 |
30 Posts
Rep. Joe Barton of Texas is planning to introduce legislation that would force college football to adopt a playoff on the BCS level. While I agree about a playoff, this has no chance of being put into play. Even if it does get adopted, it would get overturned immediately on appeal. I'd rather Barton worry about trying to help this country get itself back on track economically instead of having a football playoff.
While some people say with subjects like steroids and a football playoff "until the government gets involved nothing will happen" I believe these sports entities should be able to figure it out themselves. If they can't then find someone that will. And that's in the event that the sports even want to solve such issues as steroids and a college football playoff.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Taking aim at a BCS system he said "consistently misfires," a member of Congress planned to introduce legislation Wednesday that would force college football to adopt a playoff to determine the national champion.
Rep. Joe Barton of Texas, the ranking Republican on the House Energy and Commerce Committee, didn't specify what sort of playoff he wants -- only that the BCS should go.
"In some years the sport's national championship winner was left unsettled, and at least one school was left out of the many millions of dollars in revenue that accompany the title," Barton said in a statement released ahead of the bill's introduction. "Despite repeated efforts to improve the system, the controversy rages on."
He said the bill -- being co-sponsored by Reps. Bobby Rush, an Illinois Democrat, and Michael McCaul, a Texas Republican -- "will prohibit the marketing, promotion, and advertising of a postseason game as a 'national championship' football game, unless it is the result of a playoff system. Violations of the prohibition will be treated as violations of the Federal Trade Commission Act as an unfair or deceptive act or practice."
The BCS was created in 1998 by the six most powerful conferences. Since then, the system has been tweaked to make it easier for teams from smaller conferences to qualify for the top games. The sites for the four BCS bowls -- the Rose, Orange, Sugar and Fiesta -- take turns hosting a championship game between the top two teams in the BCS standings, which are based on two human polls and six computer ratings.
This season, Florida (12-1) and Oklahoma (12-1) will meet in the BCS title game Jan. 8 in Miami.
Barton cited Southern California in 2003 and undefeated Auburn in 2004 as examples of worthy teams left out of the BCS national championship game.
"This year, we again have two teams with one loss each playing for the 'championship,' while two undefeated teams and four additional teams with only one loss will play in bowl games, but none can become 'champion,"' he said.
When an Energy and Commerce subcommittee held a hearing about the BCS in 2005, lawmakers said they weren't going to pursue legislation.
"The BCS method of determining who is No. 1 consistently misfires," Barton said Wednesday. "Simply exposing the flaws and subjecting them to discussion ... hasn't led to improvement by those who run the system."
This is it. Although the actual finalists won't be announced until Wednesday, this is the way it should go down.
1. Sam Bradford, QB, Oklahoma: His team scored 60 points again and is clearly the best offense in the country. He's playing with a thumb that required surgery and threw for 384 in cold, nasty weather Saturday night. If 48 TD's and 6 TD's for the best team and the highest scoring team in FBS history doesn't win you this award, we need to re-evaluate what the criteria is.
2. Tim Tebow, QB, Florida: He showed true leadership an had a fine year numbers wise. But, he doesn't deserve this award. Not over Bradford. Something tells me this will be close and everyone knows Tebow more than they know Bradford so he's got a shot.
3. Graham Harrell, QB, Texas Tech
4. Colt McCoy, QB, Texas
Usually, I give you three but with less games on the slate, this week you only get two. I've left out the Big 12 and SEC Title games.
East Carolina over Tulsa: It's a road game for the Pirates which will make it difficult but they've shown signs of being the team they were at the start of the year when they beat VA Tech and West Virginia. If a Skip Holtz announcement is to come this weekend, I think ECU will play hard for him. Although Tulsa's offense is fabulous, it's defense leaves a lot to be desired. The Golden Hurricane are a 12.5 point favorite so it's a steep hill to climb but I think the Pirates can make a horse race of this.
Pitt over UConn: This would be a minor upset but I don't know if the Huskies can stop LeSean McCoy and the Pitt running attack. Both teams are going to bowl games so there isn't much on the line however I think Dave Wannestadt would love to get to 9 wins with this game and a bowl victory. UConn is finally healthy and they're playing at home but the Panthers are better up front on both sides of the ball and I like them to win this game on the road.
The rumors of Mike Leach flying to Seattle to talk to the University of Washington were indeed true. Leach spent the whole day there yesterday and apparently the school is putting on the full court press. While the University is in a big city and can offer more money than he's making in Lubbock, Texas, Leach should understand the undertaking this will be. They have a long way to go and he will not have the state of Texas to recruit from. He could have almost any job and it might be prudent for him to wait. I guess he's thinking he's taken the Tech program as far as he can and there's no place to go but down.
The most exciting Heisman race in a long time is heading down the home stretch and it may be about what a guy doesn't do rather than what he does this weekend. What I mean by that is two of the top 4 play this weekend while the other two are sitting at home. Does that hurt or help the guys that play. The finalists will be announced on December 10 and the winner named three days later. I kind of wish we could wait until after the bowl games and then cast ballots, but it's a regular season award so here goes:
1. Sam Bradford, QB, Oklahoma: 370 yards and 5 total TD's in a beatdown on the road against Okie St. It's his unless he lays an egg against Missouri in the Big 12 Title game.
2. Colt McCoy, QB, Texas: 311 yards and 4 total TD's in an easy win over Texas A&M. He has 42 total TD's this year and is the Horns leading rusher. He'll have to wait to see what Bradford does but remember he did win the head to head matchup earlier in the season.
3. Tim Tebow, QB, Florida: He didn't have the year he had last year but the Gators are better. If he can have a huge day against Bama and Bradford bombs, Tebow could pass McCoy and win it again.
4. Graham Harrell, QB, Texas Tech: Any chance of him winning it went out the window when the Raiders were wasted in Norman. He is playing hurt and put up some incredible passing numbers. So, he will definitely be in New York for the announcement.
5. Todd Reesing, QB, Kansas: He hasn't been on anyone's radar for awhile but he was heroic in the Jayhawks win over Missouri. He's made a ton of highlight reel plays and is one of the most exciting players in the country. But, he has zero shot of winning this award.
Major shifts this week as Graham Harrell now has to be temporarily displaced and the award is as wide open as ever.
1. Sam Bradford, QB, Oklahoma: 304 yards and 4 TD's in the blowout of Texas Tech. A big game against Oklahoma St this week puts him firmly in the drivers seat.
2. Graham Harrell, QB, Texas Tech: There's no way he can recover from what happened to the Red Raiders Saturday night. It wasn't all his fault but that's the way it works.
3. Tim Tebow, QB, Florida: Had 3 TD's in less than half's worth of work. Has two games left to move up the ladder.
4. Colt McCoy, QB, Texas: He's a longshot but still alive especially if Oklahoma bombs against Oklahoma St.
5. Brian Johnson, QB, Utah: Won't win the award but deserves a few votes. He's played error free football in the Utes two biggest games.
This will be the most intriguing vote of the season even more so than the POY. I assume Mike Leach will win it because nobody expected this out of Texas Tech but there are other candidates as well. Gary Pinkel from Missouri and Mark Mangino from Kansas have actually underachieved so they're out. Bob Stoops won't get it because Oklahoma might not even go to the Big 12 Title game. Mack Brown's got a shot but I believe everyone knew how good Texas was.
I would say it's between Leach and Oklahoma State's Mike Gundy. The Cowboys are 9-2 and if they can upset Oklahoma in the final game of the year, he'd have an outside chance. At this point it's Leach's to lose.
Interesting that Texas Tech coach Mike Leach during the week of the biggest game of his career hasn't officially said No to the Tennessee job. He said he wasn't looking at any job openings now which translates to leave me alone so I can get my team ready for Oklahoma. The Vols have a ways to go to be an SEC contender but Leach is such a unique coach that he would be able to impose his style on the SEC almost immediately.
He might want to wait and see though. One more great year at Tech and he could find himself the head coach at Notre Dame if Charlie Weis ends up getting the boot after the 2009 season. Difficult choice for any coach looking to move up the coaching ladder.
Not much activity this week since Graham Harrell, Michael Crabtree and Sam Bradford were idle. Tim Tebow had a nice game in another blowout and could put up huge numbers against the Citadel this week. Colt McCoy is the one guy who improved his stock with 255 yards and 2 TD's against Kansas. McCoy is off this week while Harrell/Crabtree will go up against Bradford.
Utah QB Brian Johnson has quietly had a great year but is too far removed from any talk to get serious consideration. Once again, this award will be won with a popular vote and by who can get the best PR machine going in the next week.
1. Graham Harrell, QB, Texas Tech
2. Michael Crabtree, WR, Texas Tech.
3. Colt McCoy, QB, Texas
4. Tim Tebow, QB, Florida
5. Sam Bradford, QB, Oklahoma
Still very wide open with any of the Top 5 having a shot. Ballots go out on Wednesday. But, they don't have to be in until Dec 10. My suggestion would be to wait until the Big 12 and SEC title games are over. Then again, I don't have a vote so it doesn't matter.
The upset master is feeling a little bubbly this weekend. There are a lot of possibilities including one I won't get into which is Navy who should be favored to beat Notre Dame. Last year the Middies ended a 43 year skid against the Irish. There's a lot of jockeying for position in the Big 12, Big East, ACC and Mountain West. Here's what could go wrong for a few favorites.
Louisville over Cincinnati: The Keg of Nails is at stake and although I think Cincy is clearly the better team, they still could be high from their win over West Virginia last week. This is the Bearcats 4th game in 20 days and their 3rd road contest in that span. It'll be tight but as long as L-Ville QB Hunter Cantwell is careful, the Cards could steal this one.
Auburn over Georgia: Hard to make a case for Tommy Tuberville's crew given how putrid their offense has been this season. However, they're a much better team at home losing only to LSU and Arkansas in games they probably should've won. Georgia's defense has given up 38, 49 and 38 the last three games so they're vulnerable. If the players really like Tuberville, they'll leave it on the field this week and next week against Alabama.
Air Force over BYU: I've haven't been sold on BYU all season long. If you can run the ball, you can tire out their defense which has happened in the second half of the season. TCU hammered them and they had close calls with UNLV and Colo St. Hit QB Max Hall a couple of times early and you can rattle him. BYU might be the better skill team but Air Force is physically tougher.
No changes in the top 5, so I'll just list them in order again. The question is can Graham Harrell or Michael Crabtree win the Heisman if Texas Tech doesn't go undefeated?
1. Graham Harrell, QB, Texas Tech: 40 of 50 for 332 yards and 6 TD's.
2. Michael Crabtree, WR, Texas Tech: 8 catches for 89 yards and 3 TD's.
3. Colt McCoy, QB, Texas: 300 yards and 5 TD's.
4. Tim Tebow, QB, Florida: 5 TD's.
5. Sam Bradford, QB, Oklahoma: 4 TD's passing and one running.
This is the most wide open race in a long time and I wonder if the Big 12 affilated voters will figure out who the conference player of the year is and vote for him to win the Heisman. It seems to make sense but I don't trust anything in college football. I doubt Crabtree will win it because Harrell's numbers are just too overwhelming that he would have to get hurt and have Crabtree catch passes from another QB to win it.
I don't like to be the one to say I told you so but............. I once again 2 of my 3 upsets last weekend. This weekend is a little more challenging. I've left off the Oklahoma St-Texas Tech game because that deserves analysis on it's own. Remember, the word "possible" is included in this for a reason.
So, without further adieu, here we go.
- Northwestern over Ohio St: I'm not in love with this one given the Wildcats big win over Minnesota last week. Also, Ohio St has had an extra week to prepare for NW. I do like the way the Cats matchup with the Buckeyes though. They really moved the ball on the ground last week and if Ohio St comes in cocky, this one could be close in the fourth quarter. With NW winning a lot of tight ones this year and playing at home I give them a shot.
- Clemson over Florida St: I don't know what to make of the Seminoles. They're so inconsistent that it's impossible to know which team will show up. I think Bobby Bowden is past the point of being able to fire his team up if he wants to exact revenge for Clemson firing his son. The Tigers actually have more playmakers than the Noles and their last 3 losses have been by a combined 12 points. Win 2 of those and they're 6-2. I think they're starting to respond to Dabo Swinney. I don't know why but they are.
- Cincinnati over West Virginia: The Mountaineers are playing much better football but this is a talented Bearcat team who's been fairly decent against the run. When they played last year, Cincy got way behind and rallied too late. They also gave up almost 5 yards a carry. But, Brian Kelly's team will always play hard and with QB Tony Pike back to being 100%, they'll put pressure on West Virginia's defense. It'll be high scoring and Cincinnati's got the weapons to pull it off.
I think Mack Brown has a point his following comments concerning the fans who flooded the field after Texas 39-33 loss to Texas Tech.
"I'm afraid, in my lifetime, there will be a tragedy, and that's when we'll change the rules," Brown said.
"I really appreciate the class that our team, our coaches and our staff showed in a very difficult situation after that game, because it will not get more difficult than that," Brown said. "At the same time, it's not the students' fault, it's not Texas Tech's fault if we're going to allow that to happen across the country."
"I'm really proud of Texas that we don't do that here," Brown said. "Again, it's nothing against Tech, because we do not have Big 12 rules and we do not have NCAA rules against it. So I do not blame Tech, I do not blame the students at all. I just think it's a very difficult and dangerous situation for kids and coaches, and I think it would be better if it wasn't that way. It's not that way here and it's not that way in the NFL."
This is fine but when you start the holier than thou speech about how Texas wouldn't do that, you lose me. He should've used his soapbox to talk about improving security at college stadiums. Doing it this way makes him come off as a sore loser.
Craziness. Colt McCoy is no longer the best player on the best team. The Heisman race is back on like a fat kid in a candy store.
1. Graham Harrell, QB, Texas Tech: It has to be him right? He beat the #1 team in the country by throwing for 474 yards and two TD's. Maybe he should've thrown the winning TD to someone else besides Crabtree and he'd be a shoo in for the trophy.
2. Michael Crabtree, WR, Texas Tech: He might have to call for more end arounds so he can get his hands on the ball without Harrell throwing to him. 10 catches 127 yards and the game winning TD.
3. Colt McCoy, QB, Texas: There's still time to recover but he was outplayed by Harrell and his team lost to Harrell's so it's pretty cut and dry.
4. Tim Tebow, QB, Florida: His passing numbers don't compare to any of the Big 12 QB's but he still had 5 TD's in the blowout win over Georgia. If the Gators can sneak into the title game he's got a shot to repeat.
5. Sam Bradford, QB, Oklahoma: They need to get to the Big 12 title game. That means they have to win out and Texas has to lose again. He did throw for 5 TD's last week but it was against the sorriest Nebraska defense I've ever seen.
After hitting two of the three I gave you (Louisville over South Florida and Georgia over LSU) last week I'm back this week with three more. It's slim pickings as most of the favorites look pretty solid this week. I'm not including Texas Tech over Texas or Georgia over Florida because although they could be upsets, they're games that has to be analyzed on it's own.
- Pitt over Notre Dame: You never know which Pitt team will show up but the Panthers offense has the running game to make this a long day for the Irish. They stand a better chance to win this game if QB Bill Stull can play but even if he doesn't I'm not sure Irish QB Jimmy Clausen isn't due for a stinker.
- Arkansas over Tulsa: If these teams played 10 times, Tulsa would probably win 9 but this one could be close. Arkansas has certainly been blown out a lot but they've been better lately and easily could've won the last two games against Kentucky and Ole Miss, games which they lost by a combined 3 points.
- Kansas State over Kansas: This is normally a pretty big rivalry so you expect an intense game. If Josh Freeman is on, State's offense is potent. On the Kansas side of the ball, QB Todd Reesing was awful last week and the Jayhawks simply can't run the ball.
|
|
|
|
|
