The last several months has shown that the United States (and the world) economy is not quite as strong as once originally thought. This blog is not to make any light of what is going on with job layoffs, nor to make light of people struggling with the failing economy. The intent is to show which of the major 4 U.S. professional sports leagues (NFL, MLB, NBA, and NHL) are struggling or maintaining a good image to the average viewer of the sports.
National Football League: Stock Up.
Just coming off of another exciting playoff season and very entertaining Super Bowl XLIII, the NFL is looking strong and very alive. The season started off with a down moment, when Patriots Quarterback Tom Brady went down with a season ending injury. Plus the Indianapolis Colts started off the 2008 season with a 3-4 record. As well as the recurring role of the outspoken Terrell Owens, and the so-called "love triangle" that went on between Owens, Cowboys Quarterback Tony Romo, and Tight End Jason Witten. Nevertheless, the league saw the rise of the Tennessee Titans and NFC South (Carolina, Atlanta, and Tampa Bay). Along with the return of powerhouses like Pittsburgh and New York Giants. The NFL also saw the rise of three rookies to prominence, Chris Johnson (Titans Running back), Joe Flacco (Ravens Quarterback), and Rookie-of-the-Year winner Matt Ryan (Falcons Quarterback). All of whom played in this year's postseason. In the playoffs, the "Cinderella" team Arizona Cardinals shocked the entire sports world and advanced to their 1st ever Super Bowl, defeating the Falcons, Panthers, and Eagles. Also, Larry Fitzgerald (Cardinals Wide Receiver) led his team and broke Jerry Rice's record for most receiving yards in a single postseason (30 receptions, 546 yards, and 7 Touchdowns). The other Super Bowl team was the Pittsburgh Steelers. They made it to their 7th Super Bowl in franchise history. They would win their 6th Super Bowl over the Cardinals, in a game that saw an outstanding finish.
Major League Baseball: Stock Down.
Spring Training is about to start up, and players probably couldn't be anymore ready to get to the batting cages and to the practice mounds. Last October saw a less than stellar playoff and World Series, which didn't involve any teams from a major market like Los Angeles, Chicago, Boston, or New York. Sure, the Tampa Bay Devil Rays had a very nice run and a great season, winning the AL East from the Red Sox and Yankees, but in terms of star power, the World Series lacked it. Congratulations to the Phillies, but a large dark cloud still hangs over the sport, and it involves the use of anabolic steroids and HGH among many players. The last 2-3 years has seen icons like Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, and Mark McGwire at the forefront of the allegations they "cheated" in obtaining records and playing the game. As of late, more names have popped up, most notably Alex Rodriguez. "A-Rod" was the face of baseball to help fans make it to the end of the "Steroid Era". He was supposed to be the "shining star" and break all the records of Bonds the correct way. On February 7, 2009, it was reported that Rodriguez tested positive for anabolic steroids in 2003. He was only one of 104 players reported to be on a sealed list of players whom tested positive in the same 2003 survey. If more prominent names come out on this list, then Major League Baseball may not be able to recover most of its fan base for a long time.
National Basketball Association: Stock Up.
The NBA just might surpass the MLB in the next couple of years. The upside to the NBA is incredible. The rivalry between the two most storied franchises (Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers) is back alive. Plus the emergence of the Cleveland Cavaliers, New Orleans Hornets, Orlando Magic, and Atlanta Hawks. The ususal suspects (San Antonio Spurs, Detroit Pistons, Utah Jazz, and Phoenix Suns) are still at the top battling to remain with the rest. The NBA also has a bountiful amount of talent and skill in the league. It has always had star power, but never before has it been as deep and talented as it is in 2009. Kobe Bryant and Lebron James are the two staples and headliners of the league. But "The Big 3" in Boston (Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen, and Paul Pierce), Chris Paul (Hornets), Dwayne Wade & Michael Beasley (Miami Heat), Kevin Durant (Oklahoma City Thunder), Dwight Howard (Orlando Magic), and Derrick Rose (Chicago Bulls) are among the stars that are making the NBA into a likable league again. It is no longer just up to 4-6 teams to make the league. Each division is deep in the talent and makes for very interesting matchups year in and year out. The NBA's desire to clean up the league has apparently paid off, and if it's kept up, could become the 2nd best on this list.
National Hockey League: Stock Down.
Perhaps a bit harsh, but I am trying to enjoy the sport for what it is. Most likely, the United States as a whole will probably never accept hockey on a regular basis. For the sport to be successful, it needs star power, and the lack of recognizable stars to the majority of sports fans is very noticeable. The biggest star in the sport, Sidney Crosby, has been plagued by an injury that kept him from playing in the All-Star game, but it has dropped his team to 4th in their division. Perhaps the NHL will stick around for a while, but may not ever take off any places other than Canada, Detroit, Boston, and Pittsburgh. The last few years have seen teams from North Carolina, California, and Florida win the coveted Stanley Cup, which has been the subject of more punchlines than interests. Perhaps the best scenario for the NHL is to build on the Detroit Red Wings long success, match that with young teams like Washington and Pittsburgh, and maybe that could rejuvenate the sport. Hockey is much to exciting to see it get thrown by the wayside. As much as Americans love to see physical, violent sports, hockey just hasn't taken off for some reason. The NHL isn't tainted like the MLB is, so I genuinely hope that they can right the ship and keep it steady heading into the future.
I chose to not include NASCAR because I recently did a full story on the 2009 season, but I would list their stock as steady, sort of unchanging. The economy struggles have set the sport back financially, but the fresh crop of new talent mixed with the staples of the sport have NASCAR holding steady.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Sunday, February 8, 2009
2009 NASCAR Preview
On February 15, 2009, the green flag will drop and another season of NASCAR will begin and run through the middle of November. This season is not any different than any other season. The cars have been tweaked, the drivers have changed, and sponsors have changed. The economy has plagued NASCAR during the offseason. Forcing some operations to shut down, merge, or even shut down. But here are the four biggest storylines that are worth following in the 2009 edition of the Sprint Cup. Here they are in order.
4) The next generation. NASCAR is changing in 2009. Some of it isn't quite planned. But refreshing, is seeing the number of rookies and potential superstars coming into the sport. The headliner of this group of four is Joey Logano. Logano has been dubbed "The Next Big Thing" by some of NASCAR's elite. In 2008, he started his career in the Nationwide Series by becoming the youngest driver to win a race in the series, at the Kentucky Motor Speedway. He would also rack up 4 poles, 5 Top-5's, and 14 Top-10's in only 19 races. He will be driving the #20 Home Depot car, now that Tony Stewart has created his own team. The two guys that will no doubt be chasing Logano are Scott Speed and Brad Keselowski. Speed made a name for himself in the Camping World Truck Series. The Formula One transplant made a splash in 16 races by winning at Dover and recording 1 pole, 4 Top-5's, and 9 Top-10's. Keselowski has been groomed for the Sprint Cup series by superstar Dale Earnhardt, Jr. He has spent the last two season racing in the Nationwide Series under J.R. Racing. In 69 races, Keselowski has 1 Pole, 2 wins (in 2008 at Nashville and Bristol), 11 Top-5's, and 25 Top-10's. The last rookie this year is Max Papis. The Italian road-course racer is looking to make noise in 2009 and win the Rookie-of-the-Year from this stacked field.
3) The rivalry continues. For the last 3 years, two racing organizations have dominated the Sprint Cup series. They would be Hendrick Motorsports and Roush-Fenway Racing. In 2007 and 2008, the 5 Roush cars (6, 16, 17, 26, and 99) combined for 18 wins, 84 Top-5's, and 149 Top-10s. On the flipside, Hendrick racers (5, 24, 48, and 25/88) combined to get 26 wins, 96 Top-5's, 147 Top-10's. Yes, Hendrick has won the last 3 Sprint Cup Championships with Jimmie Johnson, but in 2006 and 2008 Roush-Fenway cars finished 2nd to Johnson in the points chase. In fact, in 2006, Roush and Hendrick cars made up half of the 12 car field in the Chase for the Championship. In 2007, 3 Hendrick and 2 Roush cars made it into the Chase. Yet again, in 2008, half of the Chase were made up of the two mega-powers of racing. 2009 figures to be no different. Casey Mears has exited the duties of the 5 car, and NASCAR legend Mark Martin (who ironically made his entire career with Roush) will pilot the car in '09.
2) Time for the "Golden Boy" to step up. 2009 just might be Dale Earnhardt, Jr.'s last chance to prove himself to NASCAR fans. Sure, the loyal fans of the 88 (plus those fans of his father) will always stick behind him, but this year is the chance to prove if he belongs among the elite. Junior made the transition in 2008 from frontman of Dale Earnhardt, Inc. to being the third best driver in the Hendrick Motorsports organization. Hendrick, in 2009, has brought Mark Martin on board to man his fourth car, giving more reason for Junior to step his "game" up and start competing for championships. If Junior cannot do it in 2009, or at least compete at the end, he may never have a better shot at it.
1) Can the 48 4-peat? The last 3 years have belong to Jimmie Johnson. The 34 year old racer from California has already accumulated 3 straight championships and aiming for number 4 this year. He hasn't always been the most dominant guy, but he does just enough to make the Chase on a yearly basis, and then makes a big run towards the end to win the Chase in seemingly a dominating effort. 4-in-a-row has never been accomplished in NASCAR, and very rarely in any professional sport. Johnson has never been known to make big splashes in the spring and summer, but come august, better look out for #48 to make a big run towards the championship.
Chase Predictions (in no order):
Jimmie Johnson (#48, Lowe's, Hendrick)
Jeff Gordon (#24, DuPont, Hendrick)
Dale Earnhardt, Jr. (#88, AMP/National Guard, Hendrick)
Carl Edwards (#99, Aflac, Roush)
Matt Kenseth (#17, DeWalt, Roush)
Kevin Harvick (#29. Penzoil, Childress)
Jeff Burton (#31, Cingular, Childress)
Kyle Busch (#18, M&M's, Gibbs)
Kurt Busch (#2, Miller Lite, Penske)
Denny Hamlin (#11, FedEx, Gibbs)
Tony Stewart (#14, Office Depot, Stewart/Haas)
Kasey Kahne (#9, Budweiser, Petty)
Rookie-of-the-Year Prediction:
Joey Logano (#20, Home Depot, Gibbs)
Breakout Racer of the Year Prediction:
Jamie McMurray (#26, Crown Royal, Roush)
Daytona 500 Prediction:
Denny Hamlin
2009 Sprint Cup Champion prediction:
Dale Earnhardt, Jr.
4) The next generation. NASCAR is changing in 2009. Some of it isn't quite planned. But refreshing, is seeing the number of rookies and potential superstars coming into the sport. The headliner of this group of four is Joey Logano. Logano has been dubbed "The Next Big Thing" by some of NASCAR's elite. In 2008, he started his career in the Nationwide Series by becoming the youngest driver to win a race in the series, at the Kentucky Motor Speedway. He would also rack up 4 poles, 5 Top-5's, and 14 Top-10's in only 19 races. He will be driving the #20 Home Depot car, now that Tony Stewart has created his own team. The two guys that will no doubt be chasing Logano are Scott Speed and Brad Keselowski. Speed made a name for himself in the Camping World Truck Series. The Formula One transplant made a splash in 16 races by winning at Dover and recording 1 pole, 4 Top-5's, and 9 Top-10's. Keselowski has been groomed for the Sprint Cup series by superstar Dale Earnhardt, Jr. He has spent the last two season racing in the Nationwide Series under J.R. Racing. In 69 races, Keselowski has 1 Pole, 2 wins (in 2008 at Nashville and Bristol), 11 Top-5's, and 25 Top-10's. The last rookie this year is Max Papis. The Italian road-course racer is looking to make noise in 2009 and win the Rookie-of-the-Year from this stacked field.
3) The rivalry continues. For the last 3 years, two racing organizations have dominated the Sprint Cup series. They would be Hendrick Motorsports and Roush-Fenway Racing. In 2007 and 2008, the 5 Roush cars (6, 16, 17, 26, and 99) combined for 18 wins, 84 Top-5's, and 149 Top-10s. On the flipside, Hendrick racers (5, 24, 48, and 25/88) combined to get 26 wins, 96 Top-5's, 147 Top-10's. Yes, Hendrick has won the last 3 Sprint Cup Championships with Jimmie Johnson, but in 2006 and 2008 Roush-Fenway cars finished 2nd to Johnson in the points chase. In fact, in 2006, Roush and Hendrick cars made up half of the 12 car field in the Chase for the Championship. In 2007, 3 Hendrick and 2 Roush cars made it into the Chase. Yet again, in 2008, half of the Chase were made up of the two mega-powers of racing. 2009 figures to be no different. Casey Mears has exited the duties of the 5 car, and NASCAR legend Mark Martin (who ironically made his entire career with Roush) will pilot the car in '09.
2) Time for the "Golden Boy" to step up. 2009 just might be Dale Earnhardt, Jr.'s last chance to prove himself to NASCAR fans. Sure, the loyal fans of the 88 (plus those fans of his father) will always stick behind him, but this year is the chance to prove if he belongs among the elite. Junior made the transition in 2008 from frontman of Dale Earnhardt, Inc. to being the third best driver in the Hendrick Motorsports organization. Hendrick, in 2009, has brought Mark Martin on board to man his fourth car, giving more reason for Junior to step his "game" up and start competing for championships. If Junior cannot do it in 2009, or at least compete at the end, he may never have a better shot at it.
1) Can the 48 4-peat? The last 3 years have belong to Jimmie Johnson. The 34 year old racer from California has already accumulated 3 straight championships and aiming for number 4 this year. He hasn't always been the most dominant guy, but he does just enough to make the Chase on a yearly basis, and then makes a big run towards the end to win the Chase in seemingly a dominating effort. 4-in-a-row has never been accomplished in NASCAR, and very rarely in any professional sport. Johnson has never been known to make big splashes in the spring and summer, but come august, better look out for #48 to make a big run towards the championship.
Chase Predictions (in no order):
Jimmie Johnson (#48, Lowe's, Hendrick)
Jeff Gordon (#24, DuPont, Hendrick)
Dale Earnhardt, Jr. (#88, AMP/National Guard, Hendrick)
Carl Edwards (#99, Aflac, Roush)
Matt Kenseth (#17, DeWalt, Roush)
Kevin Harvick (#29. Penzoil, Childress)
Jeff Burton (#31, Cingular, Childress)
Kyle Busch (#18, M&M's, Gibbs)
Kurt Busch (#2, Miller Lite, Penske)
Denny Hamlin (#11, FedEx, Gibbs)
Tony Stewart (#14, Office Depot, Stewart/Haas)
Kasey Kahne (#9, Budweiser, Petty)
Rookie-of-the-Year Prediction:
Joey Logano (#20, Home Depot, Gibbs)
Breakout Racer of the Year Prediction:
Jamie McMurray (#26, Crown Royal, Roush)
Daytona 500 Prediction:
Denny Hamlin
2009 Sprint Cup Champion prediction:
Dale Earnhardt, Jr.
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
2008 College Football Bowl Games
This Saturday begins the bowl season in college football. That right, the time of the college football year where it really does not matter what you did in the regular season, just as long as you get 6 wins (even when at least 4 can be against 1-AA (FCS) teams) and get a trip to Las Vegas, San Francisco, or Tampa. This year's bowl games will feature 9 teams who did that very thing, only winning 6 games. 18 teams won 7 games, 14 teams won 8 games, 11 teams won 9 games, and 15 out of the 68 bowl eligible teams won 10 or more games.
Headlining the bowl season, as always, is the controversial Bowl Championship Series, which was created to do two things: 1) Eliminate the chance of having a split National Champion and 2) Placing the best teams in best 5 bowl games (Fiesta, Rose, Sugar, Orange, BCS Title Game). The 2008 version of the BCS does neither of the two. The likelihood of a split champion this year still looms large, especially after the fact it has happened twice in the 10 years since the BCS came into existence (2003 and 2004). This year's title game features two 12-1 teams in Oklahoma and Florida. The Texas Longhorns, however, still sit at 12-1 as well and some feel as though they were slighted out of a National Title slot, since they defeated Oklahoma earlier this season. If either team, Oklahoma or Florida, only win by the slimmest of margins and Texas blows out Ohio State in the Fiesta Bowl, some AP and USA Today voters could vote and we have a split champion. The 2nd problem with the BCS has to do with the fact the best teams don't play in the 5 bowls. Two 12 win teams, Boise State and Ball State, got left out of the BCS and are heading to the Poinsettia and GMAC Bowls, respectively. One 11 win team, Texas Tech, has also been left out and is going to the Cotton Bowl. While a 10-2 Ohio State team and a 9-4 Virginia Tech team both got BCS selections.
Now onto the rest of the bowls. The main problem with this bowl system is all of the contracts that major conferences hold on the bigger of the non-BCS bowls. SEC currently holds contracts to the Cotton, Outback, Capital One (Citrus), and Chick-Fil-A (Peach) Bowl. In those games, respectively, Ole Miss (8-4), South Carolina (7-5), Georgia (9-3), and LSU (7-5). While Georgia belongs in the Capital One Bowl, more deserving teams like Boise State (12-0), TCU (10-2), and BYU (10-2) all should get a chance at showing what they're made of on a bigger stage. The problem is, that these teams play in much smaller conferences, and are looked down upon because of it. BYU and TCU both play in the Mountain West. Utah, another Mountain West team, earned a shot at the BCS Fiesta Bowl by going 12-0, while their counterparts are heading to Las Vegas and San Diego. Boise State plays in the WAC and will be joining TCU in San Diego for the Poinsettia Bowl.
As for the games themselves, here is the list of the Headliners, Under the Radars, and Duds of this season:
Headliners:
Poinsettia Bowl in San Diego: Boise State (12-0) vs. TCU (10-2)
BCS Rose Bowl in Pasedena: Southern Cal (11-1) vs. Penn State (11-1)
BCS National Title Game: Florida (12-1) vs. Oklahoma (12-1)
Under the Radars:
Meineke Bowl in Charlotte: North Carolina (8-4) vs. West Virginia (8-4)
Holiday Bowl in San Diego: Oklahoma State (9-3) vs. Oregon (9-3)
Sun Bowl in El Paso: Pittsburgh (8-4) vs. Oregon State (8-4)
Capital One Bowl in Orlando: Michigan State (9-3) vs. Georgia (9-3)
GMAC Bowl in Mobile: Ball State (12-1) vs. Tulsa (10-3)
Duds:
St. Petersburg Bowl in Tampa: Memphis (6-6) vs. South Florida (7-5)
Hawaii Bowl in Honolulu: Notre Dame (6-6) vs. Hawaii (7-6)
Alamo Bowl in San Antonio: Northwestern (9-3) vs. Missouri (9-4)
International Bowl in Toronto: Buffalo (8-5) vs. Connecticut (7-5)
BCS Fiesta Bowl in Tempe: Ohio State (10-2) vs. Texas (11-1)
Travis's Bowl Picks:
Here are my selections for the Bowl Championship Series:
Orange Bowl in Miami: Cincinnati over Virginia Tech
Sugar Bowl in New Orleans: Alabama over Utah
Fiesta Bowl in Tempe: Texas over Ohio State
Rose Bowl in Pasedena: Southern Cal over Penn State
National Title Game in Miami: Oklahoma over Florida 31-30
In conclusion, this year's bowl games are very lackluster. The ones that stand out from the rest are few and stand out quite a bit. When so many teams only win 6 and 7 games are awarded with bowl games, it's almost a slap in the face to a team that has won 10 or more games that get awarded with the same honor. One of those 6 win teams, Notre Dame, has only beaten one other team who is bowl eligible (Navy (8-4)). If a playoff system is out of the question, let's reduce the number of game from 34 down to 20. Second, make a rule that a team must have at least 8 wins and 3 of those wins against teams with winning records in the FBS. If 40 teams do not reach that criteria, then reduce the number of bowl games for that year. This would make sure that only deserving teams are able to reap the rewards of a bowl win, and restore the prestige to not only going to a bowl, but winning a bowl game.
Headlining the bowl season, as always, is the controversial Bowl Championship Series, which was created to do two things: 1) Eliminate the chance of having a split National Champion and 2) Placing the best teams in best 5 bowl games (Fiesta, Rose, Sugar, Orange, BCS Title Game). The 2008 version of the BCS does neither of the two. The likelihood of a split champion this year still looms large, especially after the fact it has happened twice in the 10 years since the BCS came into existence (2003 and 2004). This year's title game features two 12-1 teams in Oklahoma and Florida. The Texas Longhorns, however, still sit at 12-1 as well and some feel as though they were slighted out of a National Title slot, since they defeated Oklahoma earlier this season. If either team, Oklahoma or Florida, only win by the slimmest of margins and Texas blows out Ohio State in the Fiesta Bowl, some AP and USA Today voters could vote and we have a split champion. The 2nd problem with the BCS has to do with the fact the best teams don't play in the 5 bowls. Two 12 win teams, Boise State and Ball State, got left out of the BCS and are heading to the Poinsettia and GMAC Bowls, respectively. One 11 win team, Texas Tech, has also been left out and is going to the Cotton Bowl. While a 10-2 Ohio State team and a 9-4 Virginia Tech team both got BCS selections.
Now onto the rest of the bowls. The main problem with this bowl system is all of the contracts that major conferences hold on the bigger of the non-BCS bowls. SEC currently holds contracts to the Cotton, Outback, Capital One (Citrus), and Chick-Fil-A (Peach) Bowl. In those games, respectively, Ole Miss (8-4), South Carolina (7-5), Georgia (9-3), and LSU (7-5). While Georgia belongs in the Capital One Bowl, more deserving teams like Boise State (12-0), TCU (10-2), and BYU (10-2) all should get a chance at showing what they're made of on a bigger stage. The problem is, that these teams play in much smaller conferences, and are looked down upon because of it. BYU and TCU both play in the Mountain West. Utah, another Mountain West team, earned a shot at the BCS Fiesta Bowl by going 12-0, while their counterparts are heading to Las Vegas and San Diego. Boise State plays in the WAC and will be joining TCU in San Diego for the Poinsettia Bowl.
As for the games themselves, here is the list of the Headliners, Under the Radars, and Duds of this season:
Headliners:
Poinsettia Bowl in San Diego: Boise State (12-0) vs. TCU (10-2)
BCS Rose Bowl in Pasedena: Southern Cal (11-1) vs. Penn State (11-1)
BCS National Title Game: Florida (12-1) vs. Oklahoma (12-1)
Under the Radars:
Meineke Bowl in Charlotte: North Carolina (8-4) vs. West Virginia (8-4)
Holiday Bowl in San Diego: Oklahoma State (9-3) vs. Oregon (9-3)
Sun Bowl in El Paso: Pittsburgh (8-4) vs. Oregon State (8-4)
Capital One Bowl in Orlando: Michigan State (9-3) vs. Georgia (9-3)
GMAC Bowl in Mobile: Ball State (12-1) vs. Tulsa (10-3)
Duds:
St. Petersburg Bowl in Tampa: Memphis (6-6) vs. South Florida (7-5)
Hawaii Bowl in Honolulu: Notre Dame (6-6) vs. Hawaii (7-6)
Alamo Bowl in San Antonio: Northwestern (9-3) vs. Missouri (9-4)
International Bowl in Toronto: Buffalo (8-5) vs. Connecticut (7-5)
BCS Fiesta Bowl in Tempe: Ohio State (10-2) vs. Texas (11-1)
Travis's Bowl Picks:
Here are my selections for the Bowl Championship Series:
Orange Bowl in Miami: Cincinnati over Virginia Tech
Sugar Bowl in New Orleans: Alabama over Utah
Fiesta Bowl in Tempe: Texas over Ohio State
Rose Bowl in Pasedena: Southern Cal over Penn State
National Title Game in Miami: Oklahoma over Florida 31-30
In conclusion, this year's bowl games are very lackluster. The ones that stand out from the rest are few and stand out quite a bit. When so many teams only win 6 and 7 games are awarded with bowl games, it's almost a slap in the face to a team that has won 10 or more games that get awarded with the same honor. One of those 6 win teams, Notre Dame, has only beaten one other team who is bowl eligible (Navy (8-4)). If a playoff system is out of the question, let's reduce the number of game from 34 down to 20. Second, make a rule that a team must have at least 8 wins and 3 of those wins against teams with winning records in the FBS. If 40 teams do not reach that criteria, then reduce the number of bowl games for that year. This would make sure that only deserving teams are able to reap the rewards of a bowl win, and restore the prestige to not only going to a bowl, but winning a bowl game.
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
Grades on the UT Football team: 9/01/08 @ UCLA
Every week that UT plays this season (and possibly the Titans too) I will attempt to do my own grading on the UT football team and how I think they performed in that week.
Week 1:
Running backs: B-. Hardesty broke a couple of awesome TD runs and Foster busted off some good runs as well.
Quarterback: C. Inaccurate at times and didn't respond to pressure real well. Good job, though, running the "2-minute" offense at the end.
Offensive line: D. Probably the biggest disappointment of the game. For a line that only gave up 5 sacks all year long, they looked like scrubs out there versus the Bruhins.
Wide Recievers: C+. Dropped balls continually, but made a few good plays. Gerald Jones was the class of the recieving core and probably deserves a B+.
Defensive Line: B+. I thought they got to the QB well but didnt put him into the turf enough. They disrupted his passing motion, but it didn't seem to work much at the end.
Linebackers: C. Rico McCoy, Elix Wilson, and Adam Myers-White were almost non exsistent in this game. Backup Nevin McKensie made a good play off his interception for the TD.
Secondary: B-. A+ 1st half with 4 INTs, but didn't execute in the end which led to the game going into overtime. Very soft coverage on the final UCLA drive.
Special Teams: D. While blame should not be put on Lincoln for the loss, 1 for 4 on field goals are not a good stat. The punt block for a TD was a wild mess and shouldn't have happend. The bright spot again was Gerald Jones with a few good punt and kick off returns for good yardage.
Coaching Staff: C-. Players have to execute, but play calling was a head scratcher at times. Tennessee is at their best when the run the ball. Not when they pass 41 times in a game. Foster and Hardesty were producing on the ground, but weren't given the ball more than they should have. Finally, the odd punt formation that led to a block for a TD was very confusing.
Overall Grade: D+. Should have never lost this game. Poor execution and iffy play calling led to this victory for the Bruhins. UT is a better football team, but they failed to show it on either side of the ball for 4 quarters...and 1 OT.
Players of the Game: Offense: Montario Hardesty: 12 carries 66 yards 2 TDs
Defense: Nevin McKenzie: INT returned for a TD
Special Teams: Gerald Jones: 3 K/P ret.109 yards
Week 1:
Running backs: B-. Hardesty broke a couple of awesome TD runs and Foster busted off some good runs as well.
Quarterback: C. Inaccurate at times and didn't respond to pressure real well. Good job, though, running the "2-minute" offense at the end.
Offensive line: D. Probably the biggest disappointment of the game. For a line that only gave up 5 sacks all year long, they looked like scrubs out there versus the Bruhins.
Wide Recievers: C+. Dropped balls continually, but made a few good plays. Gerald Jones was the class of the recieving core and probably deserves a B+.
Defensive Line: B+. I thought they got to the QB well but didnt put him into the turf enough. They disrupted his passing motion, but it didn't seem to work much at the end.
Linebackers: C. Rico McCoy, Elix Wilson, and Adam Myers-White were almost non exsistent in this game. Backup Nevin McKensie made a good play off his interception for the TD.
Secondary: B-. A+ 1st half with 4 INTs, but didn't execute in the end which led to the game going into overtime. Very soft coverage on the final UCLA drive.
Special Teams: D. While blame should not be put on Lincoln for the loss, 1 for 4 on field goals are not a good stat. The punt block for a TD was a wild mess and shouldn't have happend. The bright spot again was Gerald Jones with a few good punt and kick off returns for good yardage.
Coaching Staff: C-. Players have to execute, but play calling was a head scratcher at times. Tennessee is at their best when the run the ball. Not when they pass 41 times in a game. Foster and Hardesty were producing on the ground, but weren't given the ball more than they should have. Finally, the odd punt formation that led to a block for a TD was very confusing.
Overall Grade: D+. Should have never lost this game. Poor execution and iffy play calling led to this victory for the Bruhins. UT is a better football team, but they failed to show it on either side of the ball for 4 quarters...and 1 OT.
Players of the Game: Offense: Montario Hardesty: 12 carries 66 yards 2 TDs
Defense: Nevin McKenzie: INT returned for a TD
Special Teams: Gerald Jones: 3 K/P ret.109 yards
Sunday, March 2, 2008
NASCAR: Fastly becoming America's New Pastime
Just imagine....a warm spring day. The whole place is full of fans wanting to see their favorite athletes, and how they will fare today. The beers are flowing and the hot dogs go on the grill about as fast as they come off. Seems like a perfect day at a sporting event. That is until that 15 car pileup in turn 3 happens. What? Were you expecting baseball and not NASCAR?
Sure, about ten or twenty years ago, those thoughts would have been used for "America's favorite pastime". But those thoughts are quickly going up in a cloud of dust. More and more, people are tuning away from the Yankees vs. Red Sox, and tuning in to see if Tony Stewart is going to wreck Kurt Busch. Baseball used to be recognized by the last names of players instead of the the sport itself. Not too long ago, people could say Ruth, Mantle, Ryan and Ripken, and they would know what you were talking about. In fact, NASCAR wasn't even relevant at the time. Aside from guys like Jeter and Rodriguez, baseball is straining to have those big names that pop out to the average sports fan that may not follow baseball as contently. Instead, the Major League Baseball is recognized by Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens and Jose Canseco for their alleged steroid use. Bonds and Clemens have yet to be found guilty, but we all know that the court of public opinion outweighs the court of law.
On the other hand, there is NASCAR. Being more and more recognized through correct publicity for their athletes like Gordon, Stewart and the ever present Earnhardt, Jr. NASCAR doesn't have to worry about steroid use. Other than Michael Waltrip using jet fuel at the 2007 Daytona 500, NASCAR is virtually clean. More and more fans are getting tired of seeing mediocre pitchers getting paid millions and millions of dollars. Instead, they like the idea that NASCAR drivers don't get paid by lengthy contracts, but rather their performance on the track. Yes, they get big contracts from sponsors, but guys like Jeff Gordon and Tony Stewart, as well as most other drivers, got those big contracts by starting out as the low man on the totem pole and working their way up. Even though millions of dollars is rewarded to these drivers, NASCAR is one of the only truly "blue-collar" sports of the major ones. Golf being the other exception.
Baseball still has its rivalries to fall back on for ratings boosts. People still tune in to watch the Yankees/Red Sox, Dodgers/Giants, Braves/Mets, and Cubs/White Sox. But more and more, people get tired of seeing four or five teams dominate a season, then some no name team win the World Series. NASCAR does have racing stables that are very dominant. No one will deny that Hendrick Motorsports (Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon, Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and Casey Mears) and Roush-Fenway Racing (Matt Kenseth, Carl Edwards, Jamie McMurray, Greg Biffle and David Regan) are usually up at the front most races. But when it is one lap to go, it doesn't matter if Johnson's car is half-owned by Gordon, if he has to move him out of the way to win, he will. Rivalries are also a big part of NASCAR. Ford vs. Chevrolet used to be the biggest until all the bodies were made the same. Roush-Fenway Racing vs. Hendrick Motorsports. Toyota vs. Everyone else. Kurt Busch vs. Tony Stewart.
More fans are also being turned onto NASCAR based off of its fan base. How many times do you see a Red Sox fan share a beer with a Yankee fan two hours before the opening pitch? Rarely ever. NASCAR fans are one big community. Gordon fans will prop their number 24 flags up and have them wave beside the Earnhardt 3 and 8 flags, then share a beer and grill up some food. For 500 miles, chances are you would love nothing more than to punch that lone Robby Gordon fan in the head for not having a real driver, but then again everyone hates everyone for those 500 laps. But its the sense of almost a family before and after every race. They share their alcohol and their hangovers together.
The proof isn't necessarily in the pudding, but rather in the TV ratings. The Daytona 500 keeps gaining and gaining viewers every year, whereas viewers of the World Series keep declining. Keep in mind, that Daytona is one race, and the World Series is up to seven games. For the 500 to even compete with an average of seven games on the biggest stage in baseball, it is remarkable to see. The All-star events have changed too. Baseball saw a ten percent decreased from this All-Star Game in 2007 from 2006. Whereas the NASCAR All-Star race, which is basically a 30 car dash for about one million dollars, saw its best ratings. Obviously more people enjoy seeing drivers wreck other drivers to get that cool million, rather than Barry Bonds whiff at three fastballs from Roger Clemens.
Baseball will never go out of style. There are too many little leagues and softball leagues for that to happen. There aren't new as many tracks from five and six year olds, as there are tee ball fields. But in terms of mainstream popularity on the major league level, baseball could fall into the same breath as the NBA, soccer and tennis. The game has been tampered with and tainted too much with the allegation of steriod use on its most influential players. Five years from now, numbers 8, 20, 24 and 48 won't be recognized by the guys taking 95 mile per hour fastballs, but rather by the guys driving the 195 mile per hour race cars.
Sure, about ten or twenty years ago, those thoughts would have been used for "America's favorite pastime". But those thoughts are quickly going up in a cloud of dust. More and more, people are tuning away from the Yankees vs. Red Sox, and tuning in to see if Tony Stewart is going to wreck Kurt Busch. Baseball used to be recognized by the last names of players instead of the the sport itself. Not too long ago, people could say Ruth, Mantle, Ryan and Ripken, and they would know what you were talking about. In fact, NASCAR wasn't even relevant at the time. Aside from guys like Jeter and Rodriguez, baseball is straining to have those big names that pop out to the average sports fan that may not follow baseball as contently. Instead, the Major League Baseball is recognized by Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens and Jose Canseco for their alleged steroid use. Bonds and Clemens have yet to be found guilty, but we all know that the court of public opinion outweighs the court of law.
On the other hand, there is NASCAR. Being more and more recognized through correct publicity for their athletes like Gordon, Stewart and the ever present Earnhardt, Jr. NASCAR doesn't have to worry about steroid use. Other than Michael Waltrip using jet fuel at the 2007 Daytona 500, NASCAR is virtually clean. More and more fans are getting tired of seeing mediocre pitchers getting paid millions and millions of dollars. Instead, they like the idea that NASCAR drivers don't get paid by lengthy contracts, but rather their performance on the track. Yes, they get big contracts from sponsors, but guys like Jeff Gordon and Tony Stewart, as well as most other drivers, got those big contracts by starting out as the low man on the totem pole and working their way up. Even though millions of dollars is rewarded to these drivers, NASCAR is one of the only truly "blue-collar" sports of the major ones. Golf being the other exception.
Baseball still has its rivalries to fall back on for ratings boosts. People still tune in to watch the Yankees/Red Sox, Dodgers/Giants, Braves/Mets, and Cubs/White Sox. But more and more, people get tired of seeing four or five teams dominate a season, then some no name team win the World Series. NASCAR does have racing stables that are very dominant. No one will deny that Hendrick Motorsports (Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon, Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and Casey Mears) and Roush-Fenway Racing (Matt Kenseth, Carl Edwards, Jamie McMurray, Greg Biffle and David Regan) are usually up at the front most races. But when it is one lap to go, it doesn't matter if Johnson's car is half-owned by Gordon, if he has to move him out of the way to win, he will. Rivalries are also a big part of NASCAR. Ford vs. Chevrolet used to be the biggest until all the bodies were made the same. Roush-Fenway Racing vs. Hendrick Motorsports. Toyota vs. Everyone else. Kurt Busch vs. Tony Stewart.
More fans are also being turned onto NASCAR based off of its fan base. How many times do you see a Red Sox fan share a beer with a Yankee fan two hours before the opening pitch? Rarely ever. NASCAR fans are one big community. Gordon fans will prop their number 24 flags up and have them wave beside the Earnhardt 3 and 8 flags, then share a beer and grill up some food. For 500 miles, chances are you would love nothing more than to punch that lone Robby Gordon fan in the head for not having a real driver, but then again everyone hates everyone for those 500 laps. But its the sense of almost a family before and after every race. They share their alcohol and their hangovers together.
The proof isn't necessarily in the pudding, but rather in the TV ratings. The Daytona 500 keeps gaining and gaining viewers every year, whereas viewers of the World Series keep declining. Keep in mind, that Daytona is one race, and the World Series is up to seven games. For the 500 to even compete with an average of seven games on the biggest stage in baseball, it is remarkable to see. The All-star events have changed too. Baseball saw a ten percent decreased from this All-Star Game in 2007 from 2006. Whereas the NASCAR All-Star race, which is basically a 30 car dash for about one million dollars, saw its best ratings. Obviously more people enjoy seeing drivers wreck other drivers to get that cool million, rather than Barry Bonds whiff at three fastballs from Roger Clemens.
Baseball will never go out of style. There are too many little leagues and softball leagues for that to happen. There aren't new as many tracks from five and six year olds, as there are tee ball fields. But in terms of mainstream popularity on the major league level, baseball could fall into the same breath as the NBA, soccer and tennis. The game has been tampered with and tainted too much with the allegation of steriod use on its most influential players. Five years from now, numbers 8, 20, 24 and 48 won't be recognized by the guys taking 95 mile per hour fastballs, but rather by the guys driving the 195 mile per hour race cars.
Wednesday, December 5, 2007
2007 College Football Review
The 2007 edition of the college football season can be summed up into one word, "Wow!"
Who would have ever thought at the beginning of the year we would have Ohio State and LSU playing for the national title? Ok, may a few people could have predicted that, but not the buckeyes squeaking in because of West Virginia and Missouri choking. And certainly not a Tigers team that had lost two games this year.
But we'll get to the BCS momentarily. I just want to reflect real quick on the strange happenings that went on in college football. A grand total of 14 top five teams lost to unranked opponents this year. Plus we had a "November to Remember", when we saw several teams who looked prime to make a national title run, lose, and those losses were typically at home. We also saw the rise of the Pac 10 and the Big 12 as being conferences contending with the Southeastern (SEC). USC, UCLA, Arizona State, Oregon and Cal headlined the Pac 10 for most of the year. Then teams like Stanford, Washington, Oregon State and Arizona all made their presence felt with big wins. In the Big 12, we saw the rise of the North Division when Kansas and Missouri met in a number two versus number four matchup. Also Oklahoma and Texas were the usual suspects in the South. But Oklahoma State, Colorado and Texas Tech all came up big in big upset wins.
Here is my list of the top five games/upsets from the SEC:
5) Florida @ LSU. Florida led by 10 going into the fourth quarter. LSU gambled, going five-for-five on fourth downs, and came back to beat the Gators 28-24.
4) Georgia @ Alabama. The Crimson Tide stormed back from a 10 point deficit to send this game into overtime. Bama got first on the board with a field goal. But in one play, Georgia quarterback Matthew Stafford completed a 25 yard touchdown pass to give Georgia the 26-23 win in overtime.
3) Auburn @ Florida. Heading into the fourth quarter, Auburn had a dominating 17-3 lead on the home Gators. But Florida stormed back with 14 unanswered points to tie the game at 17-17. Then, as time expired, Auburn kicker Wes Byrum booted a 43 yard field goal to give the Tigers a 20-17 upset.
2) Tennessee @ Kentucky. This one had the makings of a complete wipeout. The Vols led 24-7 on the Wildcats heading into halftime. But Kentucky decided they would not lay down. Kentucky stormed back to tie the game at 24-24 as time ran out. In the first overtime, both quarterbacks (Andre Woodson for Kentucky and Erik Ainge for Tennessee) completed successful passes for touchdowns. In the second overtime, Ainge was picked off by Kentucky. When the Wildcats attempted the field goal, their attempt was blocked. In the third overtime, both teams got in the end zone again, but each missed the required two-point conversions. The Vols got an unsportsmanlike penalty that carried over into the next overtime. Thus leaving the Vols to start at the 40 yard line. Ainge completed on the first play to Quintin Hancock for a touchdown and a successful two-point conversion. Kentucky answered with a touchdown of their own. But on the two-point conversion, staring a SEC title birth right in the face, the defense sacked Woodson to give the Vols the 52-50 win in four overtimes.
and 1) LSU @ Kentucky. LSU, the number one team in the nation, threw everything they had at unranked Kentucky. The only problem was that Kentucky answered every time. Each time LSU scored, Kentucky would come right back down the field and answer. In the third overtime, Kentucky scored but failed the two-point conversion. Kentucky's defense stepped up to the plate and stopped the Tigers on the goal line for the 43-37 victory.
Here are my top five games outside of the SEC:
5) Boston College @ Virginia Tech. Boston College was getting beat like a drum by Virginia Tech's defense all game long. The Hokies looked to have a 10-0 game in the bag over the Eagles. But then Heisman hopeful Matt Ryan, BC quarterback, took charge. He drove the Eagles down the field once to make it 10-7. On his next drive, as time was running out, he made one of the most memorable plays of the year. He threw of his back foot and in the opposite direction, a pass to his running back in the end zone. BC won 14-10.
4) Missouri vs. Kansas in Kansas City. This makes the list because of what it was. It was a number two versus number four match up with the winner going to the Big 12 title game against Oklahoma. Each team with a win would be one step closer to a possible national title birth. Missouri led throughout the game. Even a late flourish by Kansas couldn't give them the win. The Tigers beat the Jayhawks 36-28.
3) Stanford @ USC. Big upsets were still dominating the headlines at this time. USC had been able to manhandle their Cardinal friends for the last several years. But Stanford stormed back down the field. With 47 seconds left, Stanford threw a touchdown pass to shock USC and the rest of the nation with a 24-23 win.
2) Pittsburgh @ West Virginia. West Virginia had it all going for them. Number two in the nation. Win their last game and they get a national title birth. They were already Big East Champions. The points spread had West Virginia by 28. But staring across the field at them was their arch rival Pittsburgh. The 4-7 Panthers did what not many others could do, they shut down West Virginia's running game. Pittsburgh took away all hope from the Mountaineers with a 13-9 victory in Morgantown.
and 1) Appalachian State @ Michigan. Michigan will just breeze on by and play Oregon the next week, right? Well Appalachian State, a Football Championship Subdivision (formerly 1-AA) team, had a different idea. No one could have predicted what would happen. At halftime, Appalachian State was leading, but honestly, it's Michigan, they'll come back. But State kept hanging around, until Michigan finally grabbed the lead. State would go down and kick a field goal to give them a three point lead. Michigan drove back down the field and set up for a game winning field goal. Once he kicked it, State tore threw the line and block the field goal to give them the 34-32 shocking upset that has still rattled the college football and sports world.
Now that we have covered the games, let me run down my top three finalists of the Heisman Trophy that will be handed out this coming Saturday (12/5/07):
1) Tim Tebow (QB, Fla): Passing: 217/317 (68.5 percent), 3132 yards, 29 TDs, 6 INTs
Rushing: 194 carries, 838 yards (4.3 yards per carry), and 22 TDs
2) Colt Brennan (QB, Hawaii): Passing: 337/472 (71.4 percent), 4, 174 yards, 38 TDs, 14 INTs, 8 rushing TDs
3) Darren McFadden (RB, Ark): Rushing: 304 carries, 1725 yards (5.7 yards per carry), 15 TDs
Receiving: 21 receptions, 164 yards (7.8 yards per catch), 1 TD
Passing: 6/11, 123 yards, 4 TDs
Finally, I want to discuss my biggest surprises and disappointments of the 2007 season.
Surprises:
South Florida. The Bulls jumped all the way to number two in the polls before losing three straight. They would complete the year winning their last three games. They were 4-3 in the Big East conference and 9-3 overall. High points of the year was a 26-23 win at Auburn and a 21-13 win over conference foe West Virginia.
Oregon. Ironically this is South Florida's opponent in the Sun Bowl on December 31. The Ducks slipped up at the end of the year losing three straight. During their 8-4 (5-4 in the PAC 10 conference) campaign, they won at Michigan 39-7 and beat USC and Arizona State in consecutive weeks 24-17 and 35-23 respectively.
Boston College. The Eagles went 10-3 (6-2 in the ACC). Led by senior quarterback Matt Ryan, Boston College jumped all the way to number two in the college polls before losing to Florida St. 27-17. Along the way to a Atlantic division title, the Eagles beat Georgia Tech 24-10 in Atlanta, came back to win at Virginia Tech 14-10, and won at Clemson 20-17. They would end up losing their conference title game to Coastal divisions champs Virginia Tech and get put into a low ranked bowl game, but still had a very good season.
Disappointments:
Notre Dame. The Irish had one of their worst seasons ever. They finished with a 3-9 record, with those wins coming against UCLA, Duke and Stanford (all team at or below .500). In all their losses, they got outscored 320-133. With a few of those losses including thrashings by USC and Michigan 38-0 in both games, and the first win for Navy against the Irish in 44 years (46-44 in three overtimes).
Nebraska. The Huskers faired a little better than the Irish, but their 5-7 (2-6 in the Big 12) record is nothing to look at proudly. The Huskers had to scrap for wins against Ball State and Wake Forest. While in defeat, they looked ugly. Oklahoma State beat them by 31. But the headliner was on homecoming when the 1997 National Championship team was honored. Fans were given a treat when Kansas rolled into Lincoln and dropped 76 points on Nebraska (48-24 at halftime).
So there you have it. The 2007 college football season is done. Now it's time to enjoy the bowl games. If this bowl season in anything like the regular season has been, then it should be enjoyable to watch.
Who would have ever thought at the beginning of the year we would have Ohio State and LSU playing for the national title? Ok, may a few people could have predicted that, but not the buckeyes squeaking in because of West Virginia and Missouri choking. And certainly not a Tigers team that had lost two games this year.
But we'll get to the BCS momentarily. I just want to reflect real quick on the strange happenings that went on in college football. A grand total of 14 top five teams lost to unranked opponents this year. Plus we had a "November to Remember", when we saw several teams who looked prime to make a national title run, lose, and those losses were typically at home. We also saw the rise of the Pac 10 and the Big 12 as being conferences contending with the Southeastern (SEC). USC, UCLA, Arizona State, Oregon and Cal headlined the Pac 10 for most of the year. Then teams like Stanford, Washington, Oregon State and Arizona all made their presence felt with big wins. In the Big 12, we saw the rise of the North Division when Kansas and Missouri met in a number two versus number four matchup. Also Oklahoma and Texas were the usual suspects in the South. But Oklahoma State, Colorado and Texas Tech all came up big in big upset wins.
Here is my list of the top five games/upsets from the SEC:
5) Florida @ LSU. Florida led by 10 going into the fourth quarter. LSU gambled, going five-for-five on fourth downs, and came back to beat the Gators 28-24.
4) Georgia @ Alabama. The Crimson Tide stormed back from a 10 point deficit to send this game into overtime. Bama got first on the board with a field goal. But in one play, Georgia quarterback Matthew Stafford completed a 25 yard touchdown pass to give Georgia the 26-23 win in overtime.
3) Auburn @ Florida. Heading into the fourth quarter, Auburn had a dominating 17-3 lead on the home Gators. But Florida stormed back with 14 unanswered points to tie the game at 17-17. Then, as time expired, Auburn kicker Wes Byrum booted a 43 yard field goal to give the Tigers a 20-17 upset.
2) Tennessee @ Kentucky. This one had the makings of a complete wipeout. The Vols led 24-7 on the Wildcats heading into halftime. But Kentucky decided they would not lay down. Kentucky stormed back to tie the game at 24-24 as time ran out. In the first overtime, both quarterbacks (Andre Woodson for Kentucky and Erik Ainge for Tennessee) completed successful passes for touchdowns. In the second overtime, Ainge was picked off by Kentucky. When the Wildcats attempted the field goal, their attempt was blocked. In the third overtime, both teams got in the end zone again, but each missed the required two-point conversions. The Vols got an unsportsmanlike penalty that carried over into the next overtime. Thus leaving the Vols to start at the 40 yard line. Ainge completed on the first play to Quintin Hancock for a touchdown and a successful two-point conversion. Kentucky answered with a touchdown of their own. But on the two-point conversion, staring a SEC title birth right in the face, the defense sacked Woodson to give the Vols the 52-50 win in four overtimes.
and 1) LSU @ Kentucky. LSU, the number one team in the nation, threw everything they had at unranked Kentucky. The only problem was that Kentucky answered every time. Each time LSU scored, Kentucky would come right back down the field and answer. In the third overtime, Kentucky scored but failed the two-point conversion. Kentucky's defense stepped up to the plate and stopped the Tigers on the goal line for the 43-37 victory.
Here are my top five games outside of the SEC:
5) Boston College @ Virginia Tech. Boston College was getting beat like a drum by Virginia Tech's defense all game long. The Hokies looked to have a 10-0 game in the bag over the Eagles. But then Heisman hopeful Matt Ryan, BC quarterback, took charge. He drove the Eagles down the field once to make it 10-7. On his next drive, as time was running out, he made one of the most memorable plays of the year. He threw of his back foot and in the opposite direction, a pass to his running back in the end zone. BC won 14-10.
4) Missouri vs. Kansas in Kansas City. This makes the list because of what it was. It was a number two versus number four match up with the winner going to the Big 12 title game against Oklahoma. Each team with a win would be one step closer to a possible national title birth. Missouri led throughout the game. Even a late flourish by Kansas couldn't give them the win. The Tigers beat the Jayhawks 36-28.
3) Stanford @ USC. Big upsets were still dominating the headlines at this time. USC had been able to manhandle their Cardinal friends for the last several years. But Stanford stormed back down the field. With 47 seconds left, Stanford threw a touchdown pass to shock USC and the rest of the nation with a 24-23 win.
2) Pittsburgh @ West Virginia. West Virginia had it all going for them. Number two in the nation. Win their last game and they get a national title birth. They were already Big East Champions. The points spread had West Virginia by 28. But staring across the field at them was their arch rival Pittsburgh. The 4-7 Panthers did what not many others could do, they shut down West Virginia's running game. Pittsburgh took away all hope from the Mountaineers with a 13-9 victory in Morgantown.
and 1) Appalachian State @ Michigan. Michigan will just breeze on by and play Oregon the next week, right? Well Appalachian State, a Football Championship Subdivision (formerly 1-AA) team, had a different idea. No one could have predicted what would happen. At halftime, Appalachian State was leading, but honestly, it's Michigan, they'll come back. But State kept hanging around, until Michigan finally grabbed the lead. State would go down and kick a field goal to give them a three point lead. Michigan drove back down the field and set up for a game winning field goal. Once he kicked it, State tore threw the line and block the field goal to give them the 34-32 shocking upset that has still rattled the college football and sports world.
Now that we have covered the games, let me run down my top three finalists of the Heisman Trophy that will be handed out this coming Saturday (12/5/07):
1) Tim Tebow (QB, Fla): Passing: 217/317 (68.5 percent), 3132 yards, 29 TDs, 6 INTs
Rushing: 194 carries, 838 yards (4.3 yards per carry), and 22 TDs
2) Colt Brennan (QB, Hawaii): Passing: 337/472 (71.4 percent), 4, 174 yards, 38 TDs, 14 INTs, 8 rushing TDs
3) Darren McFadden (RB, Ark): Rushing: 304 carries, 1725 yards (5.7 yards per carry), 15 TDs
Receiving: 21 receptions, 164 yards (7.8 yards per catch), 1 TD
Passing: 6/11, 123 yards, 4 TDs
Finally, I want to discuss my biggest surprises and disappointments of the 2007 season.
Surprises:
South Florida. The Bulls jumped all the way to number two in the polls before losing three straight. They would complete the year winning their last three games. They were 4-3 in the Big East conference and 9-3 overall. High points of the year was a 26-23 win at Auburn and a 21-13 win over conference foe West Virginia.
Oregon. Ironically this is South Florida's opponent in the Sun Bowl on December 31. The Ducks slipped up at the end of the year losing three straight. During their 8-4 (5-4 in the PAC 10 conference) campaign, they won at Michigan 39-7 and beat USC and Arizona State in consecutive weeks 24-17 and 35-23 respectively.
Boston College. The Eagles went 10-3 (6-2 in the ACC). Led by senior quarterback Matt Ryan, Boston College jumped all the way to number two in the college polls before losing to Florida St. 27-17. Along the way to a Atlantic division title, the Eagles beat Georgia Tech 24-10 in Atlanta, came back to win at Virginia Tech 14-10, and won at Clemson 20-17. They would end up losing their conference title game to Coastal divisions champs Virginia Tech and get put into a low ranked bowl game, but still had a very good season.
Disappointments:
Notre Dame. The Irish had one of their worst seasons ever. They finished with a 3-9 record, with those wins coming against UCLA, Duke and Stanford (all team at or below .500). In all their losses, they got outscored 320-133. With a few of those losses including thrashings by USC and Michigan 38-0 in both games, and the first win for Navy against the Irish in 44 years (46-44 in three overtimes).
Nebraska. The Huskers faired a little better than the Irish, but their 5-7 (2-6 in the Big 12) record is nothing to look at proudly. The Huskers had to scrap for wins against Ball State and Wake Forest. While in defeat, they looked ugly. Oklahoma State beat them by 31. But the headliner was on homecoming when the 1997 National Championship team was honored. Fans were given a treat when Kansas rolled into Lincoln and dropped 76 points on Nebraska (48-24 at halftime).
So there you have it. The 2007 college football season is done. Now it's time to enjoy the bowl games. If this bowl season in anything like the regular season has been, then it should be enjoyable to watch.
Saturday, November 17, 2007
Time Running Out for Fulmer.
This season of UT football started out looking up for Philip Fulmer, instead he's in the line of fire about his coaching job.
This season started out with promise, with new receivers being thrown to by All-SEC quarterback Erik Ainge. An improved offensive line and steady running attack was also expected. But with a couple of key losses this season to your biggest opponents, it has stirred up talk about the performance, not of the players, but of head coach Philip Fulmer. You look at the career statistics of Fulmer and say to yourself, "How can people even think about wanting to let him go?" That is a valid point with a 125-45 record overall at Tennessee, that's a winning percentage of 73.5.
My opinion is a fair opinion. I'm not going to get on this soapbox and hurl fat jokes at Philip Fulmer. Honestly, fat joke are really insensitive and immature. This is just an honest opinion on the job he has done in two different time spans.
From 1993-1999 could be consider the "Golden Age" for UT football. Fulmer's record was 75-15, with a 48-10 record in the Southeastern Conference (better known as the SEC). That record also includes a 2-1 record he had in 1992 when he filled in for, then head coach, Johnny Majors. During that span, he brought a National Title and two SEC titles to "Rocky Top". His teams were also good in big games, with a 21-10 record against teams ranked in the Top 25 poll and a 4-3 record in bowl games. They had limited success against Florida (1-6 to be exact). But, with Steve Spurrier at the helm, the Gators ruled over the SEC in the Mid-late 90s. They made up for it with a 6-1 record against arch-rivals Alabama.
Switch from then to 2000-Arkansas of 2007. The Vols are 50-30 in this time span and 42-20 in the SEC. They have found success against the Gators, having 3 wins to their credit, and victories against Alabama have come fairly easily with a 6-2 record against the Tide. But where it really falls off, is the big games. Tennessee is only 16-21 against Top 25 teams, and a 2-3 record in bowl games, with not even making it to a bowl game in their 5-6 season of 2005.
What does all this mean? Well, if the Vols continue on this track, they'll fall into mediocrity. The fact is, Tennessee hasn't made it to the SEC title game since 2001, and hasn't even won it since 1998. They also haven't made it into a BCS bowl since 1999. But the thing that sticks out to the "Vol Nation" is the lack of success in bowl games. During that 2-3 stretch in bowl games since 2000, big victories have come against Michigan in 2001 and Texas A&M in 2004. But the losses came to the hand of Kansas State in 2000, a 31-3 beat down by Maryland in 2002 and Clemson in 2003.
People in support of Fulmer look at his overall record and say why fire him? Here's why. It's true, from 1993-1999 he did amazing coaching jobs. But look at it a little closer. In that time span, he had dynamic quarterbacks. Heath Schular, Peyton Manning, and Tee Martin led the way for the Vols. But what he also had, was the offensive mind of David Cutcliffe. Cutcliffe left the Vols to take the head coaching job at Mississippi before the 1998 national title game. Randy Sanders did take over for that game, but took full control in 1999 when the Vols with 9-3. Sanders coached from 2000-2005 and had nowhere near the success with quarterbacks Casey Clausen, Rick Clausen, Brent Schaeffer, and Erik Ainge as Cutcliffe did with the "Three-Headed Monster" he had in the 90s. Cutcliffe returned to the Vols in 2006, and the Vols looked to be as good as there were.
But this season has shown, with teams like Oregon, Florida, California, and even Appalachian State (when they won at Michigan) running a spread/sometimes option offense, the game has passed up Fulmer. Sure, thanks to a crazy season in college football, the Vols are in control of where they go for the postseason. Win these next two versus Vanderbilt and Kentucky, and you go to the SEC Title Game. Win that, probably against number one LSU, and go to the Sugar Bowl. But this season has been a wake up call to me, and should be to everyone else that a change has to be made in the offense scheme of things. Don't look at it game by game or you'll become fair weathered about this. Look at everything as a whole and how its done. They have the plays and the players to run it, but Fulmer is too stubborn headed to run them. The old days of running the ball up the middle and using your defense is all over. "Bear" Bryant's style of offense has been replaces by Urban Meyer's vision of a flashy, trick play game plan.
I'm not fair weathered on this. I absolutely am behind the Vols 110 percent. There just needs to come a time, hopefully soon, when someone pulls the trigger and says enough to the boring, predictable offense that the Vols are running. But I urge Vol fans to refrain from the fat jokes about Fulmer. I was guilty as anyone and one time. But those jokes just make you look stupid and your opinions invalid.
*A lot has happened in the last year and a half since this blog was done. While I agree with the firing of Phil Fulmer and I am very excited at the upcoming season with Lane Kiffin, I want to give Fulmer his proper due. He gave a lot to the University of Tennessee and left it all out on the field as a player and a coach. The legend of Fulmer will be forever remembered and I want to thank him.*
This season started out with promise, with new receivers being thrown to by All-SEC quarterback Erik Ainge. An improved offensive line and steady running attack was also expected. But with a couple of key losses this season to your biggest opponents, it has stirred up talk about the performance, not of the players, but of head coach Philip Fulmer. You look at the career statistics of Fulmer and say to yourself, "How can people even think about wanting to let him go?" That is a valid point with a 125-45 record overall at Tennessee, that's a winning percentage of 73.5.
My opinion is a fair opinion. I'm not going to get on this soapbox and hurl fat jokes at Philip Fulmer. Honestly, fat joke are really insensitive and immature. This is just an honest opinion on the job he has done in two different time spans.
From 1993-1999 could be consider the "Golden Age" for UT football. Fulmer's record was 75-15, with a 48-10 record in the Southeastern Conference (better known as the SEC). That record also includes a 2-1 record he had in 1992 when he filled in for, then head coach, Johnny Majors. During that span, he brought a National Title and two SEC titles to "Rocky Top". His teams were also good in big games, with a 21-10 record against teams ranked in the Top 25 poll and a 4-3 record in bowl games. They had limited success against Florida (1-6 to be exact). But, with Steve Spurrier at the helm, the Gators ruled over the SEC in the Mid-late 90s. They made up for it with a 6-1 record against arch-rivals Alabama.
Switch from then to 2000-Arkansas of 2007. The Vols are 50-30 in this time span and 42-20 in the SEC. They have found success against the Gators, having 3 wins to their credit, and victories against Alabama have come fairly easily with a 6-2 record against the Tide. But where it really falls off, is the big games. Tennessee is only 16-21 against Top 25 teams, and a 2-3 record in bowl games, with not even making it to a bowl game in their 5-6 season of 2005.
What does all this mean? Well, if the Vols continue on this track, they'll fall into mediocrity. The fact is, Tennessee hasn't made it to the SEC title game since 2001, and hasn't even won it since 1998. They also haven't made it into a BCS bowl since 1999. But the thing that sticks out to the "Vol Nation" is the lack of success in bowl games. During that 2-3 stretch in bowl games since 2000, big victories have come against Michigan in 2001 and Texas A&M in 2004. But the losses came to the hand of Kansas State in 2000, a 31-3 beat down by Maryland in 2002 and Clemson in 2003.
People in support of Fulmer look at his overall record and say why fire him? Here's why. It's true, from 1993-1999 he did amazing coaching jobs. But look at it a little closer. In that time span, he had dynamic quarterbacks. Heath Schular, Peyton Manning, and Tee Martin led the way for the Vols. But what he also had, was the offensive mind of David Cutcliffe. Cutcliffe left the Vols to take the head coaching job at Mississippi before the 1998 national title game. Randy Sanders did take over for that game, but took full control in 1999 when the Vols with 9-3. Sanders coached from 2000-2005 and had nowhere near the success with quarterbacks Casey Clausen, Rick Clausen, Brent Schaeffer, and Erik Ainge as Cutcliffe did with the "Three-Headed Monster" he had in the 90s. Cutcliffe returned to the Vols in 2006, and the Vols looked to be as good as there were.
But this season has shown, with teams like Oregon, Florida, California, and even Appalachian State (when they won at Michigan) running a spread/sometimes option offense, the game has passed up Fulmer. Sure, thanks to a crazy season in college football, the Vols are in control of where they go for the postseason. Win these next two versus Vanderbilt and Kentucky, and you go to the SEC Title Game. Win that, probably against number one LSU, and go to the Sugar Bowl. But this season has been a wake up call to me, and should be to everyone else that a change has to be made in the offense scheme of things. Don't look at it game by game or you'll become fair weathered about this. Look at everything as a whole and how its done. They have the plays and the players to run it, but Fulmer is too stubborn headed to run them. The old days of running the ball up the middle and using your defense is all over. "Bear" Bryant's style of offense has been replaces by Urban Meyer's vision of a flashy, trick play game plan.
I'm not fair weathered on this. I absolutely am behind the Vols 110 percent. There just needs to come a time, hopefully soon, when someone pulls the trigger and says enough to the boring, predictable offense that the Vols are running. But I urge Vol fans to refrain from the fat jokes about Fulmer. I was guilty as anyone and one time. But those jokes just make you look stupid and your opinions invalid.
*A lot has happened in the last year and a half since this blog was done. While I agree with the firing of Phil Fulmer and I am very excited at the upcoming season with Lane Kiffin, I want to give Fulmer his proper due. He gave a lot to the University of Tennessee and left it all out on the field as a player and a coach. The legend of Fulmer will be forever remembered and I want to thank him.*
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)