2007 Year in Review
So another college football season comes to a close. It certainly was a memorable season, but unfortunately a fairly forgettable bowl season. The good news is we still got the heat of the NFL playoffs, college basketball conference play underway and we're closing out the first half of the NBA season - the real season starts after the all-star break.
There will be plenty of time for that down the road - let's take a walk down memory lane of the 2007 college football season (and those other things that happened this past year).
2007: A YEAR IN REVIEW
Conference Battles:
It seems last year's championship game was the catalyst to some epic trash talking around conference superiority this year - especially those Big 10 and SEC guys. If the past 2 championship games are any indication I'd say it's a done deal...but it's really not an indication. But, it does mean the best of the SEC has dominated the best of the Big 10 the past few years.
At the end of the day, it's all cyclical. There's no doubt the SEC is on an extreme high right now - top to bottom they certainly are the strongest conference right now. But in 5 years the pendulum will shift towards another conference.
I urge you to take 5 minutes and go find a message board on cnnsi.com (or just google it) and watch the constant back and forth - it's crazy. You can almost feel the despair, pain and frustration in all the "buckeye_guy" posters, it's pretty funny.
Either way, they certainly have score board. We all know the system is flawed, but LSU sure looked good. 2 losses or not, they were the best team. And by the way, those losses were to 2 teams with 8 wins in triple OT - they weren't dropping games to Texas Tech, Stanford and Pittsburgh. They face Nick Saban, Phil Fulmer, Steve Spurrier, Tommy Tubberville, etc. every year. I think they've earned their due.
We'll see what happens over the next few years, but I gotta say, the way these schools are recruiting and the success they're seeing, the SEC looks like it's going to be a pretty darn good set of teams for quite some time. I'll leave you with this one little gem Big 10 fans - those of you getting on OSU for not playing a decent schedule this year (I was guilty of this earlier) should remember they just completed a home and home with Texas last year, they start a home and home with USC next year and they're scheduled to do the same with Miami and Oklahoma in the next 4 years. Not too bad...at least in today's terms.
Upsets:
The argument goes - is there parity in college football or mediocrity? I think it's parity - the talent and level of play seemed to expand, not diminish...at least to me. Either way, it was a pretty fun regular season.
You can't mention upsets without mentioning those pesky Wolverines. Obviously this has to top the list of major upsets this year. You know how I feel about pre-season polls, but either way, Michigan should have been better than they were with all that veteran talent. And losing on a blocked field goal - wow. I think most would agree that they never really recovered from this loss until they were essentially an after thought. What was worse was the ass kicking they took the very next week (at home) to Oregon - that was almost worse than the App State loss.
Other notable upsets this year...
Stanford over USC - Obviously this is 1a in terms of biggest upsets. I think we would all agree that USC would win that game by 30 or more the next 9 times....but they didn't this time. I was always shocked to hear USC fan lobbying for a slot in the national title game instead of LSU - nuts. I will say this - look out next year Stanford, the Trojans may throw up a 60 spot on you as pay back.
Pittsburgh over West Virginia - How in the world did that debacle happen? It's astonishing to think that the same team that was pushed around by Pitt absolutely dominated Oklahoma. Yet again the Mountaineers have destiny in their own hands and blow it. Really tough loss there. I'm not so sure those guys don't start regressing over the next few years. I promise you this, the AD is on very thin ice.
Kansas State over Texas - In my opinion, the worst loss in Mack Brown's tenure (the Big 12 title game loss to Colorado being a close second). Aside from the fact that Kansas State absolutely dominated Texas the whole game, Texas was upset the previous year by Kansas State, contributing to them blowing the Big 12 south. Thankfully the Horns avoid the Wildcats for the next 2 years (barring a Big 12 title meeting..ha ha ha ha, just kidding) - because Ron Prince owns Mack Brown (as does Stoops).
Notre Dame over UCLA - I'm not sure I wouldn't have fired Dorrell right after that game.
Heisman History:
It's still a horribly flawed system, but it was good to see them break out of the mold of the "unwritten" rules. Although anyone could have made an argument for McFadden, you still can't really argue with Tebow considering what he's done as a sophomore. And you know how I feel about Brennan being there - it's inconsistent and how Crabtree didn't make it to New York still blows my mind.
16-0:
Love 'em or hate 'em, you can't be doing a "best of 2007" schtick without mentioning the Patriots. You know how I feel about them, but they certainly are in another league than everyone else. Doesn't mean they can't be beaten, it just means they probably won't get beat.
And along the way they've broken a few team and individual records as well including most points scored in a season. I'd love to see it, but I can't imagine them losing anywhere along the way.
Vick:
Ugh. I'll spare us all - you know what happened, I know what happened and it was absolutely crazy to say the least. Let's just leave it at that.
Meanwhile, the Atlanta Falcons organization is now one in complete disarray. Pretty unfortunate circumstances all around I guess. More on the Falcons' future below.
Steroids:
Is anyone else wondering if just maybe everyone is up in arms about steroids and HGH because they THINK they need to be? Certainly not condoning it (I'm very much against it), but I mean come on, how hard is it to fix??? Hey, if you're going to play and make ridiculous amounts of money then you can't do drugs. To ensure compliance we'll test you when we want to and if you test positive, you're done.
Oh right, player's unions. Nice to see them fighting the good fight for their players. Between the union and Bud Selig, I imagine things can still get worse before they get better.
As painful as it is for me to say this, I'm having a real hard time seeing things Roger Clemens' way in this allegation. This does not look good at all for The Rocket and it's truly heart breaking.
Peyton Breaking Out:
I think we all assumed it would eventually happen, but it was nice to see Manning get that monkey off his back and beat Tom Brady....oh yea, and they dominated an over-matched Bears team in the Super Bowl. Can he repeat this year? It's a long shot given this ride the Patriots are on, but don't count the Colts out altogether - they're set up to compete for a shot at the super bowl for a few more years at least.
Boston Nation:
Well, the Red Sox took their second World Series in the last 3-4 years. Couple that with the Patriots historic run and the new-look Celtics and now we've got the Boston and greater New England nation dominating the message boards and blogs. For the first time in quite some time Boston Fan's cup is overflowing to say the least. Not sure if one city has owned the title in the 3 biggest pro sports or not, but I can just see the sappy SI and ESPN articles now....and it pushes the bile to the tip of my throat. The bad thing about it is it would appear all of these teams are primed to continue a run to dominance for at least the short term....but we shall see.
NBA Dynasty:
They may be boring as hell to watch, but the Spurs continued their dominance by winning yet another NBA title this past year. I don't care if they haven't won a title back-to-back in their current run, they still own the Western Conference....and it kills me.
Sorry, but Phoenix has to at least get to the finals just once to even think about being mentioned in the same breath as the Spurs.
NHL:
I swear to you right now I have no idea who won the Stanley Cup this past year. No clue at all.
College Football Playoffs?
Yea, not in this lifetime.
Yadi, yadi, yadi, there's your 2007 sports world in a nutshell.
NFL Playoffs:
Let's get our heads out of the past and look towards this weekend's games. I'll say it again, the NFL Playoffs is one of the best "seasons" in all of sports and this year is no different.
Jags at Patriots:
Have I jumped on the Jags bandwagon a bit? Yep. Am I going to boldly predict they will beat the Patriots this weekend? Nope. Here's the deal, the Jags have actually been (subtle at times) talking a bit of trash about the Patriots, spy gate, etc. - which is probably the worst thing you can do. The more message board material the Jags put out there, that's another 10 points I'm adding to the point differential in this game.
In all seriousness, I would love to see the Jags upset the Patriots (as would the Colts I'm sure), but I just don't see it happening. I do honestly believe it will be a pretty close game, but I just can't imagine Jacksonville pulling it out....but Lord knows I've been wrong before (once or twice).
Pats - 34
Jags - 27
Giants at Cowboys:
Anyone else surprised at the 180 the talking heads have done over the last week? I was hard-pressed to find a lot of "experts" picking the Cowboys in this game. I can certainly see the logic here - Eli has actually played quite well the past 3 weeks; the Giants' running game seems to get stronger and stronger each week; TO is still questionable and if he plays, he likely won't be full speed; Romo's new fling may be causing a distraction.
I'm certainly not going to get on Romo for taking a weekend vacation with Jessica Simpson (guys, who amongst you WOULDN'T take that trip???), BUT I will add this little nugget: Dallas has done nothing in the post season for a number of years now. I gotta think there is tremendous pressure on this Dallas team after last year's playoff debacle (Romo) and after going 13-3 this year and annihilating the NFC. If they go out this weekend just imagine the crap that will rain down on them from sports writers, commentators and other talking heads - it won't be pretty.
The game comes down to this: If the Giants can get consistent pressure on Romo and make him force throws and keep him off balance AND if a semi-decent Eli shows up they've got a real shot in this game. And you know what, I think of all the home teams this weekend, they are most in position for an upset. I'm going with the G-men here.
Giants - 28
Cowboys - 24
SIDEBAR: I'm calling out Seiders on this one - he's the only one (and I mean only one) who called the Pokes being this good at the beginning of the season. Here's the bet: When New York wins, you buy me dinner (or lunch) at Nuevo Leon. And if the Cowboys happen to win, I'll buy you dinner (or lunch). It's official now, you can't NOT take the bet or the entire world (or at least the 90 or so people on this blog) will know you were scared.
Chargers at Colts:
Look, aside from LT, I'm just not convinced this Charger team is that good. Obviously they're good enough to be in the second round, but that's because they barely got by a very mediocre Titans team...at home. I think the Colts roll in this game - especially given Harrison should be back.
Colts - 31
Chargers - 18
Seattle at Green Bay:
Very intriguing game here. Both teams came out of pretty poor divisions (Green Bay gets a slight edge in the category of divisional competition), but Green Bay blew threw their division and ended with a much better record. I do like Hasselback and I think Seattle has a grossly underrated defense (even though they have 4 starters in the pro bowl). But, this is Green Bay in January. I know the weather isn't supposed to be horrible, but it will be cold (temps in the 20s with possible snow flurries - that's brutal to this Texan). Bottom line, I just can't pick against Favre at home in January - and I'm really routing for Favre to make one more super bowl run before he hangs it up.
Green Bay - 24
Seattle - 14
Intriguing Discussion of the Week:
I was talking to my colleague at work, Brandon Whichard (one of the best guys to talk sports with) and he made a fascinating point....well, fascinating if you enjoy endless (and mindless at times) debate on the merits of college football. In short, he wondered if the Big 10 is avoiding a playoff like the plague because they know it will hinder their ability to play for a national title. I'll elaborate.
So recently, as we all know, the Big 10 has come up short more times than not in their bowl games and regular season match ups with the "better" teams in the country. Case in point, Ohio State's last 2 title game performances. Last year there was no question that the Buckeyes deserved to be in the game - they won all their games including a dominating road win over Texas the second game of the year. But, we all know what happened in the bowl game....both years.
And many have argued that they fell ass backwards into this year's championship game (as did LSU) which they essentially did, but we can't blame OSU for the crappy system (or for the fact that W. Virginia laid an egg against Pitt). Now let's pretend we had a playoff and OSU or Michigan (rest of Big 10 is crappy right now....including you Illinois) had to face Georgia or USC or Oklahoma or W. Virginia in the first and subsequent rounds. Knowing what we now know, would any of you give OSU a chance in any of those games? Honestly, sure I would. It would depend on who they play, etc., but they have a chance. Would I give them a good chance? Probably not - especially if they pulled any SEC team or USC.
Well, I'm not so sure the Big 10 powers that be don't know it either. If we keep the current system we have, it only increases the chances that OSU or Michigan or anyone else can sneak into the BCS title game. The same is true for any other school out there of course, but I couldn't understand why most other schools would want a playof, but not the Big 10. NOTE: I think the Pac 10 would be far easier to convince of joining a playoff than the Big 10. Just my feeling.
I suspect that the Big 10 is thinking, at least right now, that this crazy BCS system is the best chance they have for getting into the big game....making them even more lame, if that's even possible. SO, there's another shot at you Big 10 guys - your execs (or whatever they are) don't want a playoff system because they know they couldn't get through a playoff against the elite of the country. I'm not discounting my "conference strength is cyclical" point from above, but I am suggesting that the Big 10's gripe has more to do with guaranteed money (and that guaranteed second place) each year. Of course I don't know why we insist on trying to change the minds of folks who refuse to choose a true conference champ each year as well (we're looking at you in this one too Pac 10), but here we are.
So memo to you Big 10 faithful out there - until I see or hear of anything resembling having an open mind about a playoff, I will go to my grave thinking this is the primary reason why.
2008 Sneak Peak:
Again, you all know how I feel about pre-season polls so this is not a pre-season poll. Rather, it's a look at the teams whom I think will go into next year as favorites to win their conference and compete for a shot at the "big game".
Oklahoma - Yes, I know they laid a ridiculous egg in their bowl game (again), but they're bringing back almost the entire offense next year including the O-line and the Freshman of the year in the Big 12, Sam Bradford. It's Bob Stoops after all and just like every year, they've got that one date in early to mid October that will determine their chances to win the conference title.
Georgia - Ended the year on a HUGE high and have a stable of talent coming back. I'll say this though about these bulldogs, you had better come big next year given the school's president letter to Myles Brand and given the confident tone of Mark Richt. Should be an interesting year next year for Georgia.
USC - Just like every other year....you know I don't put them on the pedestal that everyone else does, but they're still consistently good.
Kansas - 19 of 22 starters coming back - unless anymore bolt early for the NFL. I can't see why these guys can't be just as good next year. They do get OU, Texas and Texas Tech next year as I've mentioned. Their schedule will no longer be a liability for them next year.
Missouri - Key offensive play makers coming back including Chase Daniel.
Ohio State - Been there, seen that. They too bring a stable of players back next year, barring a mass exodus to the NFL. In all seriousness, they should be better next year given they've got another year of experience.
West Virginia - Is it me or have Steve Slaton and Pat White been there for like 7 years? Both have eligibility next year and I'm betting they come back. Can't see Slaton doing much in the NFL and I don't think Pat White will ever play QB in the NFL.
Florida - If this past year was their rebuilding year they're going to be ridiculous this coming year. And, if Emanuel Lewis (USC transfer) is as half as good as advertised, that will be very scary for opposing defenses. Oh yea, and they're bringing back the heisman trophy winner.
Carroll:
Sooooo, now Pete Carroll seems interested in the Falcons job. Very interesting - I'm curious as to why ANYONE would want to touch this one. I can only think that maybe he's ready to take another stab the pro level (remember, he had head coaching stints at New England and the Jets). I can't imagine why, but could he be getting bored??? I can't see why - with no pro football team in Los Angeles, he's definitely the man.
I also wonder if the Reggie Bush saga could be motivation for him. It sounds like this thing may come to a head in the next 6 months and could very well spell serious sanctions against the Trojans and that certainly would hinder his success even if just a bit.
It's no surprise that he's looking for complete control of football operations and although I can totally see why, evidence of late has shown that coaches who also have a hand in operations typically underachieve on the sideline. We shall see - I'm most certainly taking this news with a grain of salt because, as we know and as I mentioned, it would take a pretty sweet deal to get Pete out of USC. And for the record, I would LOVE to see this as it may just get the media to remove it's lips from the ass of their football program.
Additionally, it's quite a gamble for the Falcons as they just had their hearts ripped out by a college coach. But, as I said, Carroll does have NFL experience and has taken a couple of teams to the playoffs. And let's not forget, the Falcons play in a horrendous division which lies in a much weaker (for now) NFC. With a couple of off-season signings and a couple of draft picks, this team could make some significant strides in just a couple of years. We'll see - you gotta hope for just an ounce of good news/success for Arthur Blank at this point.
Non-Sports Thoughts for the Week:
There will be plenty of time for that down the road - let's take a walk down memory lane of the 2007 college football season (and those other things that happened this past year).
2007: A YEAR IN REVIEW
Conference Battles:
It seems last year's championship game was the catalyst to some epic trash talking around conference superiority this year - especially those Big 10 and SEC guys. If the past 2 championship games are any indication I'd say it's a done deal...but it's really not an indication. But, it does mean the best of the SEC has dominated the best of the Big 10 the past few years.
At the end of the day, it's all cyclical. There's no doubt the SEC is on an extreme high right now - top to bottom they certainly are the strongest conference right now. But in 5 years the pendulum will shift towards another conference.
I urge you to take 5 minutes and go find a message board on cnnsi.com (or just google it) and watch the constant back and forth - it's crazy. You can almost feel the despair, pain and frustration in all the "buckeye_guy" posters, it's pretty funny.
Either way, they certainly have score board. We all know the system is flawed, but LSU sure looked good. 2 losses or not, they were the best team. And by the way, those losses were to 2 teams with 8 wins in triple OT - they weren't dropping games to Texas Tech, Stanford and Pittsburgh. They face Nick Saban, Phil Fulmer, Steve Spurrier, Tommy Tubberville, etc. every year. I think they've earned their due.
We'll see what happens over the next few years, but I gotta say, the way these schools are recruiting and the success they're seeing, the SEC looks like it's going to be a pretty darn good set of teams for quite some time. I'll leave you with this one little gem Big 10 fans - those of you getting on OSU for not playing a decent schedule this year (I was guilty of this earlier) should remember they just completed a home and home with Texas last year, they start a home and home with USC next year and they're scheduled to do the same with Miami and Oklahoma in the next 4 years. Not too bad...at least in today's terms.
Upsets:
The argument goes - is there parity in college football or mediocrity? I think it's parity - the talent and level of play seemed to expand, not diminish...at least to me. Either way, it was a pretty fun regular season.
You can't mention upsets without mentioning those pesky Wolverines. Obviously this has to top the list of major upsets this year. You know how I feel about pre-season polls, but either way, Michigan should have been better than they were with all that veteran talent. And losing on a blocked field goal - wow. I think most would agree that they never really recovered from this loss until they were essentially an after thought. What was worse was the ass kicking they took the very next week (at home) to Oregon - that was almost worse than the App State loss.
SIDEBAR: I know this really didn't happen in 2007, but you think Rodriguez is having a nice start to the Michigan job? His top players for next year skipped out on a team meeting without talking to him first. QB Mallet is transferring and Manningham and Arrington are, evidently, going pro. Not a huge deal and I'm sure Mallet was not ideal for Rodriguez's system, but not a terribly warm start to the year. We shall see.
Other notable upsets this year...
Stanford over USC - Obviously this is 1a in terms of biggest upsets. I think we would all agree that USC would win that game by 30 or more the next 9 times....but they didn't this time. I was always shocked to hear USC fan lobbying for a slot in the national title game instead of LSU - nuts. I will say this - look out next year Stanford, the Trojans may throw up a 60 spot on you as pay back.
Pittsburgh over West Virginia - How in the world did that debacle happen? It's astonishing to think that the same team that was pushed around by Pitt absolutely dominated Oklahoma. Yet again the Mountaineers have destiny in their own hands and blow it. Really tough loss there. I'm not so sure those guys don't start regressing over the next few years. I promise you this, the AD is on very thin ice.
Kansas State over Texas - In my opinion, the worst loss in Mack Brown's tenure (the Big 12 title game loss to Colorado being a close second). Aside from the fact that Kansas State absolutely dominated Texas the whole game, Texas was upset the previous year by Kansas State, contributing to them blowing the Big 12 south. Thankfully the Horns avoid the Wildcats for the next 2 years (barring a Big 12 title meeting..ha ha ha ha, just kidding) - because Ron Prince owns Mack Brown (as does Stoops).
Notre Dame over UCLA - I'm not sure I wouldn't have fired Dorrell right after that game.
Heisman History:
It's still a horribly flawed system, but it was good to see them break out of the mold of the "unwritten" rules. Although anyone could have made an argument for McFadden, you still can't really argue with Tebow considering what he's done as a sophomore. And you know how I feel about Brennan being there - it's inconsistent and how Crabtree didn't make it to New York still blows my mind.
16-0:
Love 'em or hate 'em, you can't be doing a "best of 2007" schtick without mentioning the Patriots. You know how I feel about them, but they certainly are in another league than everyone else. Doesn't mean they can't be beaten, it just means they probably won't get beat.
And along the way they've broken a few team and individual records as well including most points scored in a season. I'd love to see it, but I can't imagine them losing anywhere along the way.
Vick:
Ugh. I'll spare us all - you know what happened, I know what happened and it was absolutely crazy to say the least. Let's just leave it at that.
Meanwhile, the Atlanta Falcons organization is now one in complete disarray. Pretty unfortunate circumstances all around I guess. More on the Falcons' future below.
Steroids:
Is anyone else wondering if just maybe everyone is up in arms about steroids and HGH because they THINK they need to be? Certainly not condoning it (I'm very much against it), but I mean come on, how hard is it to fix??? Hey, if you're going to play and make ridiculous amounts of money then you can't do drugs. To ensure compliance we'll test you when we want to and if you test positive, you're done.
Oh right, player's unions. Nice to see them fighting the good fight for their players. Between the union and Bud Selig, I imagine things can still get worse before they get better.
As painful as it is for me to say this, I'm having a real hard time seeing things Roger Clemens' way in this allegation. This does not look good at all for The Rocket and it's truly heart breaking.
Peyton Breaking Out:
I think we all assumed it would eventually happen, but it was nice to see Manning get that monkey off his back and beat Tom Brady....oh yea, and they dominated an over-matched Bears team in the Super Bowl. Can he repeat this year? It's a long shot given this ride the Patriots are on, but don't count the Colts out altogether - they're set up to compete for a shot at the super bowl for a few more years at least.
Boston Nation:
Well, the Red Sox took their second World Series in the last 3-4 years. Couple that with the Patriots historic run and the new-look Celtics and now we've got the Boston and greater New England nation dominating the message boards and blogs. For the first time in quite some time Boston Fan's cup is overflowing to say the least. Not sure if one city has owned the title in the 3 biggest pro sports or not, but I can just see the sappy SI and ESPN articles now....and it pushes the bile to the tip of my throat. The bad thing about it is it would appear all of these teams are primed to continue a run to dominance for at least the short term....but we shall see.
NBA Dynasty:
They may be boring as hell to watch, but the Spurs continued their dominance by winning yet another NBA title this past year. I don't care if they haven't won a title back-to-back in their current run, they still own the Western Conference....and it kills me.
Sorry, but Phoenix has to at least get to the finals just once to even think about being mentioned in the same breath as the Spurs.
NHL:
I swear to you right now I have no idea who won the Stanley Cup this past year. No clue at all.
College Football Playoffs?
Yea, not in this lifetime.
Yadi, yadi, yadi, there's your 2007 sports world in a nutshell.
NFL Playoffs:
Let's get our heads out of the past and look towards this weekend's games. I'll say it again, the NFL Playoffs is one of the best "seasons" in all of sports and this year is no different.
Jags at Patriots:
Have I jumped on the Jags bandwagon a bit? Yep. Am I going to boldly predict they will beat the Patriots this weekend? Nope. Here's the deal, the Jags have actually been (subtle at times) talking a bit of trash about the Patriots, spy gate, etc. - which is probably the worst thing you can do. The more message board material the Jags put out there, that's another 10 points I'm adding to the point differential in this game.
In all seriousness, I would love to see the Jags upset the Patriots (as would the Colts I'm sure), but I just don't see it happening. I do honestly believe it will be a pretty close game, but I just can't imagine Jacksonville pulling it out....but Lord knows I've been wrong before (once or twice).
Pats - 34
Jags - 27
Giants at Cowboys:
Anyone else surprised at the 180 the talking heads have done over the last week? I was hard-pressed to find a lot of "experts" picking the Cowboys in this game. I can certainly see the logic here - Eli has actually played quite well the past 3 weeks; the Giants' running game seems to get stronger and stronger each week; TO is still questionable and if he plays, he likely won't be full speed; Romo's new fling may be causing a distraction.
I'm certainly not going to get on Romo for taking a weekend vacation with Jessica Simpson (guys, who amongst you WOULDN'T take that trip???), BUT I will add this little nugget: Dallas has done nothing in the post season for a number of years now. I gotta think there is tremendous pressure on this Dallas team after last year's playoff debacle (Romo) and after going 13-3 this year and annihilating the NFC. If they go out this weekend just imagine the crap that will rain down on them from sports writers, commentators and other talking heads - it won't be pretty.
The game comes down to this: If the Giants can get consistent pressure on Romo and make him force throws and keep him off balance AND if a semi-decent Eli shows up they've got a real shot in this game. And you know what, I think of all the home teams this weekend, they are most in position for an upset. I'm going with the G-men here.
Giants - 28
Cowboys - 24
SIDEBAR: I'm calling out Seiders on this one - he's the only one (and I mean only one) who called the Pokes being this good at the beginning of the season. Here's the bet: When New York wins, you buy me dinner (or lunch) at Nuevo Leon. And if the Cowboys happen to win, I'll buy you dinner (or lunch). It's official now, you can't NOT take the bet or the entire world (or at least the 90 or so people on this blog) will know you were scared.
Chargers at Colts:
Look, aside from LT, I'm just not convinced this Charger team is that good. Obviously they're good enough to be in the second round, but that's because they barely got by a very mediocre Titans team...at home. I think the Colts roll in this game - especially given Harrison should be back.
Colts - 31
Chargers - 18
Seattle at Green Bay:
Very intriguing game here. Both teams came out of pretty poor divisions (Green Bay gets a slight edge in the category of divisional competition), but Green Bay blew threw their division and ended with a much better record. I do like Hasselback and I think Seattle has a grossly underrated defense (even though they have 4 starters in the pro bowl). But, this is Green Bay in January. I know the weather isn't supposed to be horrible, but it will be cold (temps in the 20s with possible snow flurries - that's brutal to this Texan). Bottom line, I just can't pick against Favre at home in January - and I'm really routing for Favre to make one more super bowl run before he hangs it up.
Green Bay - 24
Seattle - 14
Intriguing Discussion of the Week:
I was talking to my colleague at work, Brandon Whichard (one of the best guys to talk sports with) and he made a fascinating point....well, fascinating if you enjoy endless (and mindless at times) debate on the merits of college football. In short, he wondered if the Big 10 is avoiding a playoff like the plague because they know it will hinder their ability to play for a national title. I'll elaborate.
So recently, as we all know, the Big 10 has come up short more times than not in their bowl games and regular season match ups with the "better" teams in the country. Case in point, Ohio State's last 2 title game performances. Last year there was no question that the Buckeyes deserved to be in the game - they won all their games including a dominating road win over Texas the second game of the year. But, we all know what happened in the bowl game....both years.
And many have argued that they fell ass backwards into this year's championship game (as did LSU) which they essentially did, but we can't blame OSU for the crappy system (or for the fact that W. Virginia laid an egg against Pitt). Now let's pretend we had a playoff and OSU or Michigan (rest of Big 10 is crappy right now....including you Illinois) had to face Georgia or USC or Oklahoma or W. Virginia in the first and subsequent rounds. Knowing what we now know, would any of you give OSU a chance in any of those games? Honestly, sure I would. It would depend on who they play, etc., but they have a chance. Would I give them a good chance? Probably not - especially if they pulled any SEC team or USC.
Well, I'm not so sure the Big 10 powers that be don't know it either. If we keep the current system we have, it only increases the chances that OSU or Michigan or anyone else can sneak into the BCS title game. The same is true for any other school out there of course, but I couldn't understand why most other schools would want a playof, but not the Big 10. NOTE: I think the Pac 10 would be far easier to convince of joining a playoff than the Big 10. Just my feeling.
I suspect that the Big 10 is thinking, at least right now, that this crazy BCS system is the best chance they have for getting into the big game....making them even more lame, if that's even possible. SO, there's another shot at you Big 10 guys - your execs (or whatever they are) don't want a playoff system because they know they couldn't get through a playoff against the elite of the country. I'm not discounting my "conference strength is cyclical" point from above, but I am suggesting that the Big 10's gripe has more to do with guaranteed money (and that guaranteed second place) each year. Of course I don't know why we insist on trying to change the minds of folks who refuse to choose a true conference champ each year as well (we're looking at you in this one too Pac 10), but here we are.
So memo to you Big 10 faithful out there - until I see or hear of anything resembling having an open mind about a playoff, I will go to my grave thinking this is the primary reason why.
2008 Sneak Peak:
Again, you all know how I feel about pre-season polls so this is not a pre-season poll. Rather, it's a look at the teams whom I think will go into next year as favorites to win their conference and compete for a shot at the "big game".
Oklahoma - Yes, I know they laid a ridiculous egg in their bowl game (again), but they're bringing back almost the entire offense next year including the O-line and the Freshman of the year in the Big 12, Sam Bradford. It's Bob Stoops after all and just like every year, they've got that one date in early to mid October that will determine their chances to win the conference title.
Georgia - Ended the year on a HUGE high and have a stable of talent coming back. I'll say this though about these bulldogs, you had better come big next year given the school's president letter to Myles Brand and given the confident tone of Mark Richt. Should be an interesting year next year for Georgia.
USC - Just like every other year....you know I don't put them on the pedestal that everyone else does, but they're still consistently good.
Kansas - 19 of 22 starters coming back - unless anymore bolt early for the NFL. I can't see why these guys can't be just as good next year. They do get OU, Texas and Texas Tech next year as I've mentioned. Their schedule will no longer be a liability for them next year.
Missouri - Key offensive play makers coming back including Chase Daniel.
Ohio State - Been there, seen that. They too bring a stable of players back next year, barring a mass exodus to the NFL. In all seriousness, they should be better next year given they've got another year of experience.
West Virginia - Is it me or have Steve Slaton and Pat White been there for like 7 years? Both have eligibility next year and I'm betting they come back. Can't see Slaton doing much in the NFL and I don't think Pat White will ever play QB in the NFL.
Florida - If this past year was their rebuilding year they're going to be ridiculous this coming year. And, if Emanuel Lewis (USC transfer) is as half as good as advertised, that will be very scary for opposing defenses. Oh yea, and they're bringing back the heisman trophy winner.
Carroll:
Sooooo, now Pete Carroll seems interested in the Falcons job. Very interesting - I'm curious as to why ANYONE would want to touch this one. I can only think that maybe he's ready to take another stab the pro level (remember, he had head coaching stints at New England and the Jets). I can't imagine why, but could he be getting bored??? I can't see why - with no pro football team in Los Angeles, he's definitely the man.
I also wonder if the Reggie Bush saga could be motivation for him. It sounds like this thing may come to a head in the next 6 months and could very well spell serious sanctions against the Trojans and that certainly would hinder his success even if just a bit.
It's no surprise that he's looking for complete control of football operations and although I can totally see why, evidence of late has shown that coaches who also have a hand in operations typically underachieve on the sideline. We shall see - I'm most certainly taking this news with a grain of salt because, as we know and as I mentioned, it would take a pretty sweet deal to get Pete out of USC. And for the record, I would LOVE to see this as it may just get the media to remove it's lips from the ass of their football program.
Additionally, it's quite a gamble for the Falcons as they just had their hearts ripped out by a college coach. But, as I said, Carroll does have NFL experience and has taken a couple of teams to the playoffs. And let's not forget, the Falcons play in a horrendous division which lies in a much weaker (for now) NFC. With a couple of off-season signings and a couple of draft picks, this team could make some significant strides in just a couple of years. We'll see - you gotta hope for just an ounce of good news/success for Arthur Blank at this point.
Non-Sports Thoughts for the Week:
- Memo to CNN, MSNBC, Fox News, etc., etc. - you may want to hold off on your bold predictions for the primaries until you actually have something of substance to base your "predictions" around. I swear these guys get lazier and lazier with each major election.
- For all those talking heads saying so and so will win the primary after Iowa and NH consider this: those two states make up less than one half of one percent of registered voters in this country. Chill out.
- Is it me or is our election process very similar to our college football bowl system process? Think about it...
- Recent movies I've seen: Charlie Wilson's War (great), Knocked Up (very funny), 40-Year Old Virgin (dumb, dumb, dumb) - Steve Correll is funny as hell on television and beyond terrible in movies....except Anchorman.
- Ella's now saying Da-Da and it's awesome.
- I would never make a good Naval Office because the second I saw those Iranian boats screwing around I would blown them out of the water...without hesitating.
posted by The Bearden Wonder at 10:22 PM
2 comments
