College Football Fever's Year End Top 10
Once again it is execution and near perfection by the Florida Gators as they win the BCS Title for the second time in three years.
We can now all sit back and mope around the house for the next eight months of boring Saturdays without college football. But for today, let's determine who fared well at years end.
With the current bowl system in place, the Florida Gators have earned the recognition as the number one team in the country - and deservedly so. After their heartbreaking loss to Ole Miss 31-30 in Gainesville, the Gators added an element to their team that gave them a clear-cut advantage on the field of play for the remainder of the season.
The will and determination of Tim Tebow was the answer.
Sure, one can break down any matchup to try and gage the on-field advantages and disadvantages. Though when delving into the BCS Championship Game, it should be the coaching scheme (Meyer vs. Stoops), SEC defense vs. Big 12 offense, bowl history, emotion and motivation, as well as O-line vs. D-line to determine the winner.
Overall, with an exception of a few turnovers and miscues, both teams were well prepared schematically, emotionally, and physically. Well into the second half, when Florida began to control the clock and move the ball, it wasn't that Oklahoma was out of place defensively or not making plays, it was 'superman' Tim Tebow who was refusing to lose, refusing to go down, and refusing to let his team fall. Apparently, that was neither in Stoop's defensive playbook.
Jumping into another region of the country, the USC Trojans, to no one's surprise, finished on high-high note once again. Home field advantage usually matters, but it didn't help Alabama playing in their backyard against the Utes. It certainly did, however, fire up Pete Carroll's crew at the Rose Bowl.
USC showed why they are nothing short of an NFL-caliber team. Much of their offense and almost their entire defense will be drafted by the National Football League. Quarterback Mark Sanchez not only showed off his skills for the scouts, but the rest of the team did as well.
In the Rose Bowl the Trojans dismantled a very poised and balanced Penn State team 38-24. Flexing his muscles a bit, Sanchez went 28-for-35 with 413 passing yards and four touchdowns on the day. To make the game more intriguing and respectable, the Trojans were gracious enough to curl up and take a nap after the first half when they were up 31-7.
And congratulations to Kyle Wittingham and the Utah Utes for an undefeated season of 13-0. Traveling to the South to face a tough and well-respected Alabama Crimson Tide team then marching home with a 31-17 win deserves recognition.
Take nothing from Utah. Coach Wittingham is a hot commodity right now and deservedly so, but they are not number one, two, or three on this year-end list. The big wins for Utah included TCU, BYU, Oregon State, and Alabama. But the remainder of the schedule included wins over lesser teams: UNLV, Weber State, Utah State, Wyoming, San Diego State, New Mexico, Colorado State, Air Force, and a two-point win over Michigan. It was a great season for the Utes, but there's not enough substance in that schedule to merit a top three ranking.
If you want a schedule comparison, Texas battled it out with Arkansas, Colorado, Oklahoma, Missouri, Oklahoma State, and Texas Tech - all in a row. The BCS Champion Florida Gators played Miami (FL), Mississippi, Arkansas, LSU, Georgia, Kentucky, Vanderbilt, South Carolina, Florida State, Alabama, and Oklahoma. Every team except Arkansas on the Florida schedule went to a bowl game, and even those Razorbacks are still very good. Sorry Utah, but there is no split national title this season.
As for Oklahoma and Texas, one thing became clear. When the Big 12 power offenses were in full stride, they were unbeatable. But if they had a hiccup in their step (time off), the defenses could not bail them out.
Through most of the season it looked as though God himself could not stop a Big 12 offense. But as Texas Tech, Oklahoma, and Texas, who did in fact win, faced premier defensive teams, the rhythm was off and production fell by the wayside. The Sooners averaged more than fifty points per game in the regular season but managed to score only fourteen against Florida. Texas came out with a season low 24 points against Ohio State. Texas Tech had their second lowest point production of 34 points in a loss to Ole Miss.
The bowl games make all the excitement and upsets possible. Coaching staffs have time to develop new and effective schemes to implement on game day. At the same time, the players' blood starts to boil and tempers begin to rise as they become engulfed with a constant nagging about how they are not good enough to sniff the other team's jock sweat.
Suddenly, game day is here, and they explode!
1. Florida
2. USC
3. Texas
4. Utah
5. Oklahoma
6. Penn State
7. Alabama
8. Oregon
9. Ohio State
10.TCU
(c)2007 College Football Fever
Georgia Tech predicted to win 2009 ACC football crown
With this college football season heading into its final stages, it's time for a little way-too-early look at what's going to happen next season in the Atlantic Coast Conference.
After winning the ACC championship for a second straight season and going on to win the Orange Bowl, Virginia Tech will enter next season as one of the nation's elite, but it will have a hard time holding off an improving Georgia Tech squad. Here's what's going to happen next season:
Conference champion
Georgia Tech
After running for 207 or more yards against six ACC opponents, Georgia Tech proved the triple option can be a deadly weapon in a Bowl Championship Series conference. Georgia Tech entered its Chick-fil-A Bowl disaster against Louisiana State with the third-best rushing offense in the nation (average of 282 yards per game). All 11 offensive starters could be back, but the Yellow Jackets must replace senior defensive linemen Darryl Richard, Vance Walker and Michael Johnson, who combined for 341/2 tackles for losses. Georgia Tech gets Clemson, Wake Forest, North Carolina and Virginia Tech at home next season, but must travel to Florida State, Virginia, Duke and Miami.
Atlantic Division
Florida State - Quarterback Christian Ponder (2,211 total yards) is back to lead an offense that paced the ACC with 33 points per game this season and should be strong up front.
Boston College - Significant holes to fill on defense (tackles B.J. Raji and Ron Brace, linebacker Brian Toal and safety Paul Anderson), but running backs Josh Haden and Montel Harris will return.
North Carolina State - How much better can quarterback Russell Wilson get? It may depend on how quickly the Wolfpack can fill some gaps on the offensive line.
Clemson - Dabo Swinney's first full season as coach could be tough as nine senior starters leave, including quarterback Cullen Harper and running back James Davis.
Wake Forest - The Demon Deacons will be hit hard by the losses of six seniors in their talented back seven on defense and of wide receiver D.J. Boldin.
Maryland - It's good to have quarterback Chris Turner, receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey and running back Da'Rel Scott back, but replacing 11 other starters will be difficult.
Coastal Division
Georgia Tech - Expect coach Paul Johnson to perfect his triple option even more with ACC player of the year Jonathan Dwyer and quarterback Josh Nesbitt back, but the Yellow Jackets must replace Richard, Walker and Johnson.
Virginia Tech - The Hokies will challenge for an ACC championship three-peat and could have 18 starters returning, led by running back Darren Evans and defensive end Jason Worilds.
North Carolina - Though the Tar Heels should have no trouble reloading, they need to prove they can win the close ones (2-4 this season in games decided by five points or fewer).
Miami - Who will replace fired offensive coordinator Patrick Nix? How patient will the Hurricanes' faithful be if Miami doesn't challenge for the Coastal Division title?
Duke - Quarterback Thaddeus Lewis, defensive tackle Vince Oghobaase and linebacker Vincent Rey are great players, but the program still is taking baby steps (one ACC win this season).
Virginia - If coach Al Groh is going to be around for the 2010 season, new offensive coordinator Gregg Brandon will have to make good things happen in a hurry.
Copyright (c) 2009, Newport News, Va., Daily Press
Ejiasi a 'big brother' to Hawkeyes' young players
IOWA CITY -- Chigozie Ejiasi bristles at the term "baby sitter."
Iowa's new director of player development doesn't see himself that way, even if many others do. Hired in September to fill a position created in the wake of numerous off-the-field problems, Ejiasi's official role is to help Iowa's freshmen and sophomores adjust to life as a college football player -- and do so without getting in trouble.
That might mean a quick chat with a player, finding him a tutor or setting him up with a mentor. And if Ejiasi has to place a call or two to a bar owner or make the occasional trip to Iowa City's downtown district on a Saturday night, then so be it.
"I've never baby-sitted before or anything like that. This whole situation, it's really just to be a bigger brother to these guys, at the same time to be a dad to these guys also," Ejiasi said. "I'm here for these guys and to help them out any way that I can."
Judging by Iowa's recent problems, Ejiasi will be busy.
The Hawkeyes -- by far the most popular team in a state of just over 3 million people and no major pro sports franchises -- wound up in the news as much for what they were doing off the field as on it.
In addition to a number of alcohol-related arrests, three cases -- all involving underclassmen -- stood out.
Wide receivers Anthony Bowman and Dominique Douglas pleaded guilty to credit card fraud last December and left the program. Wide receiver James Cleveland and quarterback Arvell Nelson were booted off the team after being arrested on drug charges in February.
The most serious case involved two now-former players, Abe Satterfield and Cedric Everson, who have been charged with sexually assaulting a female athlete in October 2007 in a residence hall room. They will be tried separately next spring.
Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz, who is well-respected within the state for both his coaching acumen and his humble, hardworking persona, found himself facing as much heat as he had during his 10-year tenure in Iowa City.
Ferentz approached athletic director Gary Barta about how to clean up the program. What they realized was that most of the problems were with their newest players. Ferentz and Barta set out to hire someone who could help players adjust to college, where the academic, social and on-field pressures they face all increase exponentially.
Iowa didn't shy away from the fact that Ejiasi's position was created in response to its off-the-field issues. But Barta is adamant that Ejiasi will be in charge of more than keeping Hawkeyes out of trouble.
Barta said that Iowa is among a small number of Division I programs to create such a position, which he believes will become more prevalent.
"It is so much more broad than getting in trouble and not getting in trouble," Barta said. "It's not set up to be a disciplinary measure. It's just to help the total student-athlete transition."
The 27-year-old Ejiasi appears well-equipped for the role. A former four-year letterman for the Hawkeyes, Ejiasi spent two seasons as an administrative assistant with the team and is well-versed in all that being an Iowa football player entails.
The Hawkeyes haven't had any major conduct issues this season, and they've improved on the field as well.
After going just 12-13 from 2006-07, Iowa finished the regular season at 8-4 and earned a bid to the Outback Bowl to play South Carolina.
"He's a great guy. Players really respect him because first and foremost he is a former player himself," sophomore quarterback Ricky Stanzi said. "He's been through the program; he understands what we've went through. And he's a young cat, too, so he understands a lot of what we're going through."
Ejiasi's role isn't set in stone. Since it's such a new position, Ejiasi's duties will be malleable as both he and the university determine what's working and what isn't.
One thing is certain, though. Ejiasi knows that Iowa's off-field conduct will play a major role in how he's evaluated.
But Ejiasi insists that his most important task will be preparing the program's young players to handle their new role as a college athlete in the spotlight.
"The message is, you're being watched," Ejiasi said. "You've got to be on point with what you do. At the same time, you're here for academics also, and you can't rely on just football."
(c)2008 The Burlington Hawk Eye
Mike DuBose: "I knew at some point in time, Nick (Saban) would put them back in the position they were in..."
As I mentioned last week, I'm traveling back in time to revisit some of the plays of Sugar Bowls of yesterday. One of those is the pass by Tom Clements out of his own end zone in 1973 that resulted in a tough Alabama loss in its first game against Notre Dame. Not good times for Crimson Tide fans, but an important play, nonetheless.
To get an on-field perspective, I spoke with Mike DuBose, the former UA coach who was an outside linebacker on that play. DuBose, who is now the coach at Millsaps College in Mississippi, shared his recollections. You'll read about those in our special section on Dec. 28.
But I also asked him what he thought about the success of the 2008 Alabama team:
"Well, I was interested in it," DuBose told me this morning. "Probably, like most people, I'm not surprised."
DuBose, you'll recall, led the Crimson Tide to its most recent SEC championship in 1999. (The way he left the program... not as full of sunshine.) But he does know about what it takes to get a team to that point. Here are more of his thoughts on Alabama coach Nick Saban.
"I knew at some point in time, Nick would put them back in the position they were in, at this stage," DuBose said. "But I'd be lying to you if I thought he was going to it in two years. I'd imagine, if everybody else were honest, there's probably not 10 percent of the people out there that could say that they though he would have them in Atlanta playing for opportunity to play for national championship again (so fast.). It's not surprising that they're in this position, but it is surprising that they're in it as quickly as they are."
By the way, DuBose just finished up his third year at Division-III Millsaps with an undefeated regular season, a conference title, but a second-round loss in the playoffs and an 11-1 record.
"A good year, not a great year," he said. "You got to finish. We need to finish stronger than we did."
In his first year in 2006, the Majors won their first SCAC outright title in 15 years and got a berth into the NCAA Division III Playoffs for the first time in 31 years. He always was the victim of maybe the most memorable small-college play ever.
He's had success. I asked him if coaching at this level is something he wants to do until he retires. DuBose appeared conflicted.
"There is a part of me that likes what I'm doing," DuBose said. "You know, the game is the same. Getting to the field is entirely different in Division III as opposed to Division I, but once you get on the field, the same things win, the same things lose. But the biggest difference is there aren't as many people involved. The stage is bigger on a Division I level. And there is a part of me that enjoys doing what I'm doing here and I love the game and I want to coach. But there is a big part of me that also misses the stage and the atmosphere of a big-time college athletics and big-time college football."
(c)2008 al.com
Oklahoma quarterback Bradford wins Heisman Trophy
NEW YORK (AP) -- The first person to congratulate Heisman Trophy winner Sam Bradford was the player who won it last year -- Tim Tebow.
The star quarterbacks from the top two teams in the country shook hands Saturday night, then embraced.
On Jan. 8, with the national championship on the line, it won't be so cordial.
Bradford, Oklahoma's amazingly accurate and quick-thinking passer, won the Heisman after leading the highest-scoring team in major college history to the BCS title game.
A year after Tebow was the first sophomore to win the Heisman, Bradford became the second and kept the Florida star from joining Archie Griffin as the only two-time winners.
Bradford and Tebow will soon meet again, when the No. 2 Sooners (12-1) face No. 1 Gators (12-1) in Miami.
"We're ready to get back to work to get ready for the 8th," Bradford said. "When we started this season, winning the national championship was the first goal we put down as a team."
Next month's game between Oklahoma and Florida marks the second time Heisman winners will play against each other. The first was in the 2005 Orange Bowl, when '04 winner Matt Leinart and Southern California beat '03 winner Jason White and Oklahoma for the national title.
Bradford, who leads the nation in touchdown passes with 48, received 1,726 points. Texas quarterback Colt McCoy was second with 1,604 and Tebow - who received the most first-place votes - was third with 1,575 points.
"I was definitely surprised and I think it's everything I imagined," said Bradford, who raised the 25-pound bronze statue with his left hand still in a cast from a recent surgery. "I think it will take a couple weeks to set in."
Bradford got 300 first-place votes, McCoy 266 and Tebow 309. Not since 1956 had a player drawn the most first-place votes and finished third; Tommy McDonald of Oklahoma holds that distinction.
Bradford was the third person to win without receiving the most first-place votes, joining Notre Dame's Paul Hornung in '56 and Oklahoma's Billy Sims in 1978.
Any consolation, Tim?
"Not really," he said with a smile. "You lose, you lose.
"We still get to play in January and decide something a little bit bigger."
It was the closest margin between the top two since Nebraska's Eric Crouch edged Florida's Rex Grossman by 62 points in 2001. The only other time the gap between first and third was smaller was also '01, when Miami's Ken Dorsey was 142 points behind Crouch.
"Now I know what it's like for those people on 'American Idol,'" McCoy said. "My heart was pounding."
The award ceremony was held at the Nokia Theatre in Times Square. When it was over, the finalists were whisked downtown with a police escort, about 50 blocks to the Sports Museum of America in lower Manhattan for a news conference.
"I was really nervous," Bradford said during his news conference. "I'd much rather play in front of 100,000 people than wait for an award to be handed out."
The Big 12 South was the epicenter of college football this season, with both the national championship race and Heisman chase turning weekly on games played by its three powerhouse teams.
McCoy was the early Heisman front-runner after leading the Longhorns to the No. 1 ranking with a victory against Oklahoma in October. Texas Tech's Graham Harrell, who finished a distant fourth in Heisman voting, then moved to the forefront after he tossed a last-second, game-winning touchdown pass to beat Texas a month later.
But Bradford closed strongest, leading his team to a string of blowout victories, including one against Texas Tech, and a spot - even if it was somewhat controversial - in the BCS title game.
Bradford leads the nation in passer rating (186.3) and has thrown for 4,464 yards, directing the Sooners' fast-paced, no-huddle offense.
Oklahoma has already racked up 702 points to blow past the record of 656 set by Hawaii in 2006, and last week the Sooners became the first major college team in 89 years to score at least 60 in five straight games.
"This is an individual award but I feel like I'm receiving it on behalf of my teammates," Bradford said during his acceptance speech. "I feel like our whole offense bails me out every game. They make me look good."
Bradford is the fifth Oklahoma player to win the award, and second during coach Bob Stoops' 10 seasons with the Sooners. Bradford matched White by taking home college football's most famous bronze statue. Next he'd like to join Josh Heupel, his position coach and a Heisman runner-up, who quarterbacked OU to the 2000 national title.
"You were one of my heroes growing up," Bradford told Heupel.
Oklahoma has never won a national title and a Heisman Trophy in the same season.
While no match for Tebow and McCoy as a runner, Bradford's Heisman moment came on a scramble against Oklahoma State in the regular-season finale. He sprinted away from pressure, turned up the sideline and about 5 yards from the end zone tried to vault headfirst to the goal line. Bradford got hit and flipped, arms and legs whipping around, and landed hard out of bounds, but popped right up. On the next play, he sneaked into the end zone from a yard out.
He came out of that game with an injured non-throwing hand. The cast will be off well before the game against Florida.
The winner that night in Miami gets the biggest prize of all.
Copyright (c) 2008 The Associated Press
Coach Jags, Eagles won't be satisfied without a win
(NECN: Tampa, Fla) - Boston College has the nation's longest bowl winning streak at eight. None of those wins however have come in a major bowl game. BC has a chance to change that, but only if they can do what they couldn't do a year ago. Knock off Virginia Tech in the ACC Championship.
With a win, they clinch a spot in the Orange Bowl.
"Last year we were really happy to be here, to get to this game." Boston College coach Jeff Jagodzinski said Friday. "Now our guys they want to take it one step further, and go and win this one."
Jagodzinski insists that despite the injuries his team suffered, including the key loss of quarterback Chris Crane, he is not surprised his Eagles are in the ACC Championship. "Our team this year, it doesn't matter who is playing, it didn't matter who got the credit, it was the most unselfish football team I've ever been around."
(c) 2008 NECN and Sausage Labs. All Rights Reserved.
Sun Not Shining On Golden Dome
It's that time of the year again.
The snow's falling, the holiday lights are going up and the Notre Dame's football team has supplied the punching bag for the Southern California Trojans.
Ah yes, the Trojans were once again able to showcase their talents against a punch-drunk fighter Saturday night in Los Angeles' Colesium.
While USC players were being paraded around, one-by-one, like exquisite cars at an elite car show, the Irish looked like a pathetic drunk slurring, 'I used to be somebody!"
Per usual, Notre Dame kept the score close for about a quarter-and-a-half, and then it happened.
And the end result was a 38-3 win for USC.
As soon as the road team got a drive started at midfield, a miss communication between super-sophomore quarterback Jimmy Clausen and freshman tight end Kyle Rudolph resulted in an interception. One play later, USC sophomore Joe McKnight glided 52 yards to the end zone, igniting the blowout.
Now at this point, an Irish fan would usually get upset, but not this time.
No, not after seeing beatings like this since Carson Palmer, Mike Williams, Troy Polamalu and Kerry Colbert began the trend back in 2002.
Since then, it's been different names, but the same story.
In the past few years, USC has gone through such offensive players as Reggie Bush, LenDale White, Matt Leinart, Steve Smith and Dwayne Jarrett.
In contrast, the Irish have seen the likes of Brady Quinn and uhhhhh, oh yeah, Jeff Samardzija, who's now a relief pitcher with the Chicago Cubs.
But hey, Notre Dame is still among the upper echelon of NCAA football teams right?
Sure, other teams like Oklahoma may score over 60 points in four straight games, while the Irish can't score 60 points in four games combined. Seriously, in their last four games, Notre Dame has scored 53 points. But against the likes of Boston College, Navy, Syracuse and USC, how many points could you expect?
Glancing through the Knute Rockne-covered program from Notre Dame's 27-26 loss to Syracuse, I came across a graphic titled "Super Seasons." This section showcased all of Notre Dame's great teams. Their most recent, an 11-1 1993 team that came a last-second loss to Boston College from a national championship.
1993?
My dear Lord, that was 15 years ago.
Since then, the Irish have compiled a 107-73-1 record going into whatever mediocre bowl game they get into this month. To keep you from doing that math, that's an average season record of 7-5.
Oh sure, the Irish have been in nine bowl games during that span, but have also gone 0-9, being beaten by an average score of 35-17.
Ouch.
So why do Notre Dame fans (and I'm counting myself) still think this team deserves something?
I know they were good between the turn of the 20th century all the way through the 1940s. Then they picked up their game in the 1970s, and Lou Holtz returned them to prominence in the late '80s and early '90s, but now? Ugghhhh.
Somehow current coach Charlie Weis was able to convince today's young football players to come play football in South Bend, evident by his great recruiting classes. But maybe he needs to be convinced that there's more to coaching than recruiting.
Just as Ron Zook recruited great players at the University of Florida, it took his firing and Urban Meyer's hiring to get them a national championship. And now they face off with Alabama in Saturday's SEC championship game to get into another title game.
So following a 3-9 season with a 6-6 mark, Weis' future is up in the air.
His contract buyout is large, but even during these economic times, Notre Dame alums may conjure up the cash.
But before firing a coach, another has to be in place, and who is there?
During the debacle that was Saturday's 38-3 beating, which was an improvement over 2007's 38-0 loss, my friends and I began the list.
Sure there's the impossible, and completely delusional, prospects of Bob Stoops and Meyer, but I prefer to get a little more creative.
Heck, Phillip Fulmer's out at Tennessee and so is Joe Tiller at Purdue. So how about this - we get what would currently be dubbed as the Holy Trinity, with Fulmer, Tiller and Holtz?
There's a lot of wins in that trifecta?
And then there's former coach Tyrone Willingham who will be available after being fired at Washington. Iowa's Kirk Ferentz is also being shown the door, so come on down!
Or, or - how about this, Notre Dame just decides to shut down the program.
As much as I love my Notre Dame football, I wouldn't mind seeing a team that didn't get slaughtered on a weekly basis, and yes, a 1-point loss to a 2-8 Syracuse team qualifies as a slaughter in my eyes.
The school can still keep its basketball, soccer, lacrosse, baseball and every other team that still succeeds, but just let the football team go. By doing that, they're letting their fans free as well.
At this point, rooting for the Irish is like being in an abusive relationship.
"They're going to get better. They're going to get better."
What kind of rationale is that? A sick and twisted one.
If the Notre Dame administration really wanted to do their fans a favor, they'd let us go. It's not us it's them.
As Beyonce says in the DirectTV ad that is played at nauseum, "Let me upgrade, upgrade."
If they were to disband, fans could be free to pick an NCAA football team of their liking. Oh sweet free agency.
Texas would be a nice option with their tradition, but would I want to pick such an obvious team. Being a Ball State alum, there's the Cardinals, buuut, I don't see championships in their future, and daddy loves winners.
I could unite my basketball love for Kentucky with the football team, but it would take some time.
Oh geez, I need to stop. I don't like having the wandering eye, and as I've said before, "It'll be better next year."
For now, I'm still going to cheer, cheer for old Notre Dame - no matter how much it pains me.
So with this loss behind me, I'll move on. I'll celebrate the holiday season, go through another year of watching the Cubs break my heart and wait for next year's USC game.
It'll get better.
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