant to Seneca Wallace to Barry Sanders and, finally, to Tyler Thigpen (not good in 4th quarters). Frank Beamer's special teams downgraded from a calling card to a liability. Chris Peterson went from pumping fists to, well, pumping fists. The game started with a flea flicker and finished with a game-losing breadbasket drop. And College Football just entered all of our dinner plates. Time to eat up.
I thought the game might have been over at 17-0 Boise St, but they hadn't really proved much by that point. They had scored their points on a fumbled snap, a blocked punt, and a roughing the punter call. I considered the Hokies the favorite entering the 2nd half only being down 20-14. Tech's biggest problem was that they got conservative once gaining the lead, while never gaining full power over the Boise St offense. There was no reason to think they would stop the Broncos on their final drive with plenty of time remaining. Despite thinking that Boise St was the lesser team through most of the game, their 2nd half play was very impressive. They stepped up when it mattered, and they earned that victory (didn't think they had 3 quarters through).
This being said, I don't believe they are deserving of a National Championship bid just yet (if at all). First off, we don't even know how good Virginia Tech will turn out to be. If they turn out to go 7-5, there's no chance. Secondly, respect in college football is gained through consistency and longevity. Bringing it week in and week out is what makes running the gauntlet so daunting. In other words, it would take special circumstance for me to choose Boise St over any one loss BCS team (Big East excluded).
If a one-loss Nebraska team misses out on a National Championship because of Boise St, today will have been a travesty.
Keep an eye on Boise St traveling to Wyoming next week, led by fellow Shawnee Mission West Viking, David Leonard. Animal Style In n' Out Sandwich game. Don't say I didn't warn you.
Regardless, College Football is back. And I don't mean that as in the season is starting. I mean it as in College Football is about to grab hold of the nation like a mini basketball. And I credit Nebraska for this, for effectively killing the spread.
Top 25 On its way through the printing press as we speak....
Dirkness
Boise St 33, Virginia Tech 30.
That is what college football is all about baby.
What felt like an old school duel turned into a capitalistic shootout. What started as a Boise St. route became an assured Virginia Tech (the Ghetto Hokes in those uni's) comeback. Boise St. quarterback Kellen Moore evolved from softly coiling into fetal position (albeit after a Bradshaw clothesline) to cooler than a cucumber. Tyrod Taylor (Ty-Tay, Tay Day, Twyce) transformed from confused to fast to gunshy to downright dominant to Seneca Wallace to Barry Sanders and, finally, to Tyler Thigpen (not good in 4th quarters). Frank Beamer's special teams downgraded from a calling card to a liability. Chris Peterson went from pumping fists to, well, pumping fists. The game started with a flea flicker and finished with a game-losing breadbasket drop. And College Football just entered all of our dinner plates. Time to eat up.
I thought the game might have been over at 17-0 Boise St, but they hadn't really proved much by that point. They had scored their points on a fumbled snap, a blocked punt, and a roughing the punter call. I considered the Hokies the favorite entering the 2nd half only being down 20-14. Tech's biggest problem was that they got conservative once gaining the lead, while never gaining full power over the Boise St offense. There was no reason to think they would stop the Broncos on their final drive with plenty of time remaining. Despite thinking that Boise St was the lesser team through most of the game, their 2nd half play was very impressive. They stepped up when it mattered, and they earned that victory (didn't think they had 3 quarters through).
This being said, I don't believe they are deserving of a National Championship bid just yet (if at all). First off, we don't even know how good Virginia Tech will turn out to be. If they turn out to go 7-5, there's no chance. Secondly, respect in college football is gained through consistency and longevity. Bringing it week in and week out is what makes running the gauntlet so daunting. In other words, it would take special circumstance for me to choose Boise St over any one loss BCS team (Big East excluded).
If a one-loss Nebraska team misses out on a National Championship because of Boise St, today will have been a travesty.
Keep an eye on Boise St traveling to Wyoming next week, led by fellow Shawnee Mission West Viking, David Leonard. Animal Style In n' Out Sandwich game. Don't say I didn't warn you.
Regardless, College Football is back. And I don't mean that as in the season is starting. I mean it as in College Football is about to grab hold of the nation like a mini basketball. And I credit Nebraska for this, for effectively killing the spread.
Top 25 On its way through the printing press as we speak....
Dirkness
Friday, September 3, 2010
2010 College Football Preview: PREDICTIONS
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It's prediction time baby. Time to separate the men from the boys. And me, I'm a man. I'm 24! My annual laundry list of predictions consist of records for every Big 12 team, the surprise team and champions of every conference (big or small), and the combatants and winners of the BCS Bowl Games. And if the heisman was still relevant, I'd predict that too (Ok, Jacquizz Rodgers). Lets light this candle...
Big 12~
North:
1. Nebraska 10-2 (7-1)
2. Missouri 9-3 (5-3)
3. Kansas St. 7-5 (4-4)
4. Iowa St. 5-7 (3-5)
5. Kansas 4-8 (2-6)
6. Colorado 3-9 (1-7)
South:
1. Oklahoma 10-2 (7-1)
2. Texas 10-2 (6-2)
3. Texas A&M 8-4 (5-3)
4. Baylor 8-4 (5-3)
5. Texas Tech 5-7 (2-6)
6. Oklahoma St. 5-7 (1-7)
Conference Champions:
ACC- Virginia Tech over Florida St.
Surprise- Georgia Tech
Big East- Pittsburgh
Surprise- UConn
Big 10- Ohio St.
Surprise- Michigan
Big 12- Oklahoma over Nebraska
Surprise- Baylor
Conference USA- Houston over Central Florida
Surprise- SMU
MAC- Northern Illinois over Temple
Surprise- Golden Flashes of Kent St.
Mountain West- TCU
Surprise- The Wyoming David Leonards
Pac-10- Oregon St.
Surprise- Arizona
SEC- Alabama over Florida
Surprise- Kentucky
Sun Belt- Middle Tennessee St.
Surprise- This conference still exists
WAC- Boise St.
Surprise- Nevada
BCS Bowl Games
Fiesta Bowl: Oklahoma over Boise St.
Orange Bowl: Miami over Oregon
Rose Bowl: Iowa over Oregon St.
Sugar Bowl: Alabama over Pitt
National Championship: Ohio St. over Virginia Tech
These picks were made while under the influence and are all subject to change...
FOOTBALL!!!
His Dirkness
It's prediction time baby. Time to separate the men from the boys. And me, I'm a man. I'm 24! My annual laundry list of predictions consist of records for every Big 12 team, the surprise team and champions of every conference (big or small), and the combatants and winners of the BCS Bowl Games. And if the heisman was still relevant, I'd predict that too (Ok, Jacquizz Rodgers). Lets light this candle...
Big 12~
North:
1. Nebraska 10-2 (7-1)
2. Missouri 9-3 (5-3)
3. Kansas St. 7-5 (4-4)
4. Iowa St. 5-7 (3-5)
5. Kansas 4-8 (2-6)
6. Colorado 3-9 (1-7)
South:
1. Oklahoma 10-2 (7-1)
2. Texas 10-2 (6-2)
3. Texas A&M 8-4 (5-3)
4. Baylor 8-4 (5-3)
5. Texas Tech 5-7 (2-6)
6. Oklahoma St. 5-7 (1-7)
Conference Champions:
ACC- Virginia Tech over Florida St.
Surprise- Georgia Tech
Big East- Pittsburgh
Surprise- UConn
Big 10- Ohio St.
Surprise- Michigan
Big 12- Oklahoma over Nebraska
Surprise- Baylor
Conference USA- Houston over Central Florida
Surprise- SMU
MAC- Northern Illinois over Temple
Surprise- Golden Flashes of Kent St.
Mountain West- TCU
Surprise- The Wyoming David Leonards
Pac-10- Oregon St.
Surprise- Arizona
SEC- Alabama over Florida
Surprise- Kentucky
Sun Belt- Middle Tennessee St.
Surprise- This conference still exists
WAC- Boise St.
Surprise- Nevada
BCS Bowl Games
Fiesta Bowl: Oklahoma over Boise St.
Orange Bowl: Miami over Oregon
Rose Bowl: Iowa over Oregon St.
Sugar Bowl: Alabama over Pitt
National Championship: Ohio St. over Virginia Tech
These picks were made while under the influence and are all subject to change...
FOOTBALL!!!
His Dirkness
Monday, August 30, 2010
2010 College Football Preseason Top 25.....BUT
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Making a National Championship pick this year is a struggle. Go ahead and try, it's not easy. Last year you chose between Florida, Oklahoma, Texas, or maybe Alabama if you were crazy like a fox (like this guy--will post my 2009 predictions for everybody to marvel at--just ignore my NFL picks). All the same teams are back, but with major questions to answer. I can think of at least one clear cut reason not to pick each and every team to win it all (and I'll prove it here in a bit), which leads me to believe we could be looking at the 2010 National Champion in possession of a loss (never fun-because too much is decided by preseason polls). Alabama is considered the favorite (although I've heard few people actually pick them to win it--Ohio St and Oklahoma are the two teams I've been hearing the most) almost by default. The College Gameday preview had 3 analysts pick six different teams to reach the National Championship game. This is precisely what you want going into a season.
This Top 25 list is not reflective of my final predictions (coming soon!). With each team I will give the main reason (BUT...) I am hesitant to place the preseason crown atop their head. Every team is flawed, which means the difference could arise from a source we're completely unaware of, which is always fun. On to the rankings....
1. Ohio St- Could be Terrell Pryor's breakout year, BUT...can he be trusted? Also two tough road games at Wisconsin and Iowa stand in the way.
2. Alabama- Return near everybody on offense, BUT...return only 1 starter from their dominating defense of 2009.
3. Boise St- 49-4 under head coach Chris Peterson, BUT...the odds aren't in their favor. It's difficult to go undefeated, you need breaks along the way, and sometimes the ball just doesn't bounce your way. How motivated did everybody stay coming off last year's success?
4. Oregon- Was my National Champion pick, BUT...returning Quarterback Jeremiah Masoli got booted from the team (now at Ole Miss) amidst team-wide discipline issues.
5. Oklahoma- The chic pick to fulfill the Big 12's annual losing position in the National Championship, BUT...common sense stands in their way. They lost three Top-5 picks to the NFL Draft off a team that lost five games.
6. Virginia Tech- 12th year senior Tyrod Taylor returns along with 1,655 yard rusher Ryan Williams, BUT...lose 8 starters on defense. First week matchup against Boise St should be a doozy. Mark your calendars-Sept. 7th.
7. Iowa- Should have the best defensive line in the country, BUT...high expectations have derailed the Hawkeyes before.
8. Florida- Urban Meyer got over his Post-Tebowum Depression, BUT...losing Tebow was probably worth getting depressed.
9. Nebraska- Mucho preseason love from pundits and friends (somewhat scary to me), BUT...do they have a Quarterback worthy of the praise? Are we all underestimating the impact of losing Ndominant Suh.
10. Wisconsin- Return 10 starters on offense, BUT...only 5 on defense. Maybe overachieved a little bit last year, which could leave them vulnerable to underachievement.
11. Miami- Super recruiting class is all entering their junior years, BUT...Jacory Harris (my annual "athletic" QB that I've fallen for) faded down the stretch last year and threw 17 interceptions.
12. TCU- Bring back most from the offense from last year's near-undefeated team, BUT...lose their two best players from defense. Also, tough to go undefeated (see Boise St).
13. Georgia Tech- Add Al Groh as Defensive Coordinator and join the biggest fad in College Football this year by moving to the 3-4 defense (copyright: Alabama), BUT...lost two top draft picks on each side of the ball. Annually underrated because the national media hates the option.
14. Texas- Probably lower than anybody else has them this preseason, BUT...Garrett Gilbert hasn't shown me enough to think he'll be ready this season. They lost a lot from last year.
15. Arkansas- My favorite pro-prospect Quarterback, Ryan Mallett, leads them, BUT...is the rest of the team up to speed with the SEC?
16. Oregon St- Love the lil' squirtster, Jacquizz Rodgers, BUT...have zero experience at Quarterback.
17. Auburn- Return 8 starters on offense and defense, BUT...have zero experience at Quarterback.
18. Clemson- Nasty defensive line (easy way to raise my expectations), BUT...must replace all-everything C.J. Spiller.
19. Houston- Return 8 starters on offense along with QB Case Keenum (who only threw 44 TD's last year), BUT...their defense will most likely be terrible.
20. Florida St- Return all five offensive linemen along with QB Christian Ponder, BUT...it's been a while since the Seminoles were any good.
21. Georgia- Joining the 3-4 party, BUT...might not be enough talent to pull off the move. Also, looking at starting a freshman at QB.
22. Stanford- Return 8 starters on offense including a McGillicuddy, BUT...I'm not sold on Andrew Luck (the near-consensus belief to be the first pick of the 2011 NFL Draft) yet.
23. North Carolina- Was all set to make them my surprise team this year, BUT...two different scandals being investigated means eligibility issues are anybody's guess.
24. Pittsburgh- Running Back Dion Lewis is the real deal, BUT...(say it with me) have zero experience at Quarterback. And they're still coached by Wannnnnnnnnnnnny.
25. Nevada- Slipped them in there because of Colin Kaepernick's game, BUT...probably have little business making the list.
Final Thoughts on Nebraska as well as 2010 College Football predictions coming this week!!!
His Dirkness
Making a National Championship pick this year is a struggle. Go ahead and try, it's not easy. Last year you chose between Florida, Oklahoma, Texas, or maybe Alabama if you were crazy like a fox (like this guy--will post my 2009 predictions for everybody to marvel at--just ignore my NFL picks). All the same teams are back, but with major questions to answer. I can think of at least one clear cut reason not to pick each and every team to win it all (and I'll prove it here in a bit), which leads me to believe we could be looking at the 2010 National Champion in possession of a loss (never fun-because too much is decided by preseason polls). Alabama is considered the favorite (although I've heard few people actually pick them to win it--Ohio St and Oklahoma are the two teams I've been hearing the most) almost by default. The College Gameday preview had 3 analysts pick six different teams to reach the National Championship game. This is precisely what you want going into a season.
This Top 25 list is not reflective of my final predictions (coming soon!). With each team I will give the main reason (BUT...) I am hesitant to place the preseason crown atop their head. Every team is flawed, which means the difference could arise from a source we're completely unaware of, which is always fun. On to the rankings....
1. Ohio St- Could be Terrell Pryor's breakout year, BUT...can he be trusted? Also two tough road games at Wisconsin and Iowa stand in the way.
2. Alabama- Return near everybody on offense, BUT...return only 1 starter from their dominating defense of 2009.
3. Boise St- 49-4 under head coach Chris Peterson, BUT...the odds aren't in their favor. It's difficult to go undefeated, you need breaks along the way, and sometimes the ball just doesn't bounce your way. How motivated did everybody stay coming off last year's success?
4. Oregon- Was my National Champion pick, BUT...returning Quarterback Jeremiah Masoli got booted from the team (now at Ole Miss) amidst team-wide discipline issues.
5. Oklahoma- The chic pick to fulfill the Big 12's annual losing position in the National Championship, BUT...common sense stands in their way. They lost three Top-5 picks to the NFL Draft off a team that lost five games.
6. Virginia Tech- 12th year senior Tyrod Taylor returns along with 1,655 yard rusher Ryan Williams, BUT...lose 8 starters on defense. First week matchup against Boise St should be a doozy. Mark your calendars-Sept. 7th.
7. Iowa- Should have the best defensive line in the country, BUT...high expectations have derailed the Hawkeyes before.
8. Florida- Urban Meyer got over his Post-Tebowum Depression, BUT...losing Tebow was probably worth getting depressed.
9. Nebraska- Mucho preseason love from pundits and friends (somewhat scary to me), BUT...do they have a Quarterback worthy of the praise? Are we all underestimating the impact of losing Ndominant Suh.
10. Wisconsin- Return 10 starters on offense, BUT...only 5 on defense. Maybe overachieved a little bit last year, which could leave them vulnerable to underachievement.
11. Miami- Super recruiting class is all entering their junior years, BUT...Jacory Harris (my annual "athletic" QB that I've fallen for) faded down the stretch last year and threw 17 interceptions.
12. TCU- Bring back most from the offense from last year's near-undefeated team, BUT...lose their two best players from defense. Also, tough to go undefeated (see Boise St).
13. Georgia Tech- Add Al Groh as Defensive Coordinator and join the biggest fad in College Football this year by moving to the 3-4 defense (copyright: Alabama), BUT...lost two top draft picks on each side of the ball. Annually underrated because the national media hates the option.
14. Texas- Probably lower than anybody else has them this preseason, BUT...Garrett Gilbert hasn't shown me enough to think he'll be ready this season. They lost a lot from last year.
15. Arkansas- My favorite pro-prospect Quarterback, Ryan Mallett, leads them, BUT...is the rest of the team up to speed with the SEC?
16. Oregon St- Love the lil' squirtster, Jacquizz Rodgers, BUT...have zero experience at Quarterback.
17. Auburn- Return 8 starters on offense and defense, BUT...have zero experience at Quarterback.
18. Clemson- Nasty defensive line (easy way to raise my expectations), BUT...must replace all-everything C.J. Spiller.
19. Houston- Return 8 starters on offense along with QB Case Keenum (who only threw 44 TD's last year), BUT...their defense will most likely be terrible.
20. Florida St- Return all five offensive linemen along with QB Christian Ponder, BUT...it's been a while since the Seminoles were any good.
21. Georgia- Joining the 3-4 party, BUT...might not be enough talent to pull off the move. Also, looking at starting a freshman at QB.
22. Stanford- Return 8 starters on offense including a McGillicuddy, BUT...I'm not sold on Andrew Luck (the near-consensus belief to be the first pick of the 2011 NFL Draft) yet.
23. North Carolina- Was all set to make them my surprise team this year, BUT...two different scandals being investigated means eligibility issues are anybody's guess.
24. Pittsburgh- Running Back Dion Lewis is the real deal, BUT...(say it with me) have zero experience at Quarterback. And they're still coached by Wannnnnnnnnnnnny.
25. Nevada- Slipped them in there because of Colin Kaepernick's game, BUT...probably have little business making the list.
Final Thoughts on Nebraska as well as 2010 College Football predictions coming this week!!!
His Dirkness
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