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AUSTIN, Texas -- Usually one the most straight-laced and reserved of the Texas Longhorns, senior quarterback Colt McCoy finally stopped to take it all in late Saturday night.

Moments after the second-ranked Longhorns defeated Kansas 51-20 to earn a trip to the Big 12 Championship Game as the South division champs, and after McCoy cemented himself as college football's all-time winningest quarterback, thefour-year starter celebrated with record 101,357 fans who stuck around Texas Memorial Stadium to pay homage.

McCoy jumped into the mode of a normal student overflowing with spirit as he fired off the cannon and then beat storied base drum Big Bertha as the crowd roared even louder.

"I had never hit the drum, I had never shot the cannon," McCoy said with a smile. "I had always wanted to pull the cannon but I was afraid I would get a 15-yard penalty. I guess that was the perfect time to do it."

Indeed it was the night to take it all in and reflect on what had been accomplished and what still lies ahead for the undefeated and mostly unchallenged Longhorns. Off in the horizons are the possibilities of the Heisman Trophy for McCoy and a shot at the programs' first BCS national championship since 2005.

But before obtaining such lofty goals, the Longhorns still have the pressing matter of facing rival Texas A&M in their annual Thanksgiving Day regular season-season finale. They will then have to prepare to face the punishing defense of Nebraska in the Big 12 championship a week later. Any slip-up along the way would almost certainly douse any hopes of a BCS title.

"That's one our goals, we won the South," said McCoy, whose 43 career wins broke the previous record set by Georgia's David Greene. "But our focus right now is going to be on A&M. We only have five days to prepare. I'm totally on A&M, that's where we are headed."

That's typical McCoy, never allowing the moment to overshadow what's ahead.

But Saturday night, the fans who packed into Texas Memorial Stadium weren't going to allow their quarterback to not celebrate what he's accomplished to this point. They stood on their feet and chanted "Colt...Colt...Colt...Colt" as the clock struck 5:52 and it seemed certain they were getting their last glimpse of their quarterback at home.

And to let the moment fester just a little longer, head coach Mack Brown allowed fellow seniors Jordan Shipley, center Chris Hall, guard Charlie Tanner and offensive tackle Adam Ulatoski, along with McCoy to trot out with the offense one last time only to call timeout to remove them to allow them one last ovation.

McCoy seemed humbled by the outpouring of respect and affection, not just for him but for the other 20 seniors playing their final home game.

"I heard it, it was pretty loud," McCoy said of the ovation. "I'm just so thankful. God has blessed me tremendously. I've worked so hard to be at this point, but I know how good a teammates I've had, how good of coaches I've had. I've been blessed and it's really special."
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It seemed only fitting that McCoy turned in a career night against the Kansas Jayhawks, connecting on 32-of-41 passes for 396 yards and four touchdowns on a night where the Longhorns never struggled and never trailed. McCoy looked especially sharp as he worked the ball into childhood best friend Jordan Shipley (10 passes for 108 yards and one touchdown), while also working in some of the younger receivers like Malcolm Williams (six catches, 103 yards and one touchdown) and James Kirkendoll (eight catches, 86 and two touchdowns).

It was the kind of performance that could very well have McCoy back out front in the Heisman Trophy race. But what is for sure is McCoy's performance lived up to the occasion that saw him become college football's all-time wins leader while also securing his Big 12 Championship Game bid.

"I don't think we could have scripted it any better," Brown said. "With all the pressure on him, he's showing everybody he's in here for a big finish. He was sending a message tonight."

The message was that McCoy and the rest of the Longhorns have accomplished a lot so far, but that their business is far from done.

"What's important to me is winning. We just did what they told us to do," McCoy said. "Before the game I didn't think about. ... I tried not to think about this being my last game in here, letting my emotions get the best of me.

"I just wanted to come out here and play and get better because we've got a long stretch ahead of us still."

McCoy Drums Up Victory for Longhorns originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Sun, 22 Nov 2009 01:32:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>colt mccoyheisman trophyJordan ShipleyMack BrownTerrance HarrisSun, 22 Nov 2009 01:32:00 EST McCoy Keeps Longhorns on Title Marchhttp://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/21/mccoy-keeps-longhorns-on-title-march/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/21/mccoy-keeps-longhorns-on-title-march/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/21/mccoy-keeps-longhorns-on-title-march/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

Colt McCoyAUSTIN, Texas -- For 21 University of Texas seniors, Saturday night was their last time playing at Texas Memorial Stadium. So they made it a night to remember.

The second-ranked Longhorns overpowered Kansas en route to a 51-20 victory that cemented them as the Big 12 South division champions and sealed senior quarterback Colt McCoy's place as college football's all-time winningest quarterback with 43 career wins.

But the Texas Longhorns, who are well positioned for their first BCS national championship game bid since 2005, still have quite a bit of business to finish. They will have to get past rival Texas A&M on Thanksgiving night and then North division champ Nebraska in the Big 12 title game.

McCoy, who completed 32-of-41 for 396 yards and four touchdowns, also positioned himself near the front of the Heisman Trophy race with a near-flawless performance in front of a capacity home crowd.

In the meantime, the Longhorns will celebrate another impressive win that moves them to 11-0 and 7-0 in conference play. The Jayhawks, mired in controversy because of abuse allegations being aimed at head coach Mark Mangino, have now lost six straight and at 5-6 and 1-6, need to win their regular-season finale against Missouri next week to become bowl-eligible.
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It was obvious almost from the outset that the Jayhawks were no match for Texas as they fell behind 27-6 by halftime. Kansas made it interesting early in their third quarter when it drove the ball 88 yards and running back Jake Sharp slammed in from two yards on the Jayhawks' first touchdown of the evening to pull within 27-13 with 3:08 left in the third quarter.

But just 10 seconds and one play later, McCoy hooked up with receiver Malcolm Williams for a 68-yard touchdown pass that re-extended the lead to 21 and more or less closed the door on any comeback attempt. Kansas never seriously threatened again though Dez Briscoe did muster an impressive 98-yard kickoff return that made it 44-20 early in the fourth quarter and kept things interesting a little longer.

Jordan Shipley, playing in his final home game, caught 10 passes for 108 yards and a touchdown.

McCoy Keeps Longhorns on Title March originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Sat, 21 Nov 2009 23:04:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>colt mccoyColtMccoytexas longhornsTexasLonghornsTerrance HarrisSat, 21 Nov 2009 23:04:00 EST Live Blog: Colt McCoy Shoots for Spot as Texas' Greatest Quarterbackhttp://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/21/live-blog-colt-mccoy-shoots-for-spot-as-texas-greatest-quarter/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/21/live-blog-colt-mccoy-shoots-for-spot-as-texas-greatest-quarter/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/21/live-blog-colt-mccoy-shoots-for-spot-as-texas-greatest-quarter/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

TexasAUSTIN, Texas -- Okay, so let the debate began.

Vince Young or Colt McCoy.

Which is the greatest Texas Longhorns quarterback of all time? Young led the Texas Longhorns to a season of perfection and the BCS national title in 2005 as a junior. McCoy, a four-year starter at Texas, has a chance tonight to become college football's all-time winningest quarterback with 43 wins should the second-ranked Longhorns make it past Kansas here at Texas Memorial Stadium.

Some argue McCoy is more a complete quarterback than Young, able to beat opponents with both his arm and legs. But McCoy has yet to win aBig 12 championship much-less a national title and for some that is how greatness is best measured.
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McCoy, however, could take a major step in that direction tonight during the Longhorns' final home game. A win over the Kansas Jayhawks clinches the South division title and reserves a spot in the Dec. 5th Big 12 championship for the 10-0 Longhorns.

It all sets up nicely for McCoy tonight, who can surpass Georgia's David Greene's 42-wins mark in front of his home crowd in his final game in Memorial Stadium on Senior Night. Making it even sweeter, the win also clinches the South for the Longhorns.

"I'm trying not to think about that at all," McCoy said of the all-time wins record. "I just want to go out there and do my best so we can win. That is a really special award. It's a team award. Later down the road when we meet up with each other, we can say, `We had such and such number of wins.' That'll be special, but to have a chance to break it during the last home game at the stadium, that's pretty sweet."


FIRST QUARTER



The Longhorns get on the board first when McCoy connects with receiver James Kirkendoll for a 41-yard touchdown that made it 7-0 with 6:02 left in the first quarter.
********************

So much for McCoy's Heisman showcase tonight as he fumbles the ball away on a scramble.
********************

Gotta give it up to UT defensive coordinator Will Muschamp. He really knows how to dial it up. Two perfectly called blitzes have resulted in big sacks on Reesing in the first quarter. The first came earlier in the quarter when Chykie Brown dropped him for a 12-yard loss on a corner blitz. And at the end of the first quarter, defensive tackle Lamarr Houston came in to put Reesind down for a 8-yard loss.


SECOND QUARTER

The Longhorns are fortunate to hold Kansas to a 27-yard field goal by Jacob Branstetter after McCoy's fumble and a deep pass from Todd Reesing to Dez Briscoe that landed the Jayhawks at the UT 10. The Longhorns can't afford many more mistakes.

*********************

Kansas isn't the only team with a new wrinkle. The Longhorns broke out the naked bootleg as McCoy rolled right and found Jordan Shipley down field for a 38-yard touchdown pass that put UT up 14-3.

*************************

Kansas has now driven the ball into the the red zone only to have to settle for another field goal after the Longhorns stalled the Jayhawks at the 8. Reesing overthrew Briscoe in the corner of the end zone twice from the 8.

*********************

An attempted onside kick by the Jayhawks nearly backfires when it doesn't travel the necessary 10 yards. The Longhrons got the ball at the KU 36, but ended up settling for a 49-yard Hunter Lawrence field goal that makes it 17-6 with 5:45 remaining in the first half.

***********************

Okay, the Longhorns are starting to roll. Just completed a near flawless 59-yard drive that ended with Cody Johnson slamming in from 1-yard out to put Texas ahead 24-6 with 1:21 remaining in the half.

************************

After a little bit of clock confusion the Longhorns got exactly what they wanted out of the end of the first half and that was points. Lawrence converted a 47-yard field goal to give UT a 27-6 lead going into halftime. The Longhorns have scored points on four straight possessions and will open up the second half with the ball. Can we say the rout is on?
**********************

The obvious attention is on McCoy becoming the all-time winngest quarterback in college football tonight, but just maybe this stage and performance could catapult the Longhorns senior back into the front of the Heisman Trophy race. Through the first two quarters, McCoy has connected on 18-of-22 passes for 238 yards and two touchdowns. He has the no-huddle offense moving in great rhythm. So far, McCoy's only mistake has been a fumble in which the Jayhawks converted into a field goal.


THIRD QUARTER

So maybe it's too early to count Kansas out. After forcing UT to punt for the first time in four series, the Jayhawks offense bounced back with an impressive 88-yard drive that saw Jake Sharpe race in from two yards out for their first touchdown of the night, pulling within 27-13 with 8:10 left in the third. Briscoe put KU into the red zone for the third time of the night when he got past the secondary for a 39-yard reception to the UT 19. And then freshman receiver Bradley McDougald had a 17-yard reception to the 2.
**********************


Well maybe we shouldn't call it a comeback just yet. One offensive play and 10 seconds after KU pulled within two touchdowns, McCoy found Malcolm Williams streaking down field on a deep post for a 68-yard touchdown connections that extended the lead back out to 34-13.


FOURTH QUARTER

Sure, this game is all but over but Dez Briscoe is showing tonight he is a spectacular athlete. When Reesing has been able to find him, he has burned the UT secondary badly. And he just returned a kickoff 98 yards for a touchdown as he made the UT kickoff coverage team look absolutely slow. If the Jayhawks had a little more to go with him this might actually be an interesting finish.

But oh well. About to head to the field for interviews. Enjoy.

Live Blog: Colt McCoy Shoots for Spot as Texas' Greatest Quarterback originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Sat, 21 Nov 2009 19:46:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>Big 12 FootballBig12Footballcolt mccoyColtMccoyKansas JayhawksKansasJayhawkstexas longhornsTexasLonghornsvince youngVinceYoungTerrance HarrisSat, 21 Nov 2009 19:46:00 EST Memo to BCS Bashers: Stop Whininghttp://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/16/memo-to-bcs-bashers-stop-whining/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/16/memo-to-bcs-bashers-stop-whining/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/16/memo-to-bcs-bashers-stop-whining/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , , , ,

Jordan Shipley, Jeffrey Demps, Julio Jones
It's that silly time of year again. There are so many significant teams among the big boys of college football, but there are just two slots on Jan. 7 in Pasadena, Calif., for that title game of the Bowl Championship Series. So the voice of the older Jim Mora is screaming in my subconscious.

Playoffs, playoffs?

We don't need playoffs in this situation.

We need everybody to take a deep breath, count slowly to 10 and stop their knee-jerk talk of a playoff system. The decade-old way of deciding a national champion through the BCS rankings is mostly just fine.

Take this week, for instance. Where's the problem? There isn't one, because the combination of the human polls and the cold computers has it right. The defensive monsters from Florida and Alabama clearly are No. 1 and No. 2, followed by a Texas bunch with a defense that also clobbers people.

That trio is from power conferences, and with apologies to the prolific whiners from the Mountain West and Western Athletic conferences, teams from power conferences deserve a nudge over the rest.

Anyway, Florida and Alabama will meet in the SEC championship game, which means one of them will drop in the rankings behind Texas .

That is, if Texas wins the Big 12 championship game. If Texas doesn't, then one of those other undefeated teams (Texas Christian, Cincinnati and Boise State) will slide into the title picture. Or it could open the way for a one-loss team such as Georgia Tech, Pittsburgh or even the loser of the SEC championship game.


Whatever happens, the system is there. The system is working. The system is controversial, but the system provides less drama than what would occur with a playoff system, which will never happen anyway.

There are just too many questions involved with a playoff system, but its supporters either ignore those questions or shrug them away.

For instance: How many teams will be in this playoff system? The answer is, nobody knows. Many want a "plus one" thing, where two of the four BCS games (Rose, Sugar, Orange and Fiesta) would host semifinal games, and then the winners would play in another BCS game. Others want 16 teams in a playoff. Some want 32.

Texas Tech coach Mike Leach wants 64.

As for those other questions, pull up a chair and rest a while. If you can provide more than a surface answer to three or more of the following, then you should immediately leave Planet Earth to design the next solar system.

Where would these playoff games take place, and would they be at the same locations every year, and who would decide the locations?

What entity would choose the playoff teams, and how will such a system be less subjective than what we have now?

With colleges everywhere crying broke, where would they find the extra cash they would need for travel, lodging, food, equipment, utilities -- along with all of those other expenses that nobody wants to discuss that would surface?

Where are those colleges going to find the extra cash to pay for those bonuses that their already heavily compensated coaches would surely command for reaching and winning playoff games?

Oh, and with all that extra cash going to football programs for these playoffs, and with all that revenue created through television rights and jacked-up ticket prices, how would schools satisfy their Title IX obligations since women sports surely would seek a mighty part of the pie?

What would this do to the bowl system, especially since (1) the overwhelming number of the 34 bowls won't have a shot at hosting a playoff game and (2) advertisers (as in TV) won't be as interested in those other bowls?

How many fans could afford to travel with their team across the country at the spur of the moment, which would be the case more often than not?

How many fans could keep traveling if their team keeps winning?

How many folks would the NCAA need to hire to investigate all of the cheating scandals that would surface involving those pressured to do shady things to reach the playoffs to keep from getting whacked?

What kind of toll would all of these extra practices and meetings (see, it's not just one little, old playoff game that its supporters keep suggesting) take on your average student-athlete physically, mentally and academically?

Why not just leave the BCS alone?

Why not, indeed? After all, this eternal grumbling over who really is No. 1 has been so detrimental to college football at its highest level that, entering this season, attendance rose every season for the previous 14 years.

Consider, too, that along the facade of the club level at Folsom Stadium, where the Colorado Buffaloes play their home games, you'll find these words: 1990 National Champions. That's funny, because around Georgia Tech, spanning from Bobby Dodd Stadium to a billboard that is visible for those traveling through Atlanta down I-75, you see claims that the Yellow Jackets won it all that season. And they did. Georgia Tech was named the United Press International champion, and Colorado was declared the nation's best by the Associated Press.

Since nobody can prove otherwise, you have two different fan bases in college football who can claim for eternity that their team was the king of 1990.

There also is that endless griping around Auburn over its undefeated 2004 team that won the SEC but didn't make the BCS championship game. Never mind that Auburn disqualified itself from serious consideration by playing the likes of Louisiana-Monroe, The Citadel and Louisiana Tech.

Auburn fans still think their Tigers would have won it all that season over Oklahoma or USC. They still think they were robbed.

The same goes for Penn State fans who remember 1969, when a giddy Richard Nixon attended Texas' victory over Arkansas during the regular season and crowned the Longhorns national champions in their locker room. Texas later won its bowl game to finish undefeated, but so did Penn State. It's just that Penn State wasn't anointed by the president.

The point is, a playoff system would have exposed those Auburn, Penn State and other such teams as frauds, but now we'll never know.

Which is a good thing. Which is why everybody has another reason to keep breathing deeply regarding the BCS.

Terence Moore is a national columnist and commentator for FanHouse. He is a frequent panelist on "Rome Is Burning," an ESPN show hosted by Jim Rome, that is seen Monday through Friday at 4:30 PM ET. Moore spent more than three decades working for major newspapers, including 26 years as an award-winning sports columnist for the San Francisco Examiner and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He resides in Atlanta.

Memo to BCS Bashers: Stop Whining originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Mon, 16 Nov 2009 16:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>Terence MooreMon, 16 Nov 2009 16:00:00 EST TCU Is More Than Just BCS Busterhttp://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/15/tcu-is-more-than-just-bcs-buster/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/15/tcu-is-more-than-just-bcs-buster/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/15/tcu-is-more-than-just-bcs-buster/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

Andy DaltonFORT WORTH, Texas -- Gary Patterson really doesn't want to lobby the BCS for inclusion into its national championship mix.

The fourth-ranked TCU Horned Frogs' impressive body of work should be enough.

They are just one of six remaining undefeated teams in the country, and have collected quality road wins at Clemson, Air Force and BYU en route to moving into fourth place in the BCS standings, the highest such ranking ever for a non-automatic qualifier.

But the Horned Frogs made their boldest statement yet this season Saturday, luring the 16th-ranked and reigning Mountain West champion Utah Utes into their place with the promise of another close contest only to lock the gates on them at Amon G. Carter Stadium. When it was all over, the Frogs had thoroughly waxed their nemesis 55-28 in front of a record overflow crowd of 50,307 in Amon Carter Stadium.

So voters and computers were you paying attention?

"If the nation didn't think this was enough style points then I don't know what is," said Patterson, who is now 2-3 all-time against Utah. "We are just going to go about our business because that was a good football team."

The Utes' 8-1, 5-0 MWC record and lofty national ranking were tangible proof how good Utah was. The ease in which the Frogs, who are 10-0 for just the second time since 1938 when they won their last national championship, handled the Utes in all facets proved just how much better TCU is.

The Frogs amassed 342 yards rushing with running back Ed Wesley racing for 137 yards and a touchdown. Quarterback Andy Dalton added 207 yards and a touchdown through the air, while the defense limited the Utes to 65 yards on 27 carries for the night. The specials teams units got into the act, as well, with a blocked punt and return specialist Jeremy Kerley was again his spectacular season.

"They were who we thought they were," said Utah coach Kyle Whittingham, whose team dropped to 8-2, and 5-1 on the season. "Tonight, that was a good football team. I have been a head coach for five years, that is the best team I've ever faced."
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High praise from a man who beat the team ranked No. 1 for most of last season, Alabama, in the Sugar Bowl last season.

The only negatives were a missed 26-yard field goal and a muffed punt and then a couple surrendered deep balls after the game was well out of hand. All correctable breakdowns.

Overall, It was the kind of overwhelming performance you would expect from Texas, Florida and Alabama -- the three teams ranked ahead of them in the BCS rankings. TCU, led by a stifling defense and a highly efficient offense, is beyond good.

These Horned Frogs are flirting with greatness. But in a college football universe where the big time programs call all the shots, TCU likely will never get to test that greatness.

Oh sure, the BCS brethren from the Fiesta Bowl, Sugar Bowl and Orange Bowl all showed up Saturday willing to extend an invite to the Frogs. Utah and Boise State have had enough success in those second-tier BCS games that the little guy stepping up to challenge Goliath has been embraced.

But the most logical and deserving next step for TCU should be the BCS national championship game in Pasadena at the Rose Bowl following the season, provided they win out against Wyoming and New Mexico to conclude the regular season.

The Frogs' defense, led by All-American defensive end Jerry Hughes, is as dominant as Texas' and Alabama's units. And quarterback Andy Dalton has transformed the offense into one that's every bit as explosive as the Tim Tebow-led Florida Gators.

The compelling argument against the Frogs being the first outsiders to make their way into the BCS national title game is they haven't faced week-in and week-out challenges that exist in the SEC and Big 12 South in the Mountain West. You can't disagree there.

But since you can't blame the program that was left in the cold when the Southwest Conference broke apart to form the Big 12 anymore than you can blame the Longhorns for a joke of a non-conference schedule this season, don't you want to know how TCU would measure up against, say, Texas?

"It would be a great opportunity for the school and for our team," Hughes said Saturday night of the possibility of meeting Texas, Florida or Alabama in the national championship game. "But at the same time, we've got to take care of next week because Wyoming is a great team."

There is little reason to believe the Frogs won't handle a mediocre Wyoming squad in Laramie, Wyoming next week. But if you are Patterson, you've been down this road before where your team hits 10-0 as it did in 2003 only to have a letdown.

So you can understand his quandary as the TCU coach wants to aim for the sky for his team, but he doesn't want his players to lose sight of what's in front of them. While the MWC title seems a certainty -- the Frogs are 6-0 in league play -- they still haven't won anything.

Of course, you wouldn't have known that by the way the fans stormed the football field Saturday night.

"The biggest thing with us is we need to finish," Patterson said. "We have two games left, one on the road. I understand how big a win this is. I've been here. I've beaten Oklahoma and then got beat by SMU. We are going to finish. That's what we need to do, we need to finish."

TCU Is More Than Just BCS Buster originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Sun, 15 Nov 2009 01:46:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>Andy DaltonAndyDaltonBCSGary PattersonGaryPattersonJerry HughesJerryHughesKyle WhittinghamKyleWhittinghamTCU Horned FrogsTcuHornedFrogsTerrance HarrisSun, 15 Nov 2009 01:46:00 EST TCU Makes Boldest BCS Statement Yethttp://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/14/tcu-makes-boldest-bcs-statemen-yet/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/14/tcu-makes-boldest-bcs-statemen-yet/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/14/tcu-makes-boldest-bcs-statemen-yet/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

TCUFORT WORTH, Texas -- If there were questions about the BCS worthiness of the TCU Horned Frogs, they were answered -- and resoundingly -- Saturday night.

The fourth-ranked Horned Frogs made their big game against 16th-ranked Utah seem like an exhibition as they stunned the naysayers and maybe even themselves by routing the defending Mountain West champion Utes 55-28 in front a record crowd of 50,307 at Amon G. Carter Stadium.

The most immediate result is that the undefeated Horned Frogs have a major leg up in the MWC race by getting past nemesis Utah in convincing fashion. Even bigger, the Horned Frogs sent a clear message to the BCS community that they deserve to be part of the BCS conversation, not just for one of the four big bowl bids but for a real shot at the national title game.

If Saturday night's game is any indication, the Horned Frogs are as dominant on defense as Texas and Alabama, and as potent on offense as Tim Tebow and the Florida Gators. TCU, ranked fourth in last week's BCS standings, made it look easy against a quality Utah team in a game that broke ranks with the recent competitiveness of this series.

The Frogs, sparked by highly efficient night by quarterback Andy Dalton and a stifling defensive performance, led the Utes 38-14 at halftime and never looked back as they moved to 10-0 overall and 6-0 in the MWC for the season. Utah slipped to 8-2, 5-1 on the season.

The Utes, who were supposed to be the closest thing to TCU athletically in the MWC, seemed several steps slow as running backs Matthew Tucker, Ed Wesley and Joseph Turner along with Dalton all converted explosive plays on the ground while receivers Ryan Christian and Jeremy Kerley couldn't be defended most of the night.

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Defensively, led by All-American defensive end Jerry Hughes, the Frogs gave Utah running back Eddie Wide little room to run while harassing quarterback Jordan Wynn all night long.

Putting forth such a convincing performance on such a major stage, which included ESPN's GameDay crew and several national media members, will make it difficult to keep the Horned Frogs out of the national title discussion should Florida, Alabama and Texas falter in these final two weeks of the regular season. But to keep the conversation going, TCU also can't afford a letdown in its final two regular season games at Wyoming and then home against New Mexico.

TCU Makes Boldest BCS Statement Yet originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Sat, 14 Nov 2009 22:46:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>Terrance HarrisSat, 14 Nov 2009 22:46:00 EST Live Blog: TCU Gives Utes the Hornshttp://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/14/live-blog-big-game-feel-for-tcu-utah/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/14/live-blog-big-game-feel-for-tcu-utah/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/14/live-blog-big-game-feel-for-tcu-utah/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

FORT WORTH, Texas -- The atmosphere is electric and Amon G. Carter Stadium is packed to overflow capacity for what is arguably the biggest game in decades at TCU.

Should the fourth-ranked Horned Frogs (9-0, 5-0) make it past No.16 Utah (8-1, 5-0) tonight they will not only have a strong edge in the Mountain West race but will also keep them in step for a BCS bowl bid and possibly a berth into the national title game. Should the Frogs, who are ranked fourth in the BCS standings, make it to Pasadena, Calif. they will become the first non-BCS conference school to compete in the BCS title game.

(Follow Terrance Harris' game blog after the jump)
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The possibility of making it to a national title game has generated never before seen excitement around the Horned Frogs program. Painting yourself purple seems to be the thing to do these days in Fort Worth and the surrounding area.

Let's just see how impressed the reigning MWC champion Utes will be with all the hype TCU has garnered for tonight's game.


FIRST QUARTER

The Horned Frogs don't waste much time in getting on the board and getting the crowd even more amped as they march 87 yards on eights plays to go up 7-0. Running back Matthew Tucker broke through the middle of the line and raced 41 yards to the touchdown with 11:33 left in first.

***************
This may or may not mean much, but the Frogs seem to be having trouble in the kicking game during the early going. Place kicker Ross Evans has missed a 26-yard chip shot attempt and punter Anson Kelton just shanked a punt that gave the Utes the ball at the TCU 43.

It will be interesting to see if these problems continue throughout the night.

***********

The Frogs problem in the kicking game has come back to bite them. Four plays after Kelton's shanked punt, running back/quarterback Shaky Smithson ran in from 10 yards to help the Utes tie the game 7-7 with 4:48 remaining in the first quarter. Smithson, who came in to run the Utes' version of the Wildcat on a couple plays during the series, now has his first touchdown of the season.

***************

Let's give TCU receiver Ryan Christian the play of the night and yes, we are still in the first quarter. But the touchdown play was nice. Christian took a swing pass from Andy Dalton then sidestepped a tackler before racing down the sideline for a 14-yard touchdown reception that put the Frogs up 14-7 late in the first quarter

****************

So much focus so far has been on the TCU offense, but the Frogs defense, led by defensive end Jerry Hughes, is playing an unbelievable game. In the final series of the first quarter, the unit recorded two negative yardage plays courtesy of Hughes and then blocked a punt to hand the offense the ball at the Utah 23.


SECOND QUARTER

Someone might want to explain to the Utes that the Horned Frogs don't need any help scoring. After spotting the Frogs on the 23 because of the blocked punt, the Utah defense then commits two mind-less penalties, an illegal substitution and then offsides on back to back plays to position TCU at the 3. That made it easy for Jeremy Kerley to barrel into the end zone from three yards to open up a 21-7 TCU lead with 14:11 left to play in the first half.

*********************


Okay, this one is looking like a rout in the making. Antoine Hicks just raced 1-yard for a touchdown to put the Frogs up 28-7. They've scored 21 unanswered points to separate themselves from the Utes. The last touchdown was set up when returnman Jeremy Kerley burst around the corner for a 39-yard punt return to the Utah 29. And on the first play from scrimmage, Dalton hit receiver Jimmy Young on a perfectly placed slant pass for a 28-yard pickup to the 1.

*******************

TCU is just putting on one of the most complete performances imaginable. The Frogs have used offense and speical teams to help put up points, now the defense has gotten into the act. Middle linebacker Carder just returned an interception 10 yards for a pick six that put the Frogs up 35-7 early in the second quarter. So much for the great battle.
***************

Utah coach Kyle Whittingham has to be completely beside himself at this point tonight. Not only is his team getting smashed 38-14 in the first half, but they are being hammered by penalties. Illegal substitutions on the defense, offsides, and unsportsmanlike conduct calls have all gone against the Utes in the first two quarters. TCU hasn't been penalized nearly as much so far.


HALFTIME

Okay, who will admit they expected such a lopsided game between the Frogs and Utes to this point? Nothing about their recent past would have suggested TCU would be holding a commanding 38-14 lead at the intermission.

On paper, they seemed to be pretty evenly matched with TCU maybe holding the edge on defense and a slight advantage on offense and special teams, But so far, the Frogs have been dominant on all phases.

Dalton has been his efficient self, completing 15 of 23 passes for 194 yards and one touchdown and one interception. Dalton has hit receiver Ryan Christian for 48 yards and a touchdown on five passes. The Frogs array of runners have amassed 115 yards and three touchdowns on 24 carries in the first half.

But also give it up the Frogs' defense, which has limited Utah to just 27 yards rushing on 15 attempts and just 157 yards of total offense in the first two quarters. TCU's offense has put up 309 yards of offense.
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Live Blog: TCU Gives Utes the Horns originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Sat, 14 Nov 2009 21:15:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>Terrance HarrisSat, 14 Nov 2009 21:15:00 EST Idaho Coach Speaks the Truthhttp://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/09/idaho-coach-speaks-the-truth/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/09/idaho-coach-speaks-the-truth/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/11/09/idaho-coach-speaks-the-truth/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

There aren't a lot of more intriguing stories this season than Idaho. After years of being in the abyss of college football, known more for seasons of double-digit losses than anything positive, the once-proud FCS program that has struggled virtually since the start of its time in the Football Bowl Subdivision is bowl-eligible.

This weekend, the Vandals travel to play in-state rival Boise State, an opponent Idaho hasn't beaten since 1998. No one would argue that the Vandals have any pressure, as Boise State needs to win out in order to have a shot at a BCS bowl. Idaho coach Robb Akey is fully aware, and he talked about it Monday.

As reported by ESPN.com's Graham Watson on Twitter, Akey made it clear that he hopes his team can be the "bad guy" this weekend, costing his conference (and school) a big bag of money.
"I want to be the least popular individual with all the WAC administrators ... If we take care of business, there will be no BCS bowl for the Boise State and no BCS money coming to the conference."
You have to love Akey's candor. His team has been a blowout victim over and over again in the last decade. The only time they were even remotely competitive was when former coach Dennis Erickson returned for a one-year stint after he got fired from another NFL job. He left, and things went quickly south as Akey tried to get the program on stronger footing.
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Just 3-21 over his first two years, Akey has guided Idaho to a 7-3 start, including 4-1 at the Kibbie Dome, an old indoor facility in Moscow where the Vandals hadn't won more than twice in a single season since 2000.

With that as a background, Akey sees a chance to help gain visibility for his program this weekend. Boise State isn't just another game on Idaho's schedule. They're an in-state opponent, the only one the Vandals play on a regular basis (Idaho State is a Football Championship Subdivision program that sporadically shows up). More than that, Boise State is the benchmark by which the rest of the WAC is measured right now.

If Idaho can find a way to even keep it close on the smurf turf Saturday afternoon, Akey will have really accomplished something. And if his comments about ruining Boise State's BCS chances help fire his team up towards that goal, it was well worth saying on Akey's part.

When you are talking about coaches' dealings with the media, it's rarely a good idea to get on a guy for telling the truth. That's all Robb Akey has done here.

Idaho Coach Speaks the Truth originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Mon, 09 Nov 2009 13:40:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>robb akeyBruce CiskieMon, 09 Nov 2009 13:40:00 EST Boise? Not Blown Awayhttp://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/10/15/hurricane-knocks-boise-off-course/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/10/15/hurricane-knocks-boise-off-course/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/10/15/hurricane-knocks-boise-off-course/#commentsFiled under: ,

Tulsa, BoiseTULSA, Okla. -- As Chris Petersen left the field and walked through a portal at H.A. Chapman Stadium, a loud-mouthed Tulsa fan yelled, "You guys lucked out.'' The Boise State coach just looked up and smiled.

After all, the Broncos are counting on a lot more luck the rest of this season than anything they got Wednesday night in a 28-21 win over the Golden Hurricane.

How much the pollsters were impressed by the latest win by Boise State (6-0), fifth in the AP poll and sixth in the more important coaches' poll, will be learned Sunday. The next poll will be more important than the last ones since Sunday is the day the first BCS rankings come out.

Despite their lofty ranking, conventional wisdom is that it doesn't look good for the Broncos when it comes to playing in the national championship game. The thinking is all of the top one-loss teams from the big conferences will be able to trump the Broncos at the end of the regular season.

"It's usually never good enough,'' Petersen cracked after the game about whether his team's win was impressive enough.

You'd think college football was Olympic diving the way style points begin to count when the BCS standings have come into play. And did the Broncos get enough of them with the eyes of the nation upon them in an ESPN nationally televised weekday game?

Probably not.

The Broncos took a 28-14 lead into the fourth quarter, but the lead should have been bigger since they had to twice settle for short field goals. Then the Golden Hurricane stunned the Broncos with a 55-yard touchdown pass from G.J. Kinne to the wonderfully named Slick Shelly with 9:29 left in the game to cut the deficit to 28-21.

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The Broncos might have been sweating had Kinne not underthrown a pass to a wide open Charles Clay at the Boise State 40 on fourth-and-six with the clock ticking under 40 seconds for the game. It's no wonder there was a feeling on the Boise State side this one should have been wrapped up much earlier.

"That's a good football team and they're going to respond and not give up and keep fighting,'' said Boise State quarterback Kellen Moore, who completed 22-of-32 passes for 187 yards and threw three touchdowns, two to tight end Tommy Gallarda. "But certainly something we're looking at improving on is to be able to finish those games at the end of the game and ending it right there.''

The Broncos better finish games early and often down the stretch to have any chance of playing for the national title. Their last seven games include only one against a team that currently has a winning record.

And what is that one remaining powerhouse?

Idaho.

Yep, a win over the Vandals is really going to impress the pollsters.

Petersen and most of his players shrug off questions about the polls and whether an undefeated Boise State would deserve to play for the national title if the six major conferences can't come up with two undefeated teams to battle for the crown. But that's where Karl Benson comes in.

Benson is the commissioner of the Western Athletic Conference. He banged the conference drum for Boise State in the 2006 season, when it defeated Oklahoma in that dramatic Fiesta Bowl to finish undefeated. He banged it when WAC champion Hawaii went undefeated in the 2007 regular season before getting wiped out by Georgia in the Sugar Bowl.

Now, though, the stakes are even bigger. If the Broncos finish undefeated, they are all but certain to finish in the top 12 in the BCS Standings. That would clinch a BCS bowl bid unless Texas Christian of the Mountain West Conference also goes undefeated and passes the Broncos.

But Benson wants the Broncos to get a fair shake when it comes to possibly playing in the National Championship Game. And right now he's not too pleased to see Virginia Tech and USC, both with one loss, having moved ahead of the Broncos in the polls in recent weeks.

"I don't think anybody has come up with a system that is close to being perfect in terms of how teams are ranked,'' Benson said. "There's a human element... So now it's a situation, is a one-loss team more deserving? Right now, the system is saying yes, with a one-loss Virginia Tech team (fourth in the coaches poll) and a one-loss Southern California team (fifth) ahead [of the Broncos].

"All Boise State can do is win. Do they have to win convincingly? Is [Wednesday's game] a convincing win? You win on the road against a decent opponent, but, unfortunately the expectations are that Boise State has to win convincingly but Virginia Tech can squeak by Duke and be rewarded (winning 34-26 at Duke on Oct. 3 and then passing Boise State in the polls). One of my commissioner colleagues several years ago said, 'We don't need bowl reform. We need poll reform.'''

So what if a one-loss team is playing in the title game and an undefeated Boise State team is left out?

"We'd be disappointed, but it also would continue to create controversy that the system isn't fair,'' Benson said. "The best thing that can happen is for Boise State to play in the National Championship Game. Then everyone can say, 'The system works if an undefeated Boise State plays for the national championship.'''

Well, Mountain West commissioner Craig Thompson might not say that if his team, TCU (5-0), ranked eighth in the coaches' poll and 12th by AP, finishes undefeated and doesn't play for the national crown.

At least the Broncos own a 19-8 season-opening win over Oregon, which since has turned its season around with five straight wins. Other than that, it's hard to do too many handstands about their wins over Miami University, Fresno State, Bowling Green and California-Davis. And while Tulsa (4-2) is a solid team, the Golden Hurricane was crushed earlier this season 45-0 at Oklahoma.

"The bottom line is we need to worry about ourselves way more than worry about the rankings,'' said Petersen, who got a gritty 112 yards rushing from Doug Martin.

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Boise State's Austin Pettis pulls down a long pass reception as Tulsa's James Lockett defends during the first half of an NCAA college football game in Tulsa, Okla., on Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2009. (AP Photo/David Crenshaw)
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    Boise State's Shea McClellin knocks down a pass against Tulsa during a college football game in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Wednesday, October, 14, 2009. (Shawn Raecke/Idaho Statesman/MCT)

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    Boise State's Tyler Shoemaker runs the ball against Tulsa in the first half of a college football game in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Wednesday, October, 14, 2009. (Shawn Raecke/Idaho Statesman/MCT)

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    Boise State's Austin Pettis runs the ball against Tulsa during first-half action in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Wednesday, October, 14, 2009. (Shawn Raecke/Idaho Statesman/MCT)

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    Boise State's Doug Martin gets tripped up against Tulsa during an NCAA college football game in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Wednesday, October, 14, 2009. (Shawn Raecke/Idaho Statesman/MCT)

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    Boise State's Doug Martin gets tripped up against Tulsa during an NCAA college football game in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Wednesday, October, 14, 2009. (Shawn Raecke/Idaho Statesman/MCT)

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    Boise State's Austin Pettis runs the ball against Tulsa during first-half action in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Wednesday, October, 14, 2009. (Shawn Raecke/Idaho Statesman/MCT)

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    Boise State's Titus Young turns the corner past Tulsa defender Tanner Antle during the first half of an NCAA college football game in Tulsa, Okla., on Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2009. (AP Photo/David Crenshaw)

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    Boise State's Austin Pettis pulls down a long pass reception as Tulsa's James Lockett defends during the first half of an NCAA college football game in Tulsa, Okla., on Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2009. (AP Photo/David Crenshaw)

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    Tulsa's Jamad Williams runs between Boise State defenders Winston Venable (17) and George Iloka during the first half of an NCAA college football game in Tulsa, Okla., on Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2009. (AP Photo/David Crenshaw)

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    Boise State wide receiver Austin Pettis has a word with Tulsa linebacker Curnelius Arnick just after Pettis scored on a touchdown pass during an NCAA college football game in Tulsa, Okla., on Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2009. Boise State center Thomas Byrd congratulates Pettis. (AP Photo/David Crenshaw)

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If the Broncos, who actually did trail for the first time this season when they fell behind 7-0 and 14-8 in the first quarter, can continue to win, players are confident they can match up with anybody.

Florida? Alabama? Those schools don't scare defensive end Ryan Winterswyk.

"We're competitors,'' Winterswyk said. "We think we can play with anybody. That's kind of our deal. Alabama. Florida. It would be a great opportunity to play one of those teams.''

Winterswyk, a junior, was redshirting as a freshman when the Broncos beat Oklahoma 43-42 in overtime in that legendary Jan. 1, 2007 Fiesta Bowl.

Boise State only has four seniors, and just two were with the team three years ago and played in that Fiesta Bowl. Petersen was then in his first year as the team's head coach, and he knows that game got the Broncos to be known for more than just their quirky blue field.

"It probably all helps,'' Petersen said about pollsters giving the Broncos more respect due to that game. "What Utah did last year (a non-BCS conference team going undefeated and upsetting Alabama in the Sugar Bowl to finish ranked No. 2) and what we did (by winning the Fiesta Bowl). It's all a cumulative effect to let others know that good football is played in other conferences.''

The amazing win over the Sooners featured several dramatic Boise State plays, including a fourth-down hook-and-lateral pass for a last-second game tying touchdown in regulation and a fourth-down halfback pass in overtime that was followed by a statue-of-liberty play for a two-point conversion to win the game.

That fan yelling at Petersen on Wednesday was three years late. That night against another team from Oklahoma was when Petersen used up what would seem to be enough luck for one lifetime.

Nevertheless, Petersen now could use some more.

Chris Tomasson can be reached at tomasson@fanhouse.com

Boise? Not Blown Away originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Thu, 15 Oct 2009 02:33:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>Chris TomassonThu, 15 Oct 2009 02:33:00 EST Sooners Suffer Another Major Injuryhttp://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/10/05/sooners-suffer-another-major-injury/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/10/05/sooners-suffer-another-major-injury/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/10/05/sooners-suffer-another-major-injury/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

Ryan BroylesThe news just seems to keep getting worse for the Oklahoma Sooners.

Coach Bob Stoops confirmed Monday that leading receiver Ryan Broyles (right) will miss the next four to six weeks with a broken left shoulder. Broyles, who has caught 23 passes for 346 yards and seven touchdowns, broke his shoulder during Saturday's 21-20 loss at Miami.

The Sooners are still awaiting word on when Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Sam Bradford can return to action. He has been out since suffering a shoulder sprain during the season-opening loss to BYU. Stoops acknowledged Bradford's progress last week when he began working with the team for the first time, but it was determined he wasn't healthy enough to return to the lineup against the Hurricanes.

There is a chance he could be back this week for the Sooners' Big 12 opener against Baylor. But Stoops says he hasn't made that determination and declined to speculate about his chances of playing this week during Monday's Big 12 Coaches Conference Call.

"The plans are the same as last week," Stoops said. "Until he's capable and fully capable, that's what we will do."

Additionally, OU lost All-American tight end Jermaine Gresham for the year before the season began due to a knee injury.

Now, throw in the fact that the 19th-Sooners (2-2) have lost two non-conference games, which has all but put them out of contention for the BCS national title chase before they can even begin Big 12 play.

It's obviously been a rough start to the season for a team that has won the last three Big 12 championships, and entered the year as the co-preseason favorite to win the Big 12 South with Texas. The Sooners came in to 2009 as the preseason No.3-ranked team in the country.

"They've hung in there pretty well," Stoops said of his team. "In the end you deal with the circumstances and the hand you are dealt and they understand that.

"We won't make excuses. Other guys have to step in and step up and make plays."

Sooners Suffer Another Major Injury originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Mon, 05 Oct 2009 16:57:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>Bob StoopsJermaine GreshamRyan BroylesSam BradfordTerrance HarrisMon, 05 Oct 2009 16:57:00 EST Florida State Stomps BYUhttp://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/09/19/florida-state-stomps-byu/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/09/19/florida-state-stomps-byu/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/09/19/florida-state-stomps-byu/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Thus killing the dreams of at least one non-BCS upstart. Give the Cougars credit for taking on both Oklahoma and Florida State in the same season, and a year with national title aspirations to boot. That said, welcome to the world of every other major conference program that must deal with several heavyweights each and every year. No need to run to Congress for help after this one.

The Seminoles pulled the upset by taking it to the No. 7 Cougars in their home stadium early and often, surging to leads of 20-7 and 27-14 in the first half before blowing the doors off in the third quarter at one point reaching leads of 44-14 and 54-21 before closing out with the 54-28 victory. BYU is still very much in the BCS picture especially if they can claim the Mountain West crown over TCU and Utah, but their title shot's likely dashed.

Both quarterbacks -- Christian Ponder and Max Hall -- were efficient but the Noles' run game starred, racking up 311 total yards as six ballcarriers totaled at least 14 yards led by Ty Jones' 109 and Ponder's 76. BYU was strikingly efficient on offense as Hall averaged 10 yards an attempt, but tossed three costly interceptions, one of which was returned by freshman cornerback Greg Reid 63 yards for a touchdown that effectively ended the game in the third quarter as Florida State sailed ahead 37-14.

Meanwhile, BYU welcomed back powerback Harvey Unga who had 97 yards and a nearly 10 yard average after missing the Oklahoma game and totaling just four touches against Tulane.

Ponder completed a ridiculous 21 of his 25 passes for 195 yards, but did a lot of damage on the ground in adding those 76 yards and a rush touchdown.

It was a dramatic turnaround for Florida State, losing to Miami on the last play on a Monday night in week one and then nearly blowing a home game against tomato can Jacksonville State before correcting on the way to a 19-9 victory. Suddenly, the 'Noles are looking like ACC Atlantic Division favorites if they can overcome Clemson in November. Maybe Bobby Bowden wasn't so crazy after all saying he was sticking around in hopes of winning a championship in the near future.

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BATON ROUGE, LA - SEPTEMBER 19: Terrance Toliver #80 of the Louisiana State University Tigers is tackled by Dwight Bentley #5 of the University of Louisiana-Lafatette Ragin' Cajuns at Tiger Stadium on September 19, 2009 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Terrance Toliver;Dwight Bentley
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    Oklahoma State tight end Justin Horton, right, fights Rice defensive back Jarrett Ben, center, to get to Rice safety Andrew Sendejo, left, during the first half of an NCAA college football game in Stillwater, Okla., Saturday, Sept. 19, 2009. (AP Photo/Brody Schmidt)

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    Vanderbilt running back Zac Stacy, left, gets past Mississippi State cornerback Zach Smith (42) in the first quarter of an NCAA college football game in Nashville, Tenn., Saturday, Sept. 19, 2009. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)

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    TCU tailback Joseph Turner (24) celebrates his touchdown against Texas St. in the first half of an NCAA college football game in Fort Worth, Texas, Saturday, Sept. 19, 2009. In back is teammate Evan Frosch (84). (AP Photo/Donna McWilliam)

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    Cincinnati tight end Kazeem Alli, top, celebrates with teammate Isiah Pead after Pead's touchdown during the first-half of their NCAA college football game against Oregon State in Corvallis, Ore., Sept. 19, 2009. (AP Photo/Don Ryan)

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    Mississippi State kicker Sean Brauchle (37) kicks a 44-yard field goal against Vanderbilt in the second quarter of an NCAA college football game in Nashville, Tenn., Saturday, Sept. 19, 2009. Holding is Allen Tolbert (47). (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)

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    BATON ROUGE, LA - SEPTEMBER 19: Brandon LaFell #1 of the Louisiana State University Tigers bobbles a ball over defender Orkeys Auriene #2 of the University of Louisiana-Lafatette Ragin' Cajuns at Tiger Stadium on September 19, 2009 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Brandon LaFell;Orkeys Auriene

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    BATON ROUGE, LA - SEPTEMBER 19: Fans watch during the game between the Louisiana State University Tigers and the University of Louisiana-Lafatette Ragin' Cajuns at Tiger Stadium on September 19, 2009 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)

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    BATON ROUGE, LA - SEPTEMBER 19: Fans watch during the game between the Louisiana State University Tigers and the University of Louisiana-Lafatette Ragin' Cajuns at Tiger Stadium on September 19, 2009 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)

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    BATON ROUGE, LA - SEPTEMBER 19: Terrance Toliver #80 of the Louisiana State University Tigers is tackled by Dwight Bentley #5 of the University of Louisiana-Lafatette Ragin' Cajuns at Tiger Stadium on September 19, 2009 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Terrance Toliver;Dwight Bentley

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    South Florida wide receiver Dontavia Bogan (81) celebrates with teammate Mistral Raymond (16) after catchingt a first-quarter touchdown pass during an NCAA college football game Saturday, Sept. 19, 2009, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

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Florida State Stomps BYU originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Sat, 19 Sep 2009 22:35:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>Bobby BowdenChristian PonderGreg ReidHarvey UngaMax HallBrian GrummellSat, 19 Sep 2009 22:35:00 EST Big 12 Notebook: Overrated?http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/09/15/big-12-notebook-overrated/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/09/15/big-12-notebook-overrated/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/09/15/big-12-notebook-overrated/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Oklahoma State, HoustonEvery college football season there seems to be at least one major conference that's projected to be among the best , only to find out it's all just hype.

Could this season be the Big 12's turn?

Projected to be one of the top two conferences in the country, along with the SEC, there is now a small mountain of evidence indicating the Big 12 isn't the conference we thought it would be. The league has already suffered more than it share of stunning upsets in non-conference play, starting at the top.

Oklahoma, the preseason favorite with Texas to win the Big 12 South and the nation's third-ranked team to start the year, had its hopes of another BCS national championship berth jolted after an opening week loss to BYU. This past weekend, Oklahoma State, ranked fifth in the nation (their highest ranking in 24 years, following a win over Georgia) came falling back to reality when Houston strolled out of Stillwater with a convincing upset.

Just like that, the Big 12 lost two of its three Top 10 team preseason teams, leaving No.2 Texas carrying the weight of the Big 12 by itself. But even the Longhorns struggled at Wyoming in the first half last week before pulling away from the Cowboys, as did Missouri against Bowling Green.

It certainly seems as though the Big 12's quest for a third BCS national championship appearance in five years is already in jeopardy. Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops, whose team moved back up to No.12 in this week's AP poll, believes it's too early to make such assertions.

"There is a ton of football to go," Stoops said. "I've never tried to project in the first or second week where you are going to be for a Big 12 or national title. It's a long road, so you have to keep working and try to improve as you go."

But early evidence says the league has a lot of work to do to make up for the perception-altering performances of its top teams. In addition to the Oklahoma State loss last weekend, Kansas State also went to Louisiana-Lafayette and suffered a stunning defeat to the Ragin Cajuns of the Sun Belt Conference. And then there is Colorado, which doesn't seem capable of beating anyone after falling apart against Mid-American Conference foe Toledo on Friday night to fall to 0-2 on the season.

So far this season, the Big 12 has suffered defeats to the Mountain West, Conference USA, Sun Belt and Mid-American Conference. None of the other major conference can make that claim to this point.

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In this Saturday, Sept. 12, 2009, photo, Northwestern's Stefan Demos celebrates after kicking the game-winning 49-yard field goal against Eastern Michigan in the fourth quarter of an NCAA college football game in Evanston, Ill. Northwestern won 27-24. (AP Photo/David Banks)
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    In this Saturday, Sept. 12, 2009, photo, Northwestern's Stefan Demos celebrates after kicking the game-winning 49-yard field goal against Eastern Michigan in the fourth quarter of an NCAA college football game in Evanston, Ill. Northwestern won 27-24. (AP Photo/David Banks)

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    In this Saturday, Sept. 12, 2009, photo Penn State linebacker Sean Lee, left, walks away after sacking Syracuse quarterback Greg Paulus, right, during the second half of their NCAA college football game in State College, Pa. Lee was so active against Syracuse, it seemed like the Penn State linebacker spent all day leveling opponents behind the line of scrimmage. Any lingering doubts about the health of his surgically-repaired right knee were erased in a dominating performance against the Orange. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

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    In this Saturday, Sept. 12, 2009, photo, Penn State linebacker Sean Lee (45) stands with assistant coach Tom Bradley on the sideline during the second half of their college football game against Syracuse in State College, Pa. Lee was so active against Syracuse, it seemed like the Penn State linebacker spent all day leveling opponents behind the line of scrimmage. Any lingering doubts about the health of his surgically-repaired right knee were erased in a dominating performance against the Orange. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

    AP

    Oregon State's Jacquizz Rodgers rushes for a key fourth quarter gain on the wiining drive of the Beavers 23-21 win over UNLV in an NCAA college football game on Saturday Sept. 12, 2009 in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Daniel Gluskoter)

    AP

    COLUMBUS, OH - SEPTEMBER 12: Running back Stafon Johnson #13 of the USC Trojans celebrates in the end zone with teammate Jarvis Jones #10 after scoring a two yard touchdown in the fourth quarter over the Ohio State Buckeyes at Ohio Stadium on September 12, 2009 in Columbus, Ohio. USC won the game 18-15. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Stafon Johnson; Jarvis Jones

    Getty Images

    COLUMBUS, OH - SEPTEMBER 12: Running back Stafon Johnson #13 of the USC Trojans celebrates in the end zone after scoring a two yard touchdown in the fourth quarter over the Ohio State Buckeyes at Ohio Stadium on September 12, 2009 in Columbus, Ohio. USC won the game 18-15. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Stafon Johnson

    Getty Images

    Purdue head coach Danny Hope, left, confers with referees on a call that kept the Boilermakers from tying the game with just seconds left during the second half of their NCAA college football game against Oregon in Eugene, Ore., Saturday, Sept. 12, 2009. Oregon beat Purdue 38-36.(AP Photo/Don Ryan)

    AP

    Utah players celebrate a 24-14 win over San Jose State in an NCAA college football game in San Jose, Calif., Saturday, Sept. 12, 2009.(AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

    AP

    Utah running back Sausan Shakerin (22) breaks through for a long run late in the fourth quarter against San Jose State in an NCAA college football game in San Jose, Calif., Saturday, Sept. 12, 2009. Utah won 24-14. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

    AP

    COLUMBUS, OH - SEPTEMBER 12: Running back Stafon Johnson #13 of the USC Trojans celebrates in the end zone with teammate Jarvis Jones #10 after scoring a two yard touchdown in the fourth quarter over the Ohio State Buckeyes at Ohio Stadium on September 12, 2009 in Columbus, Ohio. USC won the game 18-15. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Stafon Johnson; Jarvis Jones

    Getty Images



"It's a 12-game season. It's a grind," Kansas coach Mark Mangino said to FanHouse. "I wouldn't judge the Big 12 on the first couple weeks. I really think you have to look at the body of work throughout the season. Those kind of discussions arise at the end of the year.

"Sure there has been some games where we've gotten beat when we were favored, but I think you have to look at the whole body of work and wait until the season is over because this is a pretty doggone good conference."

Stoops seems to think what we've seen so far in the Big 12 early is just a symptom of parity created by the scholarship limits. So far we've seen Boise State dominate Oregon and Central Michigan delivered a blow to Michigan State to name a few other upsets outside of the Big 12.

"In the end there are a lot of good teams and if you are not at your best anybody can beat you," Stoops said. "I don't know that that's like any other year or unlike any other conference. I think you see it around the country with everybody every year.

"Every week you see different people with upsets around the country. I don't know any year that hasn't been the case."


Fast-Break Offenses

The Big 12 season kicks off Saturday when No. 2 Texas hosts Texas Tech in what should be a fast-paced, high scoring affair based on what both teams have showed so far.

Through the first two games, both teams lead the Big 12 in scoring offense. The Longhorns, behind the proven arm of Colt McCoy, are averaging 50 points per game and have scored 13 touchdowns combined against Louisiana-Monroe and Wyoming.

Mike Leach's Red Raiders, who seemed to have invented fast-break offense in college football, are second in the conference in scoring offense with first-year starting quarterback Taylor Potts after averaging 46.5 points and having scored a total of 13 touchdowns against North Dakota and Rice.

Both teams also rank around the middle of the pack in the Big 12 in scoring defense.

"This will be a great fan game," said UT coach Mack Brown. "There is going to be balls flying all over the place. People come to see offense. Both defenses are improved, they're playing well but I'm going to tell you there will be some sparks flying in this game on offense because we're more uptempo than we've ever been and Tech has been that way from the beginning. So I think it will be a great game to watch."

It will be interesting to see how both offenses handle the obvious elevation in competition.

Snyder staying the course

Kansas State coach Bill Snyder said he doesn't anticipate making a change at either quarterback or placekicker, despite some obvious struggles in both areas in the first two games.

Quarterbacks Carson Coffman and Grant Gregory have combined to complete just 49.1 percent of their passes. The Wildcats struggled early against Louisiana-Lafayette before scoring two touchdowns in the fourth quarter prior to falling to a late field goal.

But Snyder says he doesn't anticipate a change heading into Saturday's game at UCLA.

"We have what we have," he said. "I don't know that we could go any further than we are right now."

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The same goes for junior placekicker Josh Cherry, who has missed all three of his field goal attempts through the first two games. Cherry missed two field goals in the loss to ULL and also missed on an extra point attempt.

"The major thing right now is to re-establish his confidence," Snyder said. "He's a very intent young guy, he really cares, he's very genuine. He's pained by it, as well, and I certainly understand it and appreciate that. I have great confidence in him and will continue to work with him. I think he will continue to move forward and eventually become the kicker I'm quite confident he's capable of becoming."

But most glaring right now is the play of Snyder's quarterbacks. Both went into fall camp in a tight race for the job, but Coffman emerged as the starter.

So far Coffman has struggle, completing just 27 of 52 passes for 360 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. Gregory has been worse after not completing a pass in four attempts.

"It's quite obvious that we need to have substantial improvement at that position," Snyder said. "We have to make better decisions, we have to throw the ball more accurately. Those are the two main situations and get us in the right plays we can get into and not put us jeopardy. It's just a matter of trying to make improvement and that's true of the entirety of our football team.

"We are trying to make improvements at every position we have but the quarterback position stands out dramatically for any football team and it's quite obvious we need those improvements."

Tech not missing a beat at QB

Taylor Potts is just two games into his first year as a starter and already he seems on the way to being another record-setting Red Raiders quarterback.

Potts was named the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week after completing 36 of 57 passes for 456 yards and seven touchdowns in the 55-10 win over Rice on Saturday. Potts became the first Raiders quarterback to throw for at least seven touchdowns in a game since B.J. Symons tossed eight touchdowns against Texas A&M in 2003.

After two games, Potts leads the Big 12 in passing with 430.5 yards per game to go along with nine touchdowns and just three interceptions. He has also completed 70 of 105 attempts for 861 yards.

"He's playing and is getting better every game out there," Leach said. "He's thrown for a bunch of yards both games and he's getting sharper and sharper."


Cowboys hope to recover

Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy compares the uphill battle his Cowboys face in trying to recover from Saturday's stunning loss to University of Houston to challenges of recovering from failure in everyday life.

"The only difference in college football than any other aspect of life is we are in the public eye.," Gundy said. "Everything we do, every weekend people see it and there is a lot of talk about it. There are great lessons to be learned here."

The Cowboys, who went from No.5 in the country to No.16 this week, begin their recovery process Saturday when Rice pays a visit to Boone Pickens Stadium.

Cody Hawkins expected to play for Buffaloes

Colorado coach Dan Hawkins said he expects his son, quarterback Cody Hawkins, to play Saturday when Wyoming comes into Boulder.

Hawkins suffered a mild concussion at the end of Friday's loss to Toledo.

Big 12 Notebook: Overrated? originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Tue, 15 Sep 2009 15:45:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>bill snyderBillSnyderbob stoopsBobStoopscarson coffmanCarsonCoffmancody hawkinsCodyHawkinsColt McCoyColtMccoydan hawkinsDanHawkinsgrant gregoryGrantGregorymack brownMackBrownmark manginoMarkManginomike gundyMikeGundytaylor pottsTaylorPottsTerrance HarrisTue, 15 Sep 2009 15:45:00 EST Big East Coaches Say Absence From Top 25 Is Only Temporaryhttp://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/09/02/big-east-coaches-say-absence-from-top-25-is-only-temporary/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/09/02/big-east-coaches-say-absence-from-top-25-is-only-temporary/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/09/02/big-east-coaches-say-absence-from-top-25-is-only-temporary/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , , ,

CincinnatiThere they are -- what are considered the 25 best teams in college football. From No. 1 Florida down to No. 25 Kansas. The best of the best, at least in the minds of the 60 voters in the Associated Press' preseason poll.

In all, there are five teams each from the Big 12 and SEC, four from the ACC, three each from the Pac-10, Big Ten and, yes, even the Mountain West. Also ranked in the Top 25 is a WAC team and Notre Dame.

Basically every conference in America is represented except for a few of the so-called mid-majors (Conference USA, the Mid-American, Sun Belt). And one other league is notably absent: the Big East. The same Big East that automatically receives a BCS bowl bid as one of the "Big Six" BCS leagues.

"I can guarantee at the end of the year there will be a Big East team ranked in the Top 25," Cincinnati coach Brian Kelly said.

When the Big East was blanked in this year's AP preseason poll, it marked only the third time since the football league began in 1991 that the Big East did not have a team in the AP rankings. And unless the winner of Monday's Cincinnati at Rutgers nationally televised contest emerges with a dominating victory, the Big East's Top 25 exclusion may stretch a couple more weeks.

That's because among the teams receiving votes in the AP Poll (No. 28 Pittsburgh, No. 30 Rutgers, No. 32 West Virginia, No. 33 Cincinnati and No. 45 USF), there aren't many marquee non-conference opponents on their schedules in the opening month that could propel them into the Top 25. The exceptions would be on Sept. 19 when Cincinnati visits Oregon State and West Virginia visits Auburn; and Sept. 26 when Pitt visits N.C. State and USF visits Florida State.

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Kelly, whose club has finished each of the past two seasons ranked No. 17, said he wasn't shocked by the Big East's snub because the polls are "based on name recognition and what you've done in the past" - i.e. a popularity/beauty contest.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and a lot of folks don't necessarily think the eight-team Big East is that attractive.

"A lot of it has to do with perception and traditions of programs," Kelly said "We're establishing our program. It's not like we can harken back to our national championship days. A lot of it is, there are new teams that are really blazing a trail for their own kind of identity, so we're still a work in progress on that part of it."

West Virginia coach Bill Stewart has been very vocal about the strength of the Big East. "I have pounded the table," he said.

Stewart then rattled off the league's record in BCS bowl games (3-1 in last four), record in bowl games (12-4 in last 16) and record in non-conference games (winning 75 percent of the time).

"I can't tell you why we get hammered," Stewart said. "I guess everyone thinks we're a basketball league. They're full of baloney."

One stat Stewart conveniently forgot was the league's 6-14 record in non-conference games against AP ranked opponents since Cincinnati, Louisville and USF joined the Big East in 2005. However, toss out the Big East's 1-7 record in 2005 and the league is a much-more respectable 5-7 vs. AP ranked teams in the past three years.

Pittsburgh coach Dave Wannstedt, whose club was the media's preseason pick to win the league, and USF coach Jim Leavitt said they are not really concerned with the preseason rankings.

"I would," Wannstedt said, "be concerned if it was the end of the season, maybe."

UConn's Randy Edsall had a similar viewpoint.

"I think the Big East will show its merit at the end of the season, when it really matters," he said.

Despite the Big East missing from the preseason AP and USA Today/coaches' polls, Kelly said the league has earned the respect of some other individuals who are known to have a pretty good eye at judging the talent of college football teams.

"NFL scouts know they'd better come in and watch Big East teams because we've got a lot of good NFL players," said Kelly, who had six players selected in the 2009 NFL Draft. "So if we have the respect of NFL teams out there and we've got the respect of other teams and other conferences we play against, then to me, at the end of the day, that's probably more important than what other people think about us."

Big East Coaches Say Absence From Top 25 Is Only Temporary originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Wed, 02 Sep 2009 15:31:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>Brett McMurphyWed, 02 Sep 2009 15:31:00 EST College Football Guru Phil Steele Agrees With Florida Lovehttp://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/08/29/college-football-guru-phil-steele-agrees-with-florida-love/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/08/29/college-football-guru-phil-steele-agrees-with-florida-love/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/08/29/college-football-guru-phil-steele-agrees-with-florida-love/#commentsFiled under: ,

Usually, you can count on Phil Steele to think outside the proverbial box. When his annual college football preview is released in June, there are interesting picks made, some of which will make you scratch your head. Of course, Steele's ability to buck conventional wisdom and make accurate picks has won him quite the audience, so you don't normally scratch your head for very long.

Recently, the man behind what is unquestionably the biggest and most detailed college preview on the market took time to answer a few questions for FanHouse.

How did you get started doing this magazine?

I have been writing a football newsletter since 1982. The preseason magazines never had enough information for me so 18 years ago, as my staff grew larger, we started complying the information ourselves and put it into a book form and 15 years ago put out the first magazine.

This is the magazine I use as my quick, easy reference tool throughout the entire season and I have all of the information on the same spot on every page for every team.

Talk about the insane amount of research that goes into this publication every year.

I have a staff of 30 people who work on nothing but college football year-round. You'll find the stats in my magazine are 99.9% accurate. Not only do we log our own stats during the course of the season, but we then compare them to the school's stats, conference stats and NCAA stats. When there are discrepancies (and surprisingly there are quite a few) we go on a game-by-game basis to find which are the correct numbers and those are the ones that get published.

Each page of the magazine goes through 6-10 proof readings. I personally log about 80-100 hour work weeks during football and magazine time and have a setup with 12 TVs in front of me. I watch 12 college games all day long each Saturday while members of the staff are in other offices charting the games. I then go through the play-by-play of every FBS team for that week, even if a Sun Belt team plays an FCS team, I go though every play.

I have different members of my staff assigned to different conferences and their responsibility is to read the local papers and underline important information all year. I write each of the 120 team previews myself and from December 1st through mid-May I go through what was underlined during the course of the season and read that before writing the team as it gives me a day-by-day assessment of the team.

That's generally about 200-250 pages that I read through on each team before even starting to write the magazine. My staff and I are researching for the magazine right up until the page is sent to press, making sure we have the most up-to-date information.

How tough is it to put your predictions together?

I find the predictions the fun part of the magazine. I go out of the box on many of my forecasts and have had many surprise teams that have done just that. I always look for factors other than the final score of the game which then deems games over or under rated.

What is the hardest part about doing the magazine?

The hours and the never ending deadlines.

Why did you decide to start doing regional magazines?

I feel that the Phil Steele National Magazine has more information than any other college football preview, probably 3-4 times the amount with two full pages on each FBS team. With that said, I wanted even MORE in-depth coverage available to the fans, so I published the Regionals, devoting SIX full pages to the BCS conference teams (four to the non-BCS). Other publications have regional coverage but that does not come close to the SIX full pages that I offer in my Regionals, which even blows my own National Magazine away with amount of individualized information on those six pages.

My FCS coverage (in the ACC/Big East Regional) is really a quick, easy reference tool to the FCS and has probably ten times the amount of information than any other magazine on the market!

Has the explosion of information sites and blogs helped or hurt your business? Why?

I think it helps. Theoretically you could go online and visit 240 different sites (two sites per team) and try to compile all of the information on the internet yourself or you could just have my magazine which has already done the work for you on hand and it's a flip of the page away. That's something you can take with you anywhere. The amount of information sites and blogs provide have helped me get information, especially on smaller teams like the Sun Belt or WKU which just joined the NCAA and last year did not even come out with a spring prospectus until June or July when our magazine was already on the newsstands.

What do you have planned for your Web site during the season?

I have huge things planned for the website during the season. Just like last year, we will update starts lost to injury on a weekly basis, I will have my own personal forecasts on each of the Top 25 teams and perhaps my forecast of every game for the college season. We have individual team bloggers and I will have a daily blog.
We will update the special teams ratings, pass efficiency ratings during the season and I will post a couple of sets of power ratings which grade individual teams for the upcoming year on a weekly basis. Every day something else comes up that I will add to the site and the team pages give you the last 20 years results at the click of a button.

Also on the team pages on PhilSteele.com, if you click on their opponent for that week, you will get the last 12 years' results at your fingertips including stats. There is a Future Schedules tab where we list the 2010, 2011 and 2012 matchups and if the game is not being played in '09 but they face off in '10, you get the last 13 years' results with the click of a mouse. You can go back and get the past history (post game write-up) for each team for this decade and the individual player stats for each of the last 3 years. We keep adding to the team pages and bowl pages weekly. In the magazine I am limited to 328 pages, but they tell me I have unlimited space to use on the website and I plan to test that with PhilSteele.com.

Every year, there seem to be at least one or two teams you're bullish on that no one else is. Would you please tell us about one of your top surprise teams for the 2009 season?

One of my top surprise teams is Rutgers. Rutgers is not going to even be in the top 30 or 40 in the rankings at the start of the year but I feel that they have a shot at going 12-0 partially due to their schedule. I have not seen a BCS team take on a No. 106 schedule but the Knights do that this year with non-conf games vs Howard, FIU and Texas Southern. Rutgers has my No. 8 rated O-line and No. 23 set of LB¹s. There are five main contenders in the Big East. Along with Rutgers they are Cincinnati, Pitt, USF, and West Virginia. Rutgers not only gets the other four teams all at home but gets them in solid situations. They face a Cincy team that is inexperienced the first week of the season (just when you want to play an inexperienced team). Pitt has to play Connecticut then travel on a short week and play Rutgers on a Friday. Rutgers is off a bye, another great situation. USF does not play well in cold weather yet Rutgers hosts them on Nov. 12 in New Jersey and odds are it will be cold. Finally when they face West Virginia, the Mountaineers will be coming off their Backyard Brawl game against Pitt.

Another surprise team will be Illinois this year. In 2007 I called Illinois my No. 2 Most Improved Team in the country. Part of the reason was that Illinois had finished 2-10 the previous year but had actually outgained foes by 35 ypg which is more indicative of a 7-5 team. Illinois did not disappoint me in 2007 as they finished the regular season No. 13 in the country and played in the Rose Bowl. Last year I had Illinois ranked lower than most publications and they finished just 5-7. Interesting they were +86.5 ypg in conference play which was the second best mark in the Big Ten and 30 yards better than Ohio St. When a team is +86.5 ypg in conf play they generally go 7-1 but Illinois was just 3-5. Looking at the Illini¹s road schedule this year I only have them an underdog in one road game (Ohio St) and that's a team they outgained 455-354 last year with a 25-16 first down edge. They have 95.3 percent of their offensive yards returning which is fifth most in the NCAA.

You're on the spot, Phil. Who plays in Pasadena for the BCS title?

My pick for Pasadena this year is Florida versus Texas and ironically the last time a team came into the season as big a preseason favorite as Florida is this year, was USC in 2005. As you recall in 2005 USC was dominant during the regular season outscoring foes by an avg of 49.1-22.8 and ESPN did a piece prior to their Championship Game versus Texas asking if USC was the greatest team of all-time. They seemed to come to the conclusion that, yes they were, but ironically in Pasadena, Texas upset the Trojans. Will lightning strike twice?

Phil Steele's 2009 national and regional college football previews can be picked up in your local bookstore, or at his Web site.

College Football Guru Phil Steele Agrees With Florida Love originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Sat, 29 Aug 2009 16:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>Bruce CiskieSat, 29 Aug 2009 16:00:00 EST Sports Illustrated to Demand Coaches' Ballotshttp://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/08/25/sports-illustrated-to-demand-coaches-ballots/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/08/25/sports-illustrated-to-demand-coaches-ballots/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/08/25/sports-illustrated-to-demand-coaches-ballots/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , , ,

When college football coaches decided that their little shred of transparency -- making each coach's final ballot public -- was just too much sharing, there was some outcry over the decision to go back to anonymous balloting in 2010. All accountability and openness of the votes appeared to be out the window.

Sports Illustrated has decided that it will go to court to force the ballots to be opened to public scrutiny. Starting this week, they intend to file state-level Freedom of Information Act requests at each public institution where there is a participating coach.
Sports Illustrated's reason for this action according to Andy Staples:
Why are we doing this? Because, as South Carolina coach -- and public school poll voter -- Steve Spurrier so eloquently put it to CBSSports.com after learning the 2010 results would remain cloaked, the looming secrecy allows "a chance for some real hanky-panky." If the AFCA [American Football Coaches Association] learns through this exercise it can't keep the ballots secret, it might choose instead to embrace transparency rather than risk damaging the integrity of the poll.
The basis for the filings are that at each state institution, the coaches are essentially public employees. Many are and do participate in public employee pension systems. The state institutions are generally subject to each states' version of the Freedom of Information Act, and this includes the athletic departments. This will not apply to participating coaches at schools that are private institutions like Duke's David Cutcliffe and Charlie Weis at Notre Dame.

As the article points out, the door to this opened when news organizations in Florida took Florida State and the NCAA to court this year over a records request concerning the NCAA's investigation into the FSU academic fraud case. FSU, while a defendant, actually supported the open records, as did the Florida state attorney general.

The NCAA lost, though they are all appealing. It will be interesting to see how FSU differentiates this view when they get the request for Bobby Bowden's preseason ballot this year.

There's a little bit of turning the tables on institutions here. Again, the article points this out.
In May, the Columbus Dispatch's fantastic investigation into athletic departments' sometimes fraudulent use of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act to hide records provided a wake-up call to schools in every state.
Programs shadily employed a federal law to hide when players get in trouble from getting out to the public. Now they appear to be on the other end of the public records law.

Clearly the reason to file the requests now, is to get this into court this year. Get the court challenges out of the way as soon as possible. At a minimum, force the AFCA to repeal their decision for 2010 rather than continually go through this

While this does seem a little silly and not the intent for public records laws, there is a valid claim to be made on making the records public, beyond claims of public interest in the ballots themselves. The Coaches Poll is one-third of the formula used to determine the BCS rankings. Those rankings determine the teams playing for the national championship and in BCS bowls. All of which involve a lot of money that go back to the athletic departments.

Whether or not those various athletic departments receive state monies or are financially self-sufficient is irrelevant. They are still part of the state institution. In other words, the ballots have a financial impact on the state institution. Something for which public records laws were intended.

Sports Illustrated to Demand Coaches' Ballots originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Tue, 25 Aug 2009 15:33:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>Chas RichTue, 25 Aug 2009 15:33:00 EST Fan Goes Homeless to Protest BCShttp://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/07/25/fan-goes-homeless-to-protest-bcs/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/07/25/fan-goes-homeless-to-protest-bcs/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/07/25/fan-goes-homeless-to-protest-bcs/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

So it has come to this: Brandon Kennedy, a 21-year-old former college football player, is currently living on the streets of Washington, DC in support of a cause dear to his heart. Health care reform? Foreign policy? Third World debt relief?

Of course not. He's agitating for playoffs in college football.

Kennedy played football at Central Washington, which is a Division II school. They have playoffs in Division II. The very highest level of college football does not. Few people are happy with this. None have gone so far as to live on the streets so they can be closer to the seats of power.

Brandon Kennedy has a plan, and he wants it to get a fair hearing.

This, then, is Kennedy's plan (full text is available here):
"The Kennedy Proposal" calls for six champions from the current BCS conferences and four at-large bids to be seeded in a playoff bracket. The eight teams that are eliminated from the playoff before the national championship game are routed to the four BCS bowl games. It is a playoff for those who want it, he reasoned, while keeping intact the BCS for the teams that do not make the national championship from that 10-team playoff.
Anybody see the flaws already? Just wait, there's more:
The paper touches on certain issues regarding the BCS -- the conflicts that could arise with academic schedules, the traditional relationship with the bowls and the value of the regular season -- but does not specifically address the economic concerns tied into the discussion.
First of all, any playoff system which does not include all conference champions is not a true playoff. Don't believe me? Try to imagine, say, the NFL deciding that the AFC West isn't a strong enough division for its champion to deserve a shot at the playoffs. Oh no, that wouldn't be controversial at all. Try to imagine the 9-7 Dallas Cowboys getting a bid over the 12-4 Kansas City Chiefs, champions of the AFC West. The stated reason? "The NFC East is one of the toughest divisions in the NFL." The real reason? The Cowboys will get a better TV rating.

That's what results from a system that excludes any conference champions, even the Sun Belt's. You don't think those non-BCS teams have a shot at beating the big boys? You haven't been paying attention lately. Besides, systematically excluding the underdogs so the privileged (and their fans) can benefit is a form of fascism, which we generally regard as un-American.

Second of all, failing to address the economic issues surrounding the BCS is sort of like saying "It should be 80 degrees and sunny every day." Everybody agrees that would be great. Everybody knows that's not happening. There is just no incentive for the people who can make the change to actually do so unless there's more money for everyone.

In the end, while I admire the strength of Brandon Kennedy's convictions, he needs to take his plan through a few more drafts. He needs to realize, as all playoff advocates do, that you can't replicate March Madness in December. You can't get fans to go to neutral sites for these playoff games. Few fans, and even fewer teams, can afford to travel for that many consecutive weekends on short notice.

Playoffs work in the lower divisions because, except for the championships. the games are played on campus. This means any plan which uses the currently existing bowls in any form simply won't work. Once you take the bowls off the table, or take the very best teams out of the bowl system, you've just removed vast quantities of budget-balancing, Title IX-complying money. You've also reduced the total TV ad revenue significantly because you're playing fewer games, even if the games you're playing would almost certainly draw higher ratings. If you can't at least replace that money, your plan is a non-starter.

Hat tip: @darrenrovell1, @farksport

Fan Goes Homeless to Protest BCS originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Sat, 25 Jul 2009 12:05:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>Mark HastySat, 25 Jul 2009 12:05:00 EST FanHouse's Rename the BCS Contesthttp://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/07/15/fanhouses-rename-the-bcs-contest/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/07/15/fanhouses-rename-the-bcs-contest/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/07/15/fanhouses-rename-the-bcs-contest/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

Last week, we learned that the BCS doesn't exist as a legal entity. Most of us found that shocking. At least those of us who can define the word "entity." (Sorry, Ohio State fans. As much as we all might wish the word involves the female breast, sigh, it doesn't. If it did the drafting of legal documents would be an awfully lot more interesting.)

What we're left with is a void, an eternal gaping chasm in our existence. We know the BCS exists, otherwise how can we hate it so? But, for legal purposes it doesn't. That's why we're renaming the BCS. Now.

The rules are simple. You have to make me aware of your suggestion. Via e-mail, via FaceBook, via Twitter @NCAAFanHouse, via posting at the bottom of the page, via African swallow ... basically you have to get your idea to me. And then with a team of brilliant marketing experts (such as the people who came up with Stanford's We Work slogan), we'll select a group of six finalists to combine with my four suggestions below. Those six finalists will be given a paragraph to make their argument in the column. And then y'all vote for your favorite. There will be prizes, world renown, and the satisfaction of a job well done.

Because let's be honest, if you had to make college football a metaphorical meal (and why wouldn't you?), the season would be a nice juicy steak. Tender, rare, after each bite (or week), you tip back in your seat and reflect upon what a magnificent feeling it is. This continues for the length of the meal, your stomach is full, you've never been more sated. And then, just as you're leaving the restaurant after the final bite, you realize there's a piece of food wedged up against your gum that you can't get rid of. That piece of meat is the BCS.

Eventually, you become obsessed with that piece of meat. You can't think about anything else. You use your tongue, you use your fingers, you use a toothpick, you stand in front of the mirror with your mouth held open staring at the reflection of your teeth.

Eventually, it happens.

You start to wish you'd never eaten the steak to begin with.

Except the BCS is even worse. Because some part of you can't even enjoy the steak, because you know there's a strong likelihood that a piece of meat is going to end up stuck in your teeth.

Now that you've got that feeling in mind, we need your help. You need to do better than me. And I'm only giving you four suggestions that will advance as part of the final ten. Y'all pick the other six. To the victor goes the spoils.

1. The Null Set: Ø

In ninth grade geometry, we once had a teacher give a geometry test where null set was the answer for five consecutive questions. You talk about a war of wills, a diabolical form of instruction if there ever was one. Making someone believe that a teacher would design five consecutive questions with the null set as an answer was like being the only boy in a pink shirt one day. Not that I would know anything about that.

Not one single person in the class was willing to pick null set all five times. Later, she cackled at us when she revealed her duplicity. (The next year she left teaching. I like to think she now works in a yearbook factory gluing the back page to the cardboard all day long.)

I'm no mathematical expert, but the final BCS equation that determines who plays for the championship always makes me think of the null set

2. B+S

I like the simplicity of this redesign. It's sleek, modern, and it removes the C that stands for Championship. It also sums up the BCS in a more cogent fashion by commingling it with cow dung.

3. Lorenzo White

True fans of Tecmo Super Bowl will know that Houston Oiler Lorenzo White was the worst starting running back in the game. He was awful. In fact, continuing the analogy, if college football, the greatest sport on earth is the sports' equivalent of Tecmo Super Bowl, the greatest video game ever, then one might even deduce that Lorenzo White, the worst starting running back of the game, was the BCS of Tecmo Super Bowl.

See, it works.

4. CUBA!

The only thing in the western hemisphere less American than the BCS is Cuba. But to Cuba's credit Raul Castro has been faster to modernize during his tenure than the BCS has been.

In terms of the new name, you merely add one letter and an exclamation point. So you don't lose much in terms of shortness. But you gain so much in spelling out how un-American our selection of a college football "champ" actually is.

These are my four, all we're waiting for is your six. Then we'll vote. Even if one of these four wins, whoever comes in highest of the top six wins. And if you beat me outright? Well, the prize will be even more sterling.

FanHouse's Rename the BCS Contest originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Wed, 15 Jul 2009 20:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>Clay TravisWed, 15 Jul 2009 20:00:00 EST MVC, WAC Reluctantly Agree to Stay With The BCS systemhttp://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/07/09/mvc-wac-reluctantly-agree-to-stay-with-the-bcs-system/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/07/09/mvc-wac-reluctantly-agree-to-stay-with-the-bcs-system/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/07/09/mvc-wac-reluctantly-agree-to-stay-with-the-bcs-system/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

The Mountain West Conference has been dissatisfied with the Bowl Championship Series system for years and their disdain hit the pinnacle when Utah finished the 2008 regular season undefeated and did not rank in the top 2, preventing the Utes from playing in the BCS National Championship Game.

Utah soundly beat Alabama and finished as the lone undefeated team in America, and the MVC lobbied for an automatic bid in the BCS system. But negotiations with the MVC and the Western Athletic Conference never advanced, and both conferences signed an agreement to retain their same role in the BCS -- reluctantly.

"Today, the Mountain West Conference has executed the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) agreement and the attendant rights agreement with ESPN," the conference said in a statement on their Web site. "While the Mountain West has expressed serious concerns with the various fundamental flaws in the current BCS system, our various good faith initiatives to generate reform have thus far not been accepted."

The MVC admitted that negotiations with BCS officials weren't progressing. The current system invites a non-BCS conference team -- which includes the MVC and WAC -- into the bowl system if it finishes in the Top 12 in the BCS rankings. Utah finished in the Top 12 and therefore was invited to play Alabama in the Sugar Bowl.

The rankings are based on strength of schedule and how opponents fare during the season. Given that MVC and WAC schools play lesser schedules, the possibility of a conference member being in the BCS title game is highly unlikely under the current system. MVC officials proposed an eight-team playoff system that would allow non-BCS teams a better opportunity for a national title, but it was shot down by the BCS conferences.

"The Mountain West believes it has no choice at this time but to sign the agreements," the statement said. "If a conference wishes to compete at the highest levels of college football, and the only postseason system in place for that is the BCS, no one conference can afford to drop out and penalize its football programs and student-athletes."

The current system expires in 2013, but the MVC made it clear it wasn't satisfied with the system.

"The Mountain West will continue its efforts for change," the statement concluded, "including a request for dialogue with representatives of the BCS. Our goal is to ensure the eventual outcome of these endeavors is what our universities and student-athletes need, what the vast majority of American sports fans want, and what is long overdue: an equitable system."

MVC, WAC Reluctantly Agree to Stay With The BCS system originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Thu, 09 Jul 2009 01:30:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>Gary WashburnThu, 09 Jul 2009 01:30:00 EST Lawyers Encircle College Footballhttp://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/06/15/lawyers-encircle-college-football/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/06/15/lawyers-encircle-college-football/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/06/15/lawyers-encircle-college-football/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , ,

Every Monday during college football's endless offseason, The FanHouse Walk will put last week's stories to bed and deliver the essentials to bridge that agonizing space between now and September.

There's an unnerving, repetitive theme to the first four items in this week's FanHouse Walk -- lawyers. Maybe its just the offseason or an odd week, but they seem to be everywhere related to college football right now. Today's headliner finds Florida's Attorney General Bill McCollum threatening the NCAA and its president Myles Brand with a $1,000 fine or even jail time if it doesn't make public documents related to its confidential investigation into Florida State athletics.

McCollum is leaning on Florida law that appears to force sunlight into otherwise confidential processes involving public entities like Florida State University. Florida State has so far declined requests for documents citing NCAA policy asking member institutions not to release confidential details related to investigations. To which McCollum answers thusly:

A lack of physical custody of a document does not excuse Florida State University from its obligations under Florida law.

Any lawyers in the house care to assess the NCAA and Florida State's chances of keeping matters private here? Seems like a slam dunk victory for the state of Florida if they take this to court. I'm big on privacy but McCollum's got a point that when matters involve an entity like Florida State University serving at the behest of the public, some of that privacy is necessarily thrown out the window.

Good Attorney General, Bad Attorney General -- At the moment I'm sympathetic towards Florida AG Bill McCollum, but Utah's AG Mark Shurtleff (who claims to be a "true fiscal conservative" on his Twitter page) is just plain annoying. Whatever you think of the BCS, its clear he's overreached the bounds of his office in taking on the dominant presence in college football's postseason structure.

His latest antics include calling on the Department of Justice to waste its time and further taxpayer dollars investigating the BCS.

In an interview with KSL NewsRadio, Shurtleff said he plans to make a pitch to the Justice Department to bring the weight of its antitrust division into the probe. "Because they have the resources that Utah does not have," Shurtleff said. "Taking on the BCS is a huge undertaking financially."

Here's an idea, if its a huge financial undertaking, not really of high public priority and you're a fiscal conservative, don't bother. Anyone created one of those recall petitions yet for Mr. Shurtleff? I'll sign it.

Preventative Medicine -- Missouri will now test all athletes for sickle cell trait, which is linked to exercise-related fatalities. This move is seemingly related to the settlement of a lawsuit after the death of football player Aaron O'Neal.

While the official cause of death was listed as viral meningitis, several experts - including the chairman of Missouri's pathology department - suggested that a sickle cell trait O'Neal possessed was a contributing factor in his death.

Briefly reading up on the condition it seems extremely rare and not quite fully linked to exercise death, but it sounds like a worthwhile test if it can prevent death. Hopefully more universities follow Missouri's example here although perhaps the costs for such testing are generally prohibitive?

Florida's Get Out Of Jail Card -- Florida's point man when it comes to athlete legal troubles is one Huntley Johnson.

... Sentinel research shows that of the 23 cases handled by Johnson, 21 resulted in dropped charges, a plea deal or pre-trial deferment plans that help first-time offenders avoid charges after fulfilling court-ordered stipulations.

The remaining two cases are unresolved, including sophomore cornerback Janoris Jenkins' arrest two weeks ago on charges of affray and resisting an officer. Eight felony cases have been reduced to misdemeanors or thrown out of court.

"As far as the legal aspect, he's the [team's] MVP," said Cecil Newton, the father of former Gators quarterback Cam Newton.

He sounds a lot like Carmen Trutanich, who has been vilified by UCLA fans as something of a Houdini helping USC football players get out of trouble. Trutanich, by the way, is the newly elected Los Angeles City Attorney.

Overtime, Ball on the 25

-- The Rose Bowl will now be televised by ESPN starting in 2011, meaning all the major BCS bowl games are under contract with The Worldwide Leader through 2014.

-- Meanwhile, the Pac-10 is looking into negotiations with the Alamo Bowl. Hopefully that works out as the Pac-10 could use a shakeup in their bowl arrangements and a chance to play some bigger teams out east.

-- Former Oklahoma coach Barry Switzer a star in race relations?

-- Priorities. The NCAA blog wonders if candy is good for athletes.

Lawyers Encircle College Football originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Mon, 15 Jun 2009 11:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>BCSMark ShurtleffNCAARose BowlThe FanHouse WalkBrian GrummellMon, 15 Jun 2009 11:00:00 EST Barbarians at the Rose Bowl Gateshttp://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/06/01/barbarians-at-the-rose-bowl-gates/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/06/01/barbarians-at-the-rose-bowl-gates/http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/06/01/barbarians-at-the-rose-bowl-gates/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

Every Monday during college football's endless offseason, The FanHouse Walk will put last week's stories to bed and deliver the essentials to bridge that agonizing space between now and September.

Rap, Rap, Rapping At The Door -- Bad news is best delivered on Friday, so no surprise when it was discovered that in the new BCS contract the Rose Bowl must fill one of its slots to a non-BCS team (think Boise State or Utah) if it loses either the Big 10 or Pac-10 champion to the BCS championship game.

There are the Rose Bowl haters out there snarking away on this, but I think its another sad day for college football. Everyone bemoans the USC/Illinois type matchups in Pasadena, but I still find it fresh and what the Rose Bowl is all about. The various Miami/Nebraka, Texas/Michigan, USC/Texas type matchups were all enjoyable, but something has never felt right about them.

Game Theory At Work -- Several years ago, college football added a 12th regular season game. The obvious dilemma for conferences was whether to sneak in another conference matchup or add another non-conference opponent of the pushover variety. Everyone but the Pac-10 opted for the second option while the Pac-10 did the right thing in working out a round-robin format to better determine its champion.

Problem is, others have benefited from that decision using the Pac-10's modest perception against it even though they've added an automatic game against a major conference opponent in doing so. Naturally, some out west are unhappy about the turn of events and are looking to reverse the move. Score one for the heavy costs of doing the right thing being turned against you.

The sad truth is that the greed and power grab that was the SEC's move to a 12-team conference (and later followed by the Big 12 and ACC) has been terrible in many ways for college football. Its made certain powers more wealthy but has also cynically manipulated scheduling to where the actual good guys who tried to do things right and piece together conferences that weren't bigger in number than actual possible game dates have suffered most.

Think about it, what kind of conference championship involves not playing all the actual members of your confernce? Sure you can split a conference into divisions and have division winners play in a "championship" game but come on, that's flimsy cover for what is essentially an incomplete championship.

Appropriate Silence? -- Much hay has been made about the Los Angeles Times' two-part broadside directed towards USC's public stonewalling in regards to the Reggie Bush and O.J. Mayo investigations. The argument boils down to what is essentially heavy whining about USC's silence without advancing any actual news in the story.

As a USC alum, I'm frustrated with the program's silence but its ridiculous to attach much meaning to it other than that's how USC's going to play things. In case the Times didn't notice, the NCAA hasn't exactly been very public with its thoughts on the situation either. Evenhandedness requires applying an even hand, something that's entirely missing from the twin critiques.

Christmas In June -- Rejoice! The Phile Steele 2009 College Football Preview magazine has arrived. This thing is like the Bible for many college football fans. I was introduced to it several years ago and have enjoyed it ever since, as it goes with me nearly everywhere.

Some folks get wrapped up in the various predictions that don't always pan out but the real meat of the publication is in its various methodology and trend-watching hidden between its pages. Its VHT (very highly touted in Steele speak), be sure to pick up a copy.

Overtime, Ball on the 25

-- The stretches of games that could topple non-BCS contenders like TCU, BYU and Utah

-- Receiver Josh Smith is leaving Colorado to pursue a music career, something not available among the majors in Boulder

-- The costs continue to rise for BCS conference programs looking for non-conference fodder in home games. Pssssssst, find someone your own size, going undefeated isn't everything

-- Heisman Pundit offers up the fastest players in college football for 2009

Barbarians at the Rose Bowl Gates originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Mon, 01 Jun 2009 15:28:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>OJ MayoPhil SteeleReggie BushRose BowlBrian GrummellMon, 01 Jun 2009 15:28:00 EST