The Sports Rumors

College Football Weekend Recap

The much anticipated BCS rankings were released yesterday evening. Ohio State was ranked first, followed by South Florida, Boston College, LSU and Oklahoma. People still seemed to be surprised that South Florida was ranked second, but I don’t see why. Cal was ahead of them and they lost, USF had some quality wins and an undefeated record; it makes sense. Boston College is right on their tail and with a big game coming up next Thursday night in Blacksburg, VA versus the 11^th ranked Virginia Tech Hokies, they could take over the number two spot. Or, they could lose it and drop out of the top five completely, which leads me to my point about these rankings.

Most teams have played seven games by now and the USF’s and the BC’s are happy to be ranked where they are. But it means nothing. Why does it mean nothing? Because the majority of the teams ranked in the top ten aren’t going to win out. USF is going to lose, Boston College will drop a game (most likely at Virginia Tech), South Carolina will lose to Florida, Kentucky will lose at least one, if not two more games, Arizona State will get waxed by Oregon and USC, Oregon will lose to USC, West Virginia lacks any sort of consistency in big games, and Virginia Tech will drop an easy game in mid November and choke after 8 weeks like they do annually. That leaves me with Ohio State, LSU, USC and Florida who will be making a BCS push. Notice a similarity in all these teams? They are the big boys of college football the big boys separate themselves when it matters. The USF’s, the BC’s, yeah they are cute, October stories. The Boise States of the past, those are few and far in between. When all is said and done, the top notch schools play in the top notch games and win the title that matters. Don’t agree? I’ll list the national champions from the past 15 years:

1992 – Alabama

1993 – Florida State

1994 – Nebraska

1995 – Nebraska

1996 – Florida

1997 – Michigan/Nebraska (split)

1998 – Tennessee

1999 – Florida State

2000 – Oklahoma

2001 – Miami

2002 – Ohio State

2003 – USC

2004 – USC

2005 – Texas

2006 – Florida

Now go ahead and show me where the Cinderella team is? There is none. So don’t read into these BCS rankings and get bent out of shape if your team isn’t given the respect you think they deserve, or if you think your rival school is getting too much love. We’re only half way through the season. Instead of whining or getting excited about the rankings, look up your teams schedule and find the game where they play the top tier teams. Circle that game. Mark it with all the highlighters you have. If you are playing an LSU, a Florida, a USC, an Ohio State, or any other school that has relevant national meaning, you need to make sure your school wins that game. If you take care of that game and handle the rest of your lousy schedule, you’ll be fine when the season comes to an end. If you don’t win your big game, don’t bother whining about the BCS or AP rankings. It doesn’t matter if you’re 17^th and you feel you should be 15^th. Who cares?

Look I want Virginia Tech to be in the national championship, just as any alum would. But we squandered our big game against LSU. That was OUR chance to make the statement and handle our business. We let it slip. Therefore, I’m not whining about being ranked 11^th. I’m not going to whine if a team with two losses ends up ranked higher than Tech at some point. I’m lucky though. My school has one more chance to beat a top 5 team in one season, which is rare. So circle your big games, win your easy ones, enjoy the second half of the season, and as Terrell Owens would say,

“Getcha Popcorn Ready.”

—

College Weekly Picks Week 7

Weekend Recap Part 1 of 3

As you know, this weekend was filled with so much. I figured each sport deserves it’s own section of the recap. So I’ll start with College Football in part 1, give you some MLB in part 2, and close it off with NFL in part 3.

College Football

We had another big weekend in college football and it only looks to get better. There is no team this season that is clearly the most dominant and a unanimous pick to win the title like we’ve had in years past with the USC’s of Reggie Bush etc. However, the good thing about that is there is plenty of room for discussion, heated debates, and punches thrown to the face of your friend from another school who said your team is overrated.

This is college football.

Now to the rankings. So let me get this straight; Michigan loses to Appalachian St. by two points when they were favored by 35+ in pretty much every spread that matters, and radio hosts bash the Wolverines, fans talk about how they should be dropped COMPLETELY from the rankings. No if’s and’s or but’s. It didn’t matter that had Michigan made that last field goal, they would still be in the top ten. “Doesn’t matter. They lost. If’s don’t matter. They should be out of the top 25, period.” Fair enough.

Fast forward to week six and #2 USC loses to an unranked Stanford, to whom they were favored to beat by 41 or 43 (depending on the spread you used), and yet, the same radio hosts, Colin Cowherd in particular, talk about how they should remain in the top ten. “Well if they win that game, even by a few, they’re still a top three team.” Really? Really??? Why? Why is it that Michigan should have been kicked out of Division 1 football but USC should be given the benefit of the doubt. “Oh Stanford is an up and coming team. That Jim Harbaugh, he’s.. he’s really something. USC played a good opponent.” Get out of my face with that nonsense. They weren’t ranked! They were 41 point dogs! I said this last week after people like Skip Bayless were praising USC for “showing a lot” by coming up with a tough, close win at Washington. I said it then, and I’ll say it now… top tier teams should blow out unranked or even ranked opponents above 15. I don’t care if you’re at home, if you’re on the road, if it’s raining, snowing, windy, hailing, I don’t give a damn. If you’re ranked as a top team in the nation, you should handle your business. I’m glad USC lost but I’m disappointed to see how the AP still sweats them more than radio sweats Britney Spears god awful single.

One last point before I move on. I also heard people say “Well yeah USC lost but if you put them at 15, that’s not really accurate because you know if they played #2 Cal today, they’d still be favored.” That’s probably true but just because you’re more talented doesn’t mean you should get a free pass when you lose to a team you were favored to annihilate. You have to face some form of repercussions and since the stupid, neanderthal ranking system is all that college football has to offer, this is how you penalize a team for blowing it.

As far as the rest of the country goes…

Well Virginia Tech finally showed that they have some heart. I was glad to see them beat the living hell out of Clemson. The defense looked the way they were SUPPOSED to look all season and the special teams was as good as anyone could imagine. I think the defense and special teams knocked out over 5 Clemson players if I remember correctly. They played angry and angry is good. However, the offense is still sputtering. There is no push on the offensive line and there is absolutely no running game. The best running threat is quarterback Tyrod Taylor and I cannot be sold on a team that cannot control the clock by means of rushing the rock down your throat. They got Duke this week and then a matchup that I’m salivating over;

Thursday Night. Lane Stadium, Blacksburg, VA.

#4 Boston College @ #12 VT.

Should be a great game. I’m not going to make a prediction yet because I want to see if the offense can improve over the next week or so. I will say this though… the Hokies offense better be able to put up a couple of touchdowns and 150+ yards rushing because Matt Ryan is going to bring it.

The Florida-LSU game showed me two things. First, LSU is not clearly the best team in the country. They have the best record and they have the most impressive resume but I wouldn’t be surprised at all if they lost a game, or even two (including the SEC Championship) before it’s all said and done. Second, Florida is a very good, young team… emphasis on “young”. This team has all the talent in the world, they’re getting the top recruits in coming years, and they have a hell of a coach. Look for a USC type of dynasty in the making over the next several years. They outplayed LSU in Tiger Stadium for 95% of the game. They let down for that critical 5%, but again, they are young. When they have the experience under their belts, watch out. One more thing… I don’t want to hear any of this garbage about how USF is the best team in Florida. The best team in Florida wears Orange and blue, period.

Lastly, I was glad to see Wisconsin finally lose. I had been picking them to be upset for the past three or four weeks and was going to continue to pick against them the rest of the season because I’m a stubborn ass. I never believed in them and didn’t care that they had won 14 straight regular season games or whatever the stat was. That means nothing to me, and apparently it means nothing to Vegas either as they were two point underdogs to unranked Illinois. Which reminds me, another coach who’s building a solid program is Ron Zook (ironically, the ex Florida coach). He’s getting solid recruiting and that program is going to be an annual 15’ish ranked team in years coming. Good for Zook.

Now, enjoy the meaningless rankings. Mine are on the left, AP’s are on the right.

College Weekly Picks Week 6

Can you believe it’s week six of the NCAA season already? Last week was Upset Week, and I got absolutely rocked because of it… but I’m predicting another week full of upsets. I’m hovering around a mediocre 77% for the season, down from 81% the week before. I need to get that up to 85%. Hopefully, I get back on track this week. Enjoy my picks…

Actually before I get to that.. I have a short letter to Frank Beamer.

Dear Frank,

Please stop being so conservative on offense and let your playmaker, superstar in the making quarterback Tyrod Taylor, use his athletic ability to make plays. I’d appreciate it if you could show a little sense of urgency instead of being content with 7 point wins over garbage teams. So before next game, if you could inject 32 ounces of Red Bull into your veins and throw out your current playbook, that’d be greeeeeeat.. Maybe that way, I won’t have to explain ranking a team thats over 2,000 miles from the mainland ahead of my alma mater.  (Hawaii is the team I’m referring to for the geographically challenged). Thanks.

Sincerely,

The Sports Rumors

To the picks we go.

My College Football Rankings

There are a few things that I want to set straight for the record before you check out the rankings listed below…

-The matter of LSU jumping USC in the rankings, even though USC won: I have heard a lot of whining from people, especially Skip Bayless, about how that’s “wrong”. He even went as far as to say that the USC win was more impressive than the LSU win. Bayless talked about how the team showed a lot by winning a close game on the road in a tough environment.

…….Okay I just took a deep breath so that I don’t lose it.

First of all, in regards to the “You shouldn’t be jumped in the rankings unless you lose” argument, that is ridiculous. What do you think happens almost EVERY week in the college polls? Team 16 jumps Team 15 because they had a more impressive win. Team 22 jumps Team 20 because they beat a better opponent. This isn’t the NFL! This is a beauty contest. You are judged by who you beat, and by how much you beat them by. We’re not talking about the New England Patriots of a few years back who won all their games by a few points. In college, you are supposed to beat the ranked teams, and you are supposed to annihilate the unranked teams, especially if you’re ranked first in the nation. LSU has defeated tougher opponents than USC has. Simple as that. LSU has defeated #9 Virginia Tech and #12 South Carolina. USC has defeated #14 Nebraska, and teams like Idaho.

The second point that was made was that USC showed they can win in different circumstances and overcome adversity. No. False. Are you trying to tell me that Virginia Tech should have gotten kudos in week one for “overcoming adversity” and beating ECU by a measly 10 points??? Because that’s the same concept. Adversity is when you’re down 24-14 to Florida or someone legitimate, and then you come back and win. Adversity is not defeating Washington when you have the fastest college players on earth and the cream of the crop talent. Beating Washington by three is called sneaking away with a win after a terrible performance, which a number one team shouldn’t have had in the first place.

LSU has the better resume thus far, and in college football, your resume is all that matters. So give me a break. This shouldn’t even be a topic of conversation.

-The next thing I wanted to clear up is a topic that will get me many emails and angry phone calls from friends, but I don’t care because I speak the truth. Scroll down and look at where Virginia Tech is ranked in my poll. Now look where I have Hawaii ranked. That’s right. Ahead of the Hokies. Before you pick up the phone to dial my number, hear me out. Hawaii is averaging over 50 points a game. Let that sink in. They are averaging over 50 points a game now through 5 games.

You: Yeah, I know they are but look who they’ve played.

My response to you is this; who the hell has Virginia Tech played and beaten? Eastern Carolina? University of Ohio? William and Mary? North Carolina? These are the teams Tech has beaten and not convincingly either. So you can shut it about Hawaii’s lack of competition because VaTech’s isn’t that top notch either. Oh wait, they played LSU. Oh.. what’s that? That’s right, they got waxed… and then waxed again.

Now I know Virginia Tech’s defense is solid, but let’s not fool ourselves. It’s not at all as strong as it was last year (even though it should be with that talent). They are giving up way too many yards in the air and if it weren’t for a fumble by the bozo runningback of North Carolina at the Tech 7 yard line, they would have possibly scored 17 points on the Hokies. Now I’ll give Tech credit and say that they wouldn’t let Hawaii drop 50 on them; but they wouldn’t hold them below 24 either. Tech’s defense has given up way too many yards in the air for their standards and Hawaii is the best passing team in the nation, bar none. So say Tech gives up 24 to Hawaii. Are you REALLY that confident that the stagnant and lifeless offense of the Hokies can match 24? They couldn’t do it against UNC last week and I’m sure you thought they’d score at least 30 on them.

Fact of the matter is this. Hawaii has played better, overall, than Virginia Tech has. When the Hokies show some life, starting this week at Clemson, I’ll be the first to bring my Alum-bias into it and jump teams ahead of them. But what’s fair is fair and what’s right is right, so please… spare me the “you’re a fake fan” nonsense just because I’m not delusional. I call it how I see it and Virginia Tech is not a very good football team right now.

Now that I’ve gotten that out of my system, feel free to leave me comments with your thoughts and viewpoints.  Enjoy the rankings.

College Football Picks: Week 5

College Football Picks: Week 4

Today’s Rundown 9/17

*Well if there was any question about whether the Chargers were a threat to the Patriots, it has been answered with an exclamation point. The Patriots dominated, absolutely wrecked, the San Diego Chargers last night 38-14. They played with a ticked off attitude the whole game and I would be very intimidated if I were any other team in their path to the Super Bowl. Tom Brady showed his emotions the entire game pumping his fists and tossing around expletives after big plays and scores.

*The Pats game capped off a wild week two in which football fans saw the Browns drop 51 points on their way to beating the stunned Bengals. The Raiders got jipped at the end and lost in overtime to the Broncos, who aren’t looking very good at this point. The Saints got thumped courtesy of the Bucs and the Packers look like they are a little more than just a playoff contender with a defense like that. I’ll have a full recap of the week tomorrow, after Monday Night’s game which showcases the Skins and the Eagles.

*As far as my picks are concerned: I picked 10 out 15 correct (after getting 13 out of 15 last Sunday), which is terrible and I got two right against the spread out of four, one wrong, and one tied. I’ll have my pick for the Skins-Eagles (versus the spread) later today.

*The Yankees took two out of three this weekend in Boston against the much-hated Red Sox. Last night’s 4-3 victory came courtesy of Mr. Clutch, Derek Jeter. Jeter belted a 3 run homer in the top of the eighth with two outs and the score tied at one apiece. The Yankees have a shot at taking the division if the Sox drop a few games between now and the end of the season. It is clear however that the Yankees have the psychological edge on the Sox again, and Boston fans know it.  See Buster Olney Column.

*College Football also had an exciting weekend with another top ten team getting dropped courtesy of an unranked squad. The Louisville Cardinals, who were ranked 9^th going into the game, lost in a shootout to instate rivals Kentucky. UCLA dropped from their 11 spot after getting drubbed by Utah and Nick Saban’s Alabama boys are back in the top 20 for the first time since 2005 after a thrilling upset over 16^th ranked Arkansas. Other noteable games were Florida defeating Tennessee, USC knocking off Nebraska, and of course my favorite; Notre Dame losing 38-0 to Michigan and dropping to an 0-3 record. A full recap of the college week, in addition to my updated power rankings will be up this afternoon.

Until then, enjoy your Monday morning.

Must See Games

First down…#4 West Virginia @ Maryland

This is the last time the two teams will face each other until 2010.  West Virginia spanked the Terps last year 45-27 and the Terps are out for revenge.  There is nothing that they would like more than to ruin the Mountaineer fans’ National Title hope.  The running offense of WVU might have some problems against the Terps who are ranked 15^th in the nation against the run.  They have only given up 24 points so far through two games; a vast improvement from last year.  If Maryland can control WVU early and get a lead, the crowd will go into a frenzy and the Mountaineers might be in for a long, hard fight Thursday night in College Park.   

Second down…#1 USC @ #14 Nebraska

If Nebraska wants to become a national powerhouse again and be recognized with the big boys of college football, this is as good a chance as any to do so.  Nebraska is 2-0 and solid rushing the football, ranked 14^th in that department.  USC is no slouch either though and Pete Carroll has had plenty of time to gameplan for the Cornhuskers. 

Third down…#22 Tennessee @ #5 Florida

Florida’s offense is rolling and Tennessee’s defense is not.  However, this is an SEC showdown and you never know what could happen.  Look for a high scoring game, but Florida will win and win comfortably.

Fourth down…#21 Boston College @ #15 Georgia Tech

Who would have thought that these two teams would be facing off for such a big ACC matchup three weeks into the season?  Georgia Tech has been absolutely dominating thus far.  They’re beating teams with an average of 51-9 score through two games.  GT looks for real so far but this is their biggest test yet.  If they blow out Boston College, look out. 

College Football Picks: Week 3