Thanks Sprint

This blog has been pretty quiet especially through bowl season, which is pretty inexcusable for a blog on college football national champions.

First off, congratulations to LSU on their BCS Title. Second, congratulations to the Missouri Tigers for their win over Arkansas to claim the Heavyweight Football Championship. Both championships are well deserved and earned.

Now, to the point of this post, a shameless plug for a mobile phone service. And yes, in some ways this plug was paid for, but in a bit of a different way.

A bit more than a year ago, the good folks at Sprint PCS contacted me after coming across this website. They invited me to try out their service, gave me a phone to try out and let me sample all the different services they offer. They started off with this great little Fusic phone and i loved it. I've always thought of Sprint as being rather limited on range and such, but that hasn't been my experience at all. I've done a lot of travelling and it's served me quite well wherever I've been. Then several months ago they sent me this M610 phone by Samsung, and again, I was quite impressed. For anyone who wished they had the NFL Network... you know, i never thought i'd ever watch a football game on my cell phone but i was pretty surprised at how clear it was on that Samsung phone.

Shortly they are going on to other programs, and my beloved Sprint service through this program will be going away. I think that's why I wanted to wait until a time like this to mention the service and all, in that I wanted to make sure that it didn't appear to be just offering a plug like this in order to get more services. But I did want to give a bit of a shout out to the guys at Sprint -- one as a thanks for letting me try their services, and two, to give an honest appraisal of the service I received. I did not think I would be impressed by Sprint, but I was. Thanks again guys for the opportunity and keep up the good work.

And now, back to fooball... hopefully sooner this time than last time....

Inconsistencies

There are those who will look at the Heavyweight Football Championship as a joke. My buddy George likes to let me know what a stupid idea it all is and insists I get a life (though it's interesting he has nothing better to do with his own time than send derogatory emails complaining about stuff on a website).

But it's interesting the inconsistency in the approach of some. There are those out there who think there's only one way to do college football right, and that's by having a full blown playoff. And yet, they'll say it's asinine for a guy like me to declare Arkansas the champion simply because they beat LSU. (That is, if they know what asinine actually means)

And yet, if it were in a playoff that Arkansas defeated LSU, then they have no problem with Arkansas now being called the champion. In fact, they'd be pretty adamant that Arkansas was now the champion.

Manipulation

By now, it's become clear to me that the most glaring weakness of the BCS system is the reliance on the polls as the major part of the criteria for determining the teams in the BCS championship game.

More specifically, the problem with the voter element comes is that of poll manipulation. Rather than picking teams based on who they really think are the best, you have campaigning and blatant manipulation of votes, and instead it becomes a popularity contest that goes to whoever does the best job of making their case.

First off, I respect Jim Tressell for declining to vote due to conflict of interest. Especially with the way some of the other votes went, that was one instance that I admired and appreciated.

It started with the shameless campaigning by Kirk Herbstreit during the Missouri - Oklahoma game for LSU to be voted in. You already know how I feel about the Punditry in college football media, but this was a new low. The "worldwide leader' has been plugging LSU the whole season and to openly campaign for one team in particular was out of line for a news organization.

It's very clear there was some vote manipulation going on. The problem wasn't so much people voting for LSU or Ohio State, but in voting other teams lower than they normally would have been voted in order to allow LSU in particular to get in. All you have to do is look at Georgia and Virginia Tech. How does Georgia end up dropping one spot without playing a game while two teams ranked above them both lose?

But the other area has to do with Virginia Tech. Here they are rated ahead of LSU, they then go on the road (compared to LSU at a neutral site), they beat a higher ranked team than LSU beat, and they beat them much more convincingly. And yet, LSU still gets moved past Virginia Tech.

I won't go so far to say LSU doesn't deserve to be in the championship game. It seems like this year everyone did their best to stay out of the game. LSU is right up there with a number of otehr teams. My problem isn't so much LSU but how they got there.

So many times I've heard 'the Punditry' rant and rave about the problem with computer polls being that computers can't see the intangibles. But the real problem with the BCS is not the computers as much as it leaves open too much possibility of people manipulating the polls to make sure the 'right team' gets in. Even if it's done from a genuine belief that a team like LSU is the most deserving team, it's still wrong.

So it IS George, and not Lynn

Based on the comment received to the last post, it appears that it is, indeed, George. Same wit, wisdom and intelligence. Thanks for dropping by again George.

Lynn, you must be so proud.

And of course, Georges comments once again speak for themselves. I mean, who can expand on that classic stuff?

The dumbest concept....

I've let that email sit a bit, and i do have to say, i still can't get over the fact that this guy is so concerned about me wasting time on an unrealistic concept and yet he's willing to waste time sending comments like this.

Okay George -- I will assume you are George. If it was you who sent it Lynn, I apologize for the wrong assumption. But I guess the question is.... what exactly do you accomplish by this? Is it a practice to go to websites and critique them? Did you think you'd change my mind with your well reasoned email? Though maybe if you'd paid much attention you'd realize I probably agree with more of what you say than you realize. And no, it's not because of your brilliant email.

Here's the thing. This is a novelty website. I don't take it seriously as a way everyone should look at it. I've stated that several times on the site and in this blog. It's a fun way to look at college football that all started with 'what if they did it this way?'

Now, that said... it's every bit as much a true National Championship as anything out there, INCLUDING the BCS. Why? There is no national championship in college football. Not officially. Not even the BCS, that's a coalition of bowls and conferences but it's not an NCAA institution. Different people and organizations declare their national championships. But there is no official national champion.

And that's where you're right: everyone doesn't agree. But isn't that the beauty of college football? While everyone doesn't agree... i think you see more interest in it than in any other sport. And this season has shown more than ever, the regular season counts. In fact the regular season is everything. The regular season IS the playoff.

But in the meantime, I have fun with this site. It's a hobby for me. Like i said, a novelty.

Do you really have fun sending these kinds of emails?

Thank you George (or is it Lynn?)

I got a great email yesterday. I'll admit I spent a lot of time trying to come up with snappy comebacks but decided that's a waste of time. I'll post the email right now, and I do want to respond to it because despite its tone it does bring up some good points that are worth responding to. According to a combination of the email header and the email address, I'm assuming this came from George Mathews. I'm assuming it was George, though the email address was georgeandlynn, so maybe it was Lynn, but somehow knowing how guys are with somewhat anonymous email I'm assuming it's the guy of the couple (anyone surprised he/she didn't actually put their name on the email itself?)

This has got to be the dumbest concept I've ever heard. You should put your time into something alittle more realistic.If they used something closer to proball we would have a true champion. But what is wrong with what we have? So everyone doesn't agree ! They never have and never will. The biggest flaw I see with your Idea is that teams change personal every year. And once a conference gets the title they hold on to it since they don't play very good out of conference schedules.

I figured I didn't need a snappy comeback, the email speaks for itself. But, comments are to come later...

The perfect weekend for this kind of season.

What a weekend eh?

Of course first and foremost, we got a new national champion out of the deal. Arkansas now takes over the throne, defeating LSU to become the new Heavyweight Football National Champion.

And of course, the whole BCS game qualifiers got tossed around some more. Personally, I think it's an awesome college football season. I was pretty sure LSU would get beat either this week or in the SEC game, they've just let too many teams get too close. I know i've made it clear how already how i've felt about the Punditry of College Football declaring them the best team in the country. I won't argue that they have a great team, but such an 'anointed' team shouldn't have the close calls that they've had against the kinds of teams they've had them with.

I think in the end, the SEC has been exposed as not being the superconference everyone has claimed they are. They are a conference with a lot of good teams, but with a lot of parity. Parity and superiority as a conference are not the same thing. Now if they were dominant against good teams outside their conference, then maybe that would say something. But when they can barely be .500 against other BCS conference schools (of which they play far too few of) and some of their marquee teams lose out of conference in the manner they have, then it's pretty clear they're not really superior to other conferences.

Now, a question: Was Kansas exposed? Yes and no. Kansas did a great job coming back against Missouri and kept it interesting down to to the last few seconds. It was a good game overall, and I have to admit to being far more impressed by Missouri than I expected to be. I really expected Mizzou to screw up somewhere along the line. But, as to the question of whether Kansas was thus overrated as many claim them to be, no, I don't think they are. Frankly, I find it interesting that no one squawks about Ohio State's schedule when you talk about them being in contention for the championship game, but it really wasn't any tougher than Kansas' was.

Here's what I think about Kansas. I think they suffered from the same problem that Kansas State used to have in Bill Snyder's glory days. I think they may actually have the best team right now, just like I think there were years that KSU maybe had some better teams than they were given credit for. But the problem is in their schedule. it's not that they are any less good because they have a weaker schedule, but i think it's because the lack of tough competition early on does not prepare them for the big games that come at the end of the year. the manner in which Kansas rolled over their schedule is a good indication they were indeed an excellent team, but the lack of a real test left them ill prepared for the big game. You could see it too because you could tell they weren't ready for what hit them. I don't think you can be ready without having any challenges before hand.

So now what happens? West Virgina's not a lock. They have Pitt, a team that could surprise them. Missouri's already lost to Oklahoma, so we know that's a possibility. Ohio State has a good chance of getting back in. So, if West Virginia and Missouri both lose, who gets in? It could be Georgia, (and i wonder if as many will howl about a team getting in after not winning their conference as did when Nebraska got in a few years back) or maybe even LSU. Although at this point if all that happens maybe Hawaii should get a shot. I mean, if everyone else is trying so hard NOT to get in, weak schedule or not they took care of business. Especially winning on the road at that ugly blue field in Boise.

A sign of strength? Or Mediocrity?

One comment I heard on the radio, in various forms, was 'even though they have 2 losses, I still see Florida as one of the top teams in the country.' Well, make that 3. Meanwhile, Kentucky, the #2 team in this mighty conference, loses to Mississippi.

The Punditry would say that's a sign of strength, that the Southeast Conference has such a brutal schedule. Most of them would have you believe that 3 losses in conference is superior to undefeated in most other conferences.

But the question remains, if the better teams are losing to the more average teams in the league, is that not also a sign of mediocrity? A couple of weeks ago when Oklahoma and Texas were beaten by lesser teams in the conference, that was widely proclaimed as a sign of the weakness of the Big 12. Now I'm one of those who would agree that the Big 12 has fallen greatly in stature (and I'm a Big 12 guy). But if the logic is true for the Big 12, it remains true for the supposedly mighty SEC.

I'm not anti SEC, in fact I love the passion for college football that I see from their fan base, from top to bottom.

But, I don't buy into the hype that the SEC is head and shoulders above the rest.

In fact, were you aware that SEC teams have a losing record at this point against teams from BCS conferences? They are currently 4-5 , including a losing record against the Big East. Two things stand out, one being they've played so few games against BCS conference teams, the other being that such a totally superior conference would also be pretty dominant in their record against BCS conference teams.

One stat that is in their favor: SEC teams are undefeated in out of conference games against teams that are not in BCS conferences. No one else can say that, particularly the Big 10 whose losses include Appalachian State and North Dakota State. However, having said that, much of the reason for this is that most of their out of conference matchups are against teams from arguably the weakest 1A conference, the Sun Belt.

Having said that, the Southeast Conference has avoided some of the total embarrasments that have befallen some of the lowlier teams in other conferences. And maybe for that reason alone, right now I would probably rate the SEC as the strongest conference in football. But that said, other conferences are not that far off. Maybe it's that parity everyone keeps talking about, but there aren't many easy games in any of the BCS conferences. If you looked at the strength of teams top to bottom in the Big East, looked at their records out of conference, but then put names of SEC teams on those schools, you would find the Punditry still making a case about how brutal the schedule was and how much stronger the conference was. You could probably say the same thing about the Big 12, where there is really no overwhelmingly weak team, except maybe Baylor and possibly Iowa State. I probably would have included Nebraska in that group if not for nearly beating Texas in Austin today.

The fact that there are no easy games in the conference isn't enough any more. If the best teams in the conference want to claim being among the elite in college football, they still have to beat the lesser teams on their schedule.

Pundit Hypocrisy

I have been trying to figure out what it is that has me all grumpy today whenever I listen to the experts and pundits, particularly in the 'World Wide Leader' on tv and on the radio. I finally figured it out. I think they're hypocrites.

Probably the one that got me going the most was listening to one of them, I believe it was Mel Kiper (since I was working my real job at the time I didn't get a chance to take notes) who was complaining about how the problem with the current BCS system is that it doesn't allow for any Cinderella's. You won't see a story like the Colorado Rockies.

And yet, all this whining about things like that, I also noticed most of the punditry was just giddy over the loss of South Florida. On one hand they complain about how the BCS is stacked against certain programs, but every time a program like South Florida makes enough waves to actually prove them all wrong, there is almost full scale rejoicing when they lose.

I'll admit, I wanted to see South Florida to win out just to prove that a team like that could get into the championship game. If they had won out, there is no question in my mind they'd be in there (even if LSU wins out as well, though they trail Auburn as I write this). In fact, I believe the odd man out would be Ohio State.

As I see it, the Punditry (sheesh, sounds like some conspiracy theory) doesn't want to see a team like South Florida succeed in the end, for a couple of reasons. First and foremost, it proves them wrong. Second, such a success gives credibility to the BCS. They can't have that because their mantra is that college football needs a major playoff system.

I'll digress for a moment... one of the great blogs in college football has a classic name: Every Day Should Be Saturday. That name to me sums up what is awesome and unique about college football: It's like every saturday matters. Every week there is at least a game or two that has some kind of major implication. And then, when a Stanford can upset a USC, that even says it more how important every game is. But if you were to have a blog like that in college basketball, the name of that blog would have to be Every Month Should Be March. Because no one really cares that much about the rest of the season. Personally, I'd rather have EDSBS than EMSBM.

End of Digression.

Okay, end of THAT digression, I'm off to another digression although it's more on point than the last digression.

I'm loving a couple of things about this weeks games. The Punditry as I'm really starting to enjoy calling the major college football media has really enjoyed making a big point about the strength of the PAC 10 Conference. But, when a team that was kinda beat up on by some pretty weak non conference opponents ends up so far more or less dominating the conference (see UCLA) doesn't that say something about the true strength of the conference. Okay now, you LSU fans, I see you shouting in agreement because you've had a Pac10 beef ever since the year you split with USC. But my other comment has to do with LSU. I think you guys have a great team this year, but i guess my comment is that the Punditry seems to have branded you guys as the second coming of (insert name of favorite dominant dynasty type college football team here). And hey, I'm actually getting back to where I was going to begin with. But one of the big things you heard the Punditry howling about this week has been that a once beaten LSU would end up deserving the title game more than an undefeated South Florida team, and part of that argument ends up being you have to establish that LSU is such an awesome team. LSU is a great team, but.... a team of the status they want to make them out to be wouldn't be sitting there with one loss and fighting for their life to avoid a 2nd loss. Auburn (remember that team that lost at home to South Florida?) is definitely looking like the better team at this point. (And you can probably guess that I'm still gloating over the fact that the Punditry had determined, I mean anointed, early on in the season that LSU, USC, and Oklahoma would all run the tables and we'd have another BCS mess.

The fact is that the experts love to sensationalize. But when it all comes down to it, they don't really know that much more than the rest of us ordinary Joe's. And I'll admit, it's kinda sweet to see them be so wrong.

Now that the BCS Standings are Out

Of course there is a lot of discussion about whether South Florida can hang on to its top 2 position. The question being whether a 1 loss team like an LSU will catch up to them in the end.

Because of the position that computers have in the BCS standings, a question some of the pundits should consider is, will Ohio State be able to hold on to their position. I'll say this now, if South Florida, Ohio State and LSU all win out, the championship game will be South Florida and LSU. People wrinkle their noses and say "South Florida? Who the heck are they?" without looking at the schedule, and I will almost bet most football fans are totally unaware that they have already defeated the #5 team in the country, as well as a win AT a decent Auburn team. Strength of schedule is very much on South Florida's side.

Okay, but won't Ohio State gain on South Florida as far as the computers are concerned? After all, all 5 teams they have left are 5-2, that's gotta help them, right? Not really. The teams left on South Florida's schedule have pretty good records themselves, and you also have to take into account that further wins by West Virginia and Auburn will take up the slack where the computers are concerned, in fact if both teams win out South Florida will likely end up further ahead of Ohio State in the computers.

Right now the only thing Ohio State has going for them is the perception that the Big 10 is a stronger conference than the Big East. An objective look at the two would show that to be a myth. Unfortunately, too few voters in the polls look at things very objectively.

Of course that's all moot. I'm calling it here, Michigan's going to beat Ohio State anyway. Then we'll have to figure out whether it should be South Florida or Arizona State.

Break it down?

With a great week of college football games coming up, I'm listening to as much sports radio as possible, watching TV looking forward to what people have to say. And I have to say, there's one phrase that drives me nuts as much as any: Breaking it down. Everyone uses it and it nauseates me. Breaking down this matchup. Breaking down the rosters. Someone was even going to break down a NASCAR race.

Once upon a time it was probably a nice fresh phrase, a different way of saying 'we're going to give you some in depth analysis' but once it's been used, everyone else says Ohhhhh, I like that, I'm going to have to use it. And in everyone's rush to sound fresh and original, they all sound alike. So instead what they end up saying is 'look at me, I cannot come up with anything imaginitive so I'm going to dip into my cliche' bank instead.'

Welcome to Cliche' Hell.

Not that I'm necessarily any better, but I promise this one thing: I'm going to give 110% effort in not using that worn out phrase. It won't be easy, but if I can do it one post at a time.

Know what's scary to admit? I don't know how many sports columns and such I've ever seen that did the whole cliche' thing tongue in cheek like that, but it's enough to probably make it a... omg.... cliche'.

I'm sorry everyone.

That said, so far today college football has been awesome. Ohio State is struggling, West Virginia is struggling. I won't group Nebraska in that since they're not a top 5 team even though so far they ARE struggling.

Which of course brings me to a totally different subject. The curse of the pro style offense. It seems like the rule of thumb in the NFL is the only time you can move the ball is with 2 minutes left to go in the half or game. Why can't my guys look this good the rest of the game?

Enough of all that. Good luck, Florida AND Troy in tonight's title game. And... Go Big Red for the 2nd half.

What Right Do I Have?

I've sent emails off here and there lately making declarations such as Troy Trojans to play for National Championship. And the thought occurred to me the last time I did this, what right do i have to make such a declaration? Really, who am I to make such a declaration, after all I'm not in any position of authority whatsoever in the college football world. I'm barely a blip, if even that, on the radar screen.

So can someone just go out and declare a national champion just because they say so? How different is that than saying I declare myself president of the United States?

But that's one of the things that stands out so well about major college football. Because there is no official national champion, it does leave things wide open. We do have the BCS, but the whole USC LSU debacle a few years back proved that to be problematic. The fact of the matter is there IS no official college football champion. There never has been. Right now it looks like there likely never will be. The authority that is has no system in place to declare a national championship. People forget that the BCS is NOT an NCAA institution, but a third party institution comprised of some schools, some bowls and some conferences.

Thus for years, different entities have made their own declaration of who the national champion is. Anyone remember when it was AP and UPI? And there were others who through the years have made their declarations.

And the question stands, do i have any less right to make such a declaration? I would say that if it were just an arbitrary thing, where I just said okay, I think Appalachian State is the overall National Champion just because I liked that one game, then I think no, that's not right. But when it's based on a system, on something clearly defined, then I think in the end I have no less right to make such a declaration than anyone else. The polls do it based on a system, being a group of (hopefully) carefully selected voters. There are tons of computer polls out there that all have their own formulas. And the Heavyweight Football Championship is based on something very very clearly stated. So I don't think i'm going overboard to state that I think my declaration has no less weight to it than any of the others. I won't pretend to be any more important than any others or any more definitive.

I guess that's another area where we're looking at something a lot like boxing, huh? After all, look how many different 'authorities' have their own champions declared.

I love this!!! Nothing like a little bit of football to make me feel important. Important enough to declare the National Champion.

If you want to see someone on cloud 9, let Troy upset Florida. Which is nothing against Florida at all, because I believe Florida deserves to be the champ right now. I'd feel the same way if it were Nebraska that were the champ and got upset, I'd still be loving it because I could make a declaration of a National Champion no one else would dream of making.

Hmmm... am i in this just to stroke my ego? Probably.....

Coaching blog

Just a quick note, I got a note from the guys at College Gridiron Boss. They're off and running, with a lot more consistency so far anyway than this particular blog, but so far they've had some interesting takes. The idea of the blog is to focus more on coaching... so maybe they'll come around to questions like has Bill Callahan really earned his 3 year extension for 1.75 million dollars a year?

I gotta say, when I'm thrilled to death when someone wants to pay me a few hundred dollars to put together a website for them.... it's really hard to fathom a million dollars a year plus to coach football. Although.... come to think of it now.... when you consider the intensity of hatred for Lloyd Carr right now by the better part of a whole state... a state who happens to cheer for the very team he coaches... i'm not sure any paycheck is worth being in that position.

And since I've brought that subject up... why can't we concentrate for once on what I think is the real story out there... that these kids from a smaller school who were not given a prayer played out of their minds for a full game, and just played an incredible game. I think that's the tragedy of it all, that here is this incredible story, one of the true david defeating goliath stories in all of sports... heck, it's even bigger than Buster Douglas beating Mike Tyson (gotta stay true to the heavyweight theme, right?)... and yet for all the talking heads and all the blogs I've read, I don't read much about what an incredible game was played by a team that was supposed to be squashed. What I read is about all of Michigan's mistakes and Carr's coaching mistakes and whether Michigan should be dropped from the top 25, how many games will Michigan win the rest of the year, etc. Michigan Michigan Michigan!!!! Ummm, hello? Appalachian State won the game!!! How about a little more credit for the guys who won?

I feel bad really for the kids at Appalachian State. To me, they should be the story, and yet everyone's talking about Michigan. Well, here's at least one guy out there saying way to go guys, you impressed the heck outta me.

Although I'd hate to see it happen to my guys... I find myself wishing it coulda happened here at Nebraska, if for no other reason than to see the guys get the standing ovation as they leave the stadium as is the tradition here. It happens even when guys beat us, and I'd think there'd be nothing greater for those kids to get this huge show of respect from the fans of the opponents. They deserve to kinda feel like Rocky beating the Russian and winning the crowd over.

Okay, I'm waxing sentimental here. But for what it's worth, first of all I have a lot of respect for the Michigan team and I know they're still better than a good share of the teams they dropped past when being booted from the Top 25... but even more important, there's at least one guy here in Nebraska giving Appy State a standing O because they deserve a lot more credit.

Is it proof?

Appalachian State? For the first time ever, a non Division 1A team has pulled off a win over ranked team, and this was not only a ranked team, but one of the teams expected to be in the hunt for the BCS Championship game. Is this proof that anyone can beat anyone?

Keep in mind that Appalachian State is not just anyone. They are the 2 time defending national champions in Division 1AA. I know, I know, that's a big jump from 1AA to 1A, but still, this is a team that those who are serious enough about college football could have told you would be a tougher opponent than even some of the Big 10 teams they will face later.

But still, no one expected them to win this one. It's an exciting thing to me though because it just shows that a lot of these games coming up have a potential for an unknown to win the National Championship.

I don't think it's a joke to say that Troy could have a chance next week. Troy has been known to take on a pretty tough non conference schedule year in and year out, and has been known to pull off some upsets and some close calls. They played Arkansas tough to the end yesterday.

Personally I think it would be a blast if Troy could pull it off. Oklahoma State would be their next opponent, and being in Big 12 country that wouldn't be so bad. Or better yet, to see the title tossed about in the Sun Belt conference? It could be the kind of thing that would make the Heavyweight Football Championship that much more interesting, and maybe get some more attention to it.

Go Trojans!!!

The Clock Ticks

Okay, I'd love to put up something like the cool clock that Kanka's Sports Page has, I love that thing. Anyway, the new season is just days away. Woohoo!!

I noticed an error on my main page that had been sitting there for far far too long. I had down that Florida's first title defense was supposed to be against Southern Mississippi. Instead it's Western Kentucky. That's a huge drop off from one to the other, isn't it? So did I make a mistake there, or was there a game scheduled? I noticed they played each other last year. I'd be interested if anyone has any insight on whether there had been a game scheduled and if one or the other had backed out.

So instead, we get a less interesting matchup, although maybe a bit more of an interesting story, in having Western Kentucky play against the champs. Okay, not that anyone is giving Western Kentucky much of a chance here. This is their first year as a Division 1-A team, which says about all there is that can be said right there. So to go with the whole boxing theme, it's kinda like a boxer getting a title match for their first pro bout. And probably with about as good a odds of winning as well.

I'm going to start making pages for each game, at least going forward, that will have previews and recaps for each title game. Some fun projects would be to go back and create pages with summaries of past games, and even start tracking title game records. Okay, talk about time consuming.... The things a football geek will come up with....

Going Back

I read an article the other day about Mike Rozier reminiscing about his days with the Cornhuskers. All of this was part of his induction into the College Football Hall of Fame.

Reading that took me back to what were for me the golden days. When Mike was running over defenders on his way to the Heisman Trophy, I was in college myself, albeit not on a football field (unless you count those sloppy pickup games where we all demonstrated exactly WHY we were running around on a field at a very very small college and not playing for some NCAA powerhouse).

As a football fan, they were golden days indeed. Nebraska was in the midst of its time of dominance, and for one year had what I think was still the most incredible offense ever put together on a college football field. I cheered them on with an incredible enthusiasm. And even though they never captured the national championship, for me it was a more passionate time to be a Husker fan than even the mid 90's when Nebraska won or shared the title 3 out of 4 years. Maybe it was the energy of youth. Maybe it was just a time of more passion in general, I don't know.

I know that even aside from football, it was a time I really didn't want to leave behind. When I got out of college, I don't think I ever wanted to leave. The best friends I ever had made were made in college, and for a number of years I think I thought I could go back to those times and have it all be the way it was before. Of course, all my friends had graduated too, and thus were gone. This was a very difficult reality.

There are times we want to go back in time to those special moments. As a football fan it's watching this amazing comeback against the number one defense in the nation in a quest for a sure National Championship, sitting with your nose inches from the television scared to death because your beloved coach has decided to go for two, to go for the win even when a tie would have gotten him the championship... sitting with your nose inches away from the television knowing Mike Rozier was going to pound it in for the win, and then sitting in stunned silence as Turner Gill's pass bounced off Irving Fryar's shoulder pads. To this day I remember the feeling, and even though my team lost, I often wish I could go back to the thrill of watching one of the most dramatic moments in sports.

Life has those moments. It can be a great success. Or knowing true love for the first time. I think we all have those times we want so badly to go back to.

But we can't. That's probably a good thing.... though sometimes it doesn't seem like it. It's a good thing because in reality, we actually can go back.

Okay, how's that for circular logic at its finest? What I mean is... as I wrote this, for a few moments I was back in my folks' living room being told to get out of the way so everyone else could see the play too... Somehow God has given us this amazing ability to relive those most amazing times in our lives. And savor them.

But what I mean about how it's good that we can't go back because we can go back (I know, you're still scratching your head over that) is just that life is better lived in forward mode. I think the reason we can relive those moments isn't just to relive them, but take them with us, to use them to live life to the best we can live it.

If we go back, we also have to go back to the stuff that wasn't so great but that we forgot all about because we romanticized those moments too much. If I go back to those days, yeah, the Huskers were incredible (not to mention my beloved Orioles were still a good baseball team) but I have to go back then to the consequences of poor studying and the utter futility that was my dating life of those days.

Come to think of it, maybe there was a connection there? Overly passionate about football and baseball teams... no dating life....

Nah!!!!!!

Anyway, I digress. The thing about going back is, the stuff that was there in those days that made us long for the days ahead would still be there. And even if it wasn't all that bad, there's so much ahead that I just don't want to miss. Because in the end, we don't end up moving forward. If we stay back there, then we rob ourselves of the chance to have more of those moments.

Because we can have them. Just because something was special in the past, doesn't mean it can't be as special or more so. Maybe we can take what was special, hang on to it, or let it spark us on to the kind of life we know we're meant for, to the point that what lies ahead is far more exciting than anything in the past that we cling to. And I guess I'd rather not go back in time so much as take what was special, hang on to that for dear life, and then try to figure out what can be done about life that can allow us to have that magic again and again.

So, Mike, Irving, Turner, and all the rest of you Huskers from those days, thanks for the magic and the thrill. Thanks Coach for daring to go for it all. But more than anything thank you for those times because of the way that that was a time that helped me focus on what was amazing about life, and I pray that it can be turned into something that can be amazing again.

Dream Jobs

It's been ages since I've posted anything here. Which is pretty much par for the course when it comes to me and blogging. So since my last post, I've moved halfway across the country, and now it appears, taking custody of my kids and thus doing the single dad thing... while still trying to find a better job.

When you're doing the job hunting thing it's amazing all the different kinds of jobs pop up. Some look pretty awesome, such as seeing sports editors jobs or sports reporters jobs come up here and there. I'm discovering though they need stronger credentials than a blog with posts every few months.

One ad I saw was for an assistant director at the International Quilt Study Center. Now I suppose for someone who loves quilting and has administration, management and budget experience, that'd be a dream job. They're building this big expensive building here, for quilt studies.

Now this is not to ridicule quilt studies at all. I'm just wondering why i can't find a position working at an International College Football Bloggers Who Only Post Occaisionally Study Center. Now There's a dream job eh?!!!

THE HWFC POLL, FINAL EDITION OF 2007

1. Florida 2.831
2. Boise State 2.580
3. Louisville 2.431
4. USC 2.354
5. Ohio State 2.344
6. Michigan 2.123
7. Auburn 2.103
8. LSU 2.051
9. West Virginia 1.990
10. Wisconsin 1.965
11. Rutgers 1.863
12. BYU 1.803
13. Oklahoma 1.640
14. California 1.613
15. Notre Dame 1.508
16. Boston College 1.492
17. Texas 1.457
18. Virginia Tech 1.432
19. Wake Forest 1.384
20. Oregon State 1.376
21. Arkansas 1.282
22. Tennessee 1.275
23. TCU 1.194
24. Houston 1.136
25. Georgia 1.094

So what's this all say about a playoff?

It has been hilarious listening to all the talking heads backpedaling today over this 'shocking' win of Florida's. What has been the most interesting thing to hear though has been how almost to a man, the guys I've heard today anyway have declared that this is just proof that we need a playoff.

I struggle to find anything about last night's game that says anything about the crying need for a playoff in college football. Or let me put it another way: There is nothing about last night's game that makes any case for (or against) a playoff any stronger or weaker. If something about last night's game were to say that the wrong two teams were in the game, then maybe it would make a stronger case for a playoff.

The one thing that last night's game proved is, the self proclaimed experts are not experts. Just because it comes from ESPN pundits (or ABC or FOX or Sports Illustrated or any others) does not mean that the hype over any particular team is deserved. USC and Texas proved that already last year.

I had already been making the case that there's nothing about Ohio State's schedule and the kinds of wins they've had that makes them look like the overwhelming world power that everyone else is making them out to be. The reality is that a lot of these talking heads are more about hype and selling themselves than about giving you good information. And then to top it all off these same experts still vote Boise State as only #5 even after their bowl performance.

So, back to the premise of my question: What does this say about a playoff? To me, it still says that a full blown playoff is no more needed than it was to begin with. It says that college football works as it is. It says that the regular season IS the playoff, and all the pretenders and contenders got weeded out during the regular season, and the best rose to the top. The best will always do that.

I think the Boise State game definitely made a stronger case for a playoff than last night's game. However, I also believe that any of the press and media who howl the same thing are disingenuous at best for howling so if they dare to still rate Boise State as merely 5th.

Do I think that Boise State should have been in a playoff? I was incredibly impressed by their performance, but no, they don't. It's not that I don't think they would be unable to compete, but my opinion goes back to the whole feeling that the regular season means something, and the regular season is in and of itself a playoff. College Football to me is superior over others for this very reason. For all the guys who cry that a team shouldn't be kept out of a playoff because of some regular season stumble, please tell me why it's any worse for USC to be eliminated because of a bad game against UCLA than it is for them to be eliminated for a bad first round game. It's the same thing when you get down to it. A loss in the regular season means something. And wins in the regular season mean something. And as it stands, teams are required to play some real competition if they want a shot at the title.

Michigan learned that this year. The fact that their schedule was pretty bad compared to Florida's kept them out of the title game. Boise State is a huge example of the same thing.

Had Boise State gone out and scheduled some real competition, for example like Louisville had done this year, or like Fresno State had done a few years back by scheduling Colorado and Oregon when they were powers, then they could have had an argument.

I have nothing against Boise State. But I've said all along that I think a playoff with 8 or more teams would hurt the regular season, and Boise State's season proves that. What I mean by that is that if you use the BCS standings as seeding, Boise State would have qualified as the 8th seed. It's not so much that they don't deserve to be in the top 8, but the problem with that is that it proves my point exactly that a team can skate into the playoffs with a weak schedule. An 8 team playoff would signal the end of good out of conference games. The better mid-major teams and the mid-tier of BCS conference teams will be avoiding out of conference matchups with the USC's , Florida's and Ohio State's of the world because they have a shot at the playoffs. A mid-major team with a weak conference can't afford a loss even to a good team out of conference because the weak conference schedule keeps them out of the top 8. A mid-tier BCS school can't afford an out of conference loss because they're likley to lose at least one conference game.

The other reason for regular season games losing some of their luster is a money thing. The fact of the matter is that advertising dollars are not unlimited. Advertisers are going to flock to the playoff games, and they will have to pay more to advertise in those games, and that leaves less available for regular season games. And if there's less money, there's less incentive to play great teams out of conference, especially if such a matchup could keep you from the playoffs. In the end, college football's regular season becomes about like college basketball's.

I believe that this year just proved the point. College Football works. There's no question this year who the best team is. It's as simple as that.

Congrats to the new champs

Everyone else is congratulating Florida for a different reason, for winning the BCS title game. But of course hear at HWFC we congratulate them for winning the true historic championship, the Heavyweight Football Champs title.

Was Florida really that much better than Ohio State? It's hard to say much more than what's on the scoreboard. My guess is that they were maybe better matched than the score would show, but Florida had the advantage of playing a much more gruelling schedule.

I wish I'd been on top of things writing in this blog because I have no prediction to boast about. I wasn't very surprised by the outcome just for that reason. I call it the Kansas State factor. There were a number of years that Bill Snyder had built up his team to be among the best in the nation. There were a couple of his teams that may well have been the best in the nation, however I believe the soft out of conference schedule ended up coming back to haunt the Wildcats, as they always found a way to fall apart in conference. My feeling is that it was because they weren't prepared for the tougher games in conference.

Ohio State couldn't have predicted their schedule would have been as weak as it was. However, the easy ride they had through most the season I believe is what served to hurt the Buckeyes. That and the longer layoff, not having played since mid-November. Would Ohio State have been undefeated with Florida's schedule? That's a hard one to say.

Congratulations are in order for the Buckeyes as well, for a season long run as the reigning Heavyweight Champs.

Now, it's just under 9 months until the next championship. May it be as good a year next year as it was this year.

Florida slides into #2

The final regular season HWFC Computer Poll shows Florida moving ahead of Michigan for #2. The poll has done a pretty good job of shadowing the outcome in the BCS computer polls and may be an indication of Florida moving past Michigan for the BCS game. In fact even with one loss, Florida came very close to passing undefeated Ohio State.

The ratings are as follows:

1. Ohio State 2.555
2. Florida 2.537
3. Michigan 2.344
4. Boise 2.241
5. Louisville 2.159
6. USC 2.108
7. Auburn 1.931
8. LSU 1.868
9. Oklahoma 1.803
10. Wisconsin 1.787
11. West Virginia 1.787
12. Notre Dame 1.747
13. Rutgers 1.724
14. Virginia Tech 1.699
15. BYU 1.671
16. Wake Forest 1.628
17. Tennessee 1.580
18. Texas 1.472
19. Arkansas 1.459
20. California 1.444
21. Boston College 1.431
22. Texas A&M 1.411
23. Oregon State 1.169
24. Houston 1.090
25. Texas Christian .1048

Mea Culpa

First off, congratulations go to the Ohio State Buckeyes for their impressive win. Congratulations to Michigan as well for playing so well and almost coming back. Maybe congratulations go to both schools as there's a good possibility that they could be in the title game. I do think USC has a chance to squeak past Michigan based on improvements in the computers based on games against Notre Dame and UCLA. Of course, they have to win those games.

I do find myself wondering if people would rank Michigan lower than they would normally rank them just because they don't feel there should be a rematch, so if they can knock Michigan down a few notches in the polls, then USC or Florida get a shot. As you can probably tell, i'm not a huge fan of the polls just because there are those who would do just that.

Last week's games though did show some of why there's value in the polls. I still stand by the statement that to date Rutgers had as strong a schedule if not stronger. I have never claimed them to be the better team. But there is something to be said for the fact that there are intangibles that the computers cannot see. Although neither the computers or polls could have seen things like Texas losing to Kansas State or Texas A&M.

There's something about this year that is really nice: Ohio State and Michigan #1 and #2. Nebraska and Oklahoma playing for the league championship. For an old traditionalist, It's like all is right in the college football world....

Ratings Galore

If you want to find ratings, I've got the page for you. Kenneth Massey has put together a stunning collection of computer ratings. He's got I think 93 total, most of them do a 1-119, and a compilation of all of them. Okay, the guy out-nerds me even, because he's even figured out a system to rank the ratings to see who deviates the most from the norm. Now i don't think they're all computers, in fact i'm sure they're not, but still, if you want a list of about every kind of rating system you can find, he's got it.

So, to continue a running theme... who do you think had the tougher conference schedule this year? To date, the consensus, unanimously, is that Rutgers has had a tougher Conference schedule than Ohio State. In fact it's nearly unanimous after you figure in Michigan for Ohio State and the 3 teams Rutgers has to play.

Using the average rating that Massey compiled:
The Big 10 teams that Ohio State plays includes: Penn State (27th), Iowa (50th), Michigan State (73rd), Indiana (65th), Minnesota (47th) Northwestern (84th), Illinois (83rd) and Michigan (2nd).

The Big East teams on Rutgers' schedule includes Southern Florida (46th), Pitt (49th) UConn (62nd), Louisville (6th), Cincinatti (51st), Syracuse (77th), and West Virginia (8th).

So, Rutgers has 2 top 10 teams, 5 of 7 teams in the top half of the standings. Ohio State has 1 top 10 team, and 5 of 8 teams in the BOTTOM half of the standings. And yet the perception is that Ohio State plays a tougher conference schedule.

Out of conference, Ohio State did better. Texas, (13th) Cincinatti (51st) Northern Illinois (81st) and Bowling Green (97th) compared to North Carolina (100th) Illinois (83rd), Navy (would you believe 35th?), Ohio (58th) and non-1A Howard. Interesting that outside of Howard, the two worst teams on Rutgers' schedules are from BCS conferences. I bet no one would have figured that one, right?

Out of 83 some ratings systems, 19 had Rutgers ahead of Ohio State. Not a majority but more than I would have thought.

What's interesting about it is that Massey has the rankings listed by order of how far off the norm the different polls are. The Harris Poll is 76th, the AP is 84th, and USA Today is 87th.

Michigan Continues at #1

This is one of those computer polls that people would discount just because of the results, without really looking at. To be honest when i saw the results, I questioned it myself and wondered if there was something wrong with my formula. No way in.... well no way that Rutgers can be ahead of Ohio State.

Okay, I already covered that whole subject in earlier posts. Suffice it to say, when looking at the schedules manually and adding them up, it actually makes sense. One thing about computers, opinions and bias don't get in the way. Not that they're perfect, if computers were perfect they'd all agree with each other, right? With computers we'll always debate what factors should be measured like margin of victory, etc. But honestly, is that kind of debate any worse than bias? Or how about the stupid rule that a team can't lose position if it loses?

Okay, before i get started again, here's this week's results:

1. Michigan 2.34
2. Rutgers 2.128
3. Ohio State 2.1
4. USC 1.966
5. Florida 1.947
6. Boise St 1.876
7. Louisville 1.802
8. Notre Dame 1.78
9. Arkansas 1.719
10. Wisconsin 1.644
11. West Virginia 1.638
12. Auburn 1.534
13. Texas 1.505
14. Boston College 1.438
15. California 1.416
16. LSU 1.397
16. Oklahoma 1.397
18. Wake Forest 1.379
19. Maryland 1.274
20. Georgia Tech 1.259
21. BYU 1.229
22. Tennessee 1.163
23. Virginia Tech 1.105
24. Nebraska 1.022
25. Clemson 0.964

So Why is Ohio State Number 1?

When i ran the formula for the HWFC Computer poll after this week's games, my first thought is something has to be totally wrong here. Rutgers ended up ahead of Ohio State. There's nothing I can do on this computer to sway someone one way over the other, it's all based on the strength of the teams beaten.

So, I took a look. Rutgers on the average actually has the stronger schedule to date.

Let that sink in for a minute. Because I'm sure you don't believe that.

Perception and reality are two very different things. The perception is that Ohio State has played a much tougher schedule than Rutgers. The perception is that the Big 10 is a tougher conference than the Big East. Now i'm not sure i'd make the leap that the Big East is tougher, but it's not so far fetched as you might think. By all accounts, Rutgers' Big East schedule so far has been tougher than Ohio State's Big 10 schedule. Five Big 10 teams sit in the bottom half of Division 1A teams, Ohio State had all 5 on their schedule.

So why is Ohio State number 1 and not Michigan? Michigan has had a tougher Big 10 schedule (having had to play Wisconsin) and maybe even a slightly tougher out of conference schedule. This year, it doesn't matter that much, because Michigan and Ohio State at least get to play each other and settle it on the field.

But this is why I have a problem with the people who want to just keep it all up to the polls, because this all points out a huge flaw in the polls. If Ohio State's and Rutgers' schedules were reversed, Ohio State would still be number one and Rutgers would still be #7 or lower and people would still point to Rutgers' schedule, while they don't pay attention to Ohio State's. Just like it is now.

And this points out the flaws. Ohio State is number one and Rutgers is number 7 in the most recent polls for two reasons: Ohio State started out #1 or #2. Rutgers was nowhere to be found even in the receiving votes when the season started. The polls are as much as anything about where you started the year as they are about how good you are. The other reason is, Ohio State is Ohio State and Rutgers is, well... Rutgers. And as long as those are the realities of the polls, the polls should not be the sole determining factor of who plays for the national championship.

As long as name and where you started the season have more to do with where you are now, the system is flawed. Pure and simple.

Rutgers???

Rutgers: The very first heavyweight football champion in college football. The winner of college football's very first game. The one team among all those early football powerhouses to still be playing major college football.

That sounds like a lot to hang your hat on as a school.

Unfortunately until recently, it all ends there. One championship in 137 years. In Heavyweight Football Champs terms, Rutgers has had 22 chances since then to claim the title. 16 chances by 1894. They've lost every one. Unfortunately, Rutgers hasn't had much to brag about lately.

But that may be changing. I haven't looked back at the preseason magazines and all, but I don't think anyone was picking Rutgers as a potential participant in a BCS bowlgame, not to mention the BCS Championship game.

Not that they'll be there. And honestly, I'd have a tough time making a case for Rutgers over a one loss Michigan or Ohio State game. Although, given my view that the whole season is a playoff, I'd be a stronger proponent of the loser of that game going to the title game if it weren't a rematch of a game just played.

Even as early as my last post, I didn't expect Rutgers to have a shot at the title game. But losses by Auburn and Texas have definitely clouded the picture, and with those two out of the picture, it looks to me like it probably boils down to 5 teams having a shot at playing the winner of the Ohio State/Michigan game:

Florida: Because of their schedule, the strength of which will only improve with the SEC title game, Florida would probably get in ahead of Rutgers if they win out.

Michigan: The loser of the Ohio State / Michigan game will likely still get rated by the voters ahead of Rutgers. Michigan tends to be rated a little higher by the computers than Ohio State, and even with a loss would probably end up ahead of Rutgers in the formula for getting into the title game.

Ohio State: One of the highlights of the Buckeyes' season was a victory over Texas. It may be Texas' loss to Kansas State (one of those teams on Louisville's 'soft' schedule) that is the nudge to push Ohio State low enough that if they lose, Rutgers could squeeze by.

USC: USC hasn't fared as well in the computers, however, if they can finish out with wins over Notre Dame, California and UCLA, that will help their strength of schedule enough that they could move into the title game. They'll have a tough time getting past Florida. California's loss to Arizona doesn't help USC's case with the computers, but something like a Nebraska win over Texas in the Big 12 game could be enough of a boost to get them in.

I should probably put Notre Dame in the list. But I don't think their schedule is strong enough to give them the boost to get past the loser of the Michigan/Ohio State game, especially if Ohio State wins.

THIS is why i love college football.

Darn Bandwagons Anyway

Are there any personal injury lawyers out there that handle bandwagon crashes? Rutgers beating Louisville tossed me pretty hard there.

I know there are a lot of people who like to see the Rutgers and Boise States run the tables because they can point to the flaws of the BCS system. Personally I wanted to see Louisville do it just to prove what I've believed all along, that a lesser know school CAN make it to the BCS championship game if they do what they have to.

No, that doesn't mean I'm jumping on the Rutgers bandwagon. Is that inconsistent? I don't believe so. In my opinion, Louisville went out and did what they had to do in scheduling what at least looked like a pretty strong out of conference schedule with Miami, Kansas State and Kentucky. Neither has turned out to be a powerhouse this year but when the schedule was made it definitely looked a lot better.

Rutgers' win gives it some legitimacy, but I think the story is very different in their schedule. North Carolina, Illinois, Howard, Ohio and Navy just isn't the kind of out of conference schedule that a team has to do to overcome the weakness of their conference.

For that reason you definitely won't see me on the Boise State wagon. They have an even weaker conference, and an even weaker out of conference schedule, with Sacramento State, Oregon State, Utah, Wyoming and Louisiana Tech.

It will be interesting to see how things shake out now, but it looks now like we're going to see a one loss team in the BCS game. And, I believe, the odds just went up dramatically that there could be an Ohio State Michigan rematch... wouldn't that raise some eyebrows?

Louisville and Rutgers

Who would have thought this would have been a matchup of unbeaten teams? If you haven't guessed, I'm hopping on the Louisville bandwagon here.

When Fresno State started out with an impressive run by beating Colorado and Oregon early on, I was one of those saying if they win out, they deserve a shot at the title. At the time, Colorado was still a pretty strong team, and I felt they deserved credit for playing some tough teams early on. I also give credit to Louisville for scheduling teams from 3 major conferences, teams that, when they were scheduled, looked like a pretty good out of conference schedule. Like Fresno State back then, I feel like they did as well as they could in scheduling, considering their conference situation, and now give them their due.

Something everyone is forgetting is, like it or not, Louisville IS from a BCS conference. Maybe the Big East isn't the same as when Va. Tech and Miami et al were part of the conference, but they also haven't looked all that shabby.

Personally, I think this is beautiful. Florida and Texas fans will howl that there should be a playoff. The beauty of college football right now is, the whole season is a playoff. It's playing out in a rather interesting manner this year.

Does Louisville Deserve to be in the BCS Title Game?

Who is more deserving to be in the BCS Title Game: Undefeated Louisville, or once beaten Florida? Now, if the question had become West Virginia or Florida, I'd go with Florida in a heartbeat. But my opinion is that Louisville deserves to be there.

Why Louisville and not West Virginia? You know, it was interesting, I can't remember who I heard talking about it, it was one of the national pundits anyway, but he was talking about Thursday's game and he was saying that it's one thing if htey have a weak conference, they can't do anything about that, but his problem with both of these teams was their out of conference schedules. And I was thinking whoa, wait a minute. Did he even look at Louisville's schedule? We're not talking about the Northwestern South Dakota Polytechnical schools here. They had Miami, Kansas State and Kentucky. At the start of the season if you'd have looked at that schedule you'd have had to agree that was a pretty good job of scheduling out of conference, possibly too good.

Right now, strenght of schedule for Louisville is looking pretty good for them. After the defections to the ACC, I was one of those who questioned whether the Big East should be a BCS conference, but this year I'd dare to say they're looking stronger than the ACC. Whoda thunk it?

But in the end, this is why I don't want to let everything hinge on just the subjective polls. Those polls had West Virginia as number 3 even though everyone knew they didn't deserve to be there - in fact many writers would say as much. After looking at the whole season, why would they have had West Virginia #3 and Louisville #5? The only answer possible is, no one's heard of Louisville.

My prediction is this: Louisville, if they win out, will get the #2 spot in the BCS final standings. And there will be a howl that is maybe louder than we heard in 2003 when darlings Florida, Texas, Notre Dame and either Ohio STate or Michigan get left out. And I'll be sitting here thinking yep, the BCS got it right.

Michigan remains #1

Michigan held #1 for a second week in the HWFC computer poll, taking over after USC's loss. Ohio State has a close second, with Louisville surprisingly close at third place. The Poll shapes out as follows:

1. Michigan: 2.177
2. Ohio State: 2.063
3. Louisville: 1.961
4. Rutgers: 1.768
5. Auburn: 1.767
6. Boise State: 1.767
7. Florida: 1.756
8. California: 1.729
9. Texas: 1.700
10. Southern Cal: 1.663
11. Notre Dame: 1.555
12. Arkansas: 1.517
13. Wisconsin:1.472
14. West Virginia: 1.460
15. Boston College: 1.333
16. Tennessee: 1.296
17. Oklahoma: 1.256
18. LSU: 1.213
19. Wake Forest: 1.191
20. Georgia Tech: 1.159
21. Maryland: 1.118
22. Texas A&M: 1.064
23. Brigham Young: 1.030
24. Oregon: .930
25. Virginia Tech: .868

Due to the way the poll works the strength of schedule has more affect as the season goes on, so I expect to see Boise State and Rutgers fall further behind.

Buh Bye Freddy

Well, after a short experiment with the animated talking Freddy on the page (which coincidentally lasted as long as the 15 day free trial that allowed me to use Freddy to begin with), there wasn't any response pro or con, so Freddy was sent packing. Oh well, the home page was getting too crowded anyway. Next to go might be the webmaster with as poor as he's done at keeping things up to date. Couple that with him wanting a raise... Only problem with that is I'm the webmaster.

He's baaaaaaaaack.......

Okay, for a short while if any of you were on, it was duelling Freddies. But the webmaster finally got his act together and Freddy's back. Let me know, does he add to the site? Thanks.