College Football Week 8

The college football never disappoints. While games may not finish with your preferred team winning, every week there are great games....After eight weeks of the college football season many fans criticize how teams are ranked, and they will continue to do so until the bowl pairings are announced. However there is no need to panic after the midway point of the season. Often the rankings will shake out in the end as many top games have yet to be played....But if there are polls to be made, why not let the ones who set the Vegas lines also set who the top ten are. They know the game well and their betting lines are more right than wrong.....Auburn hits the #1 spot in the BCS, impressive in Gene Chizik's second year. But some in the Twin Cities may wonder what could have been as the Tiger's Defensive Coordinator, Ted Roof spent time heading the Gopher's D under Tim Brewster.

Final Full Practice

It was the final full day of practice at Barry University. On what would be a Thursday practice for the Hawkeyes, BCS rules allowed members of the media access to the first fifteen minutes of practice. It may have been the coolest day for practice in Florida for Iowa as temperatures were in the 60s with a breeze throughout the afternoon. Following practice the team went for dinner and a movie.

Friday, the Hawkeyes will return to Barry for a quick walk thru followed by the team photo at Land Shark Stadium

Below are the members of the police escort for the Hawkeyes who lead them around town.

Fox Sports in Iowa City

The 2010 Orange Bowl will be played on FOX, the last BCS game on the network before handing the contract over to ESPN. In preparation for the game against Georgia Tech Fox Sports sent a crew to Iowa City to record spots to be used during the game. From set up to tear down, the assembled crew from throughout the USA spent an entire day, recording hours of footage in which only minutes will be used.

Pat Angerer was one of many spotlighted.
Dace took his turn in front of the cameras. One question he was asked dealt with the Iowa fanbase and their large support.

From Fox Sports, Jennifer (near) is on her third year recording BCS teams. In 2007 she visited Lawrence, Kansas and a year ago travelled to Salt Lake City to spend time with the Utah Utes. Both Kansas and Utah won their game. Jennifer ensured us her two teams went on to win their bowl game.

Pat Angerer was asked about his favorite MMA moves, but declined to demonstrate any of them on camera. However he did speak of his hobby, bowling. Look for a line during the game in which he talks about playing it in his "spare" time.

Iowa Quarterback Ricky Stanzi fielded questions as well as repeating staged lines. The process was tedious and time consuming. All athletes were asked to speak their parts multiple times from different, marked out places within the room. Look for Ricky's line about the Happy Hawkeye Polka Song. Sports Information Director Phil Haddy and I thought they were referring to the Hokey Pokey.

The final interview of the day belonged to Head Coach, Kirk Ferentz. His part was more Q&A rather than staged material.

Ferentz spoke of the entire season, but among his highlights from the year were the blocked kicks against Northern Iowa.

As I said earlier, the Fox crew recorded many segments, but only a few will make the cutting room floor. A similar crew headed to Atlanta to do the same with the Yellow Jackets. This crew, except for Jennifer will travel to Boise, Idaho and shoot the Broncos for their Fiesta Bowl match-up.

College Football Week 14

The season has come to a close and Iowa's destination and opponent have been decided. The Hawkeyes take on the Champion of the ACC and will play their first opponent from the conference since the 1992 Kick-off Classic where they met the Wolfpack of North Carolina State.

The BCS was set up to determine the top two teams to play for the National Championship. This year it pits the #1 Alabama Crimson Tide, champions of the SEC against the Champions of the Big 12, #2 Texas Longhorns. There are three additional undefeated teams that will have a chance to claim a stake for the national title. Boise State, Cincinnati, and TCU--all Champions of their repsective conferences.

I am one who is in favor of the bowl process, but not necessarily the BCS. Many advantages to both, but choosing a true national champion this way will have problems. As for one who is against a play-off my solution is hypocritical, but this is how I would do it.

The regular season is important and the fact that each game means something needs to be preserved. However an eight-team playoff is the way to go. The NCAA BB tournament has 65 teams and there is still debate as to who should be the 65th team. How often does an 13 seed win the national title. Never.

My playoff would start the week of Thanksgiving. On that weekend the conference championships would be played. The conferences are responsible for deciding who their champion is. Whether by a one-game championship or by criteria based on standings. For example Ohio State is the Champion of the Big Ten based on their record and victory over Iowa. They received the Rose Bowl birth. The Big 12 and SEC are among various conferences with one game to decide. Teams that are included in the playoff are champions of the BCS conferences (Big Ten, ACC, Big 12, SEC, Pac 10, Big East) as well as the highest rated teams from among of pool of Notre Dame and other independents, and champions of the WAC, MAC, Big West, C-USA, SunBelt, etc.

The following weekend would be the first week of the playoff with the semi-finals played the week after. Then the championhsip game would be played days after New Year's at a rotating spot, decided upon by the bowls.

Those teams who are "bowl-eligible" can then begin to plan on their destination as determined by the conference tie-ins. There should not have to be the wait to decide Northern Illinois playing South Florida in Tornoto. If this process were to occur this year, the bracket would be as follows.

#1 Alabama
#8 Georgia Tech

#4 TCU
#5 Boise State

#3 Cincinnati
#6 Oregon

#2 Texas
#7 Ohio State

Once teams are defeated, they can be placed into their bowl tie-ins. For example, Ohio State, with a loss to Texas, would then go on to play in the Rose Bowl against Oregon, who based on seeding, would lose to Cincinnati. The remaining top ten BCS teams could then be placed as at-large teams in the current BCS bowl system. You may find some of the same bowl pairings as are scheduled for January of 2010, but the decision on who should play for the title will be decided on the field.

All are conference champions, seeding is based on BCS and this would include many interesting match-ups. Iowa fans would be disappointed with me as the Hawkeyes perhaps would not be traveling to Miami, instead Orlando. And yes, this 10-2 team is more deserving of a bowl greater than the Capital One Bowl, but it places the importance on winning your conference.

Making the Call

With "Championship Saturday" complete the 20hr wait begins to find the bowl destination for 68 FBS teams. Wins by Texas and Alabama lets the national title game begins to take shape, with much debate. Yet the discussion won't end there as it will filtre throughout the BCS to the smallest of bowls.
In 2002 I recall the Rose Bowl committee was more than willing to name Iowa as the recipient of their bid. The Fed Ex Orange Bowl had other thoughts. A delegation from Pasadena flew to Iowa immediately following their last game to go over every detail of the trip, although much football had to be played. On selection Sunday I sat in the same seat Coach Ferentz would sit in to address the media. However I was standing in for Kirk until ABC was ready for him. Through the earpiece I could hear John Saunders discuss with Terry Bowden and Bob Davie the different scenarios such as Davie speaking on Iowa's behalf since they followed him nearly every week.
White sitting there in anticipation of the selection I could hear the trio decide on who would would defend each team, with Davie selecting Iowa based on his knowledge. I couldn't be 100% since I could hear the traffic of the downstown New York streets in the background, too. Terry Bowden took USC. That was 30 minutes prior to air time.
On this Sunday, the final decision will not be made until the last possible moment causing the remaining bowls to quickly take their teams. Let's hope Iowa is off the board once the BCS is decided.

Bowl Practice Begins

Iowa Football began its on-field preparation for their upcoming bowl game on Thursday and it will continue into the weekend. The opponent and site have yet to be determined, but time does not wait for the Hawkeyes. A big question is the health of quarterback Ricky Stanzi who was injured November 7 against Northwestern. As you see from the pictures below, Stanzi is back at practice and fully participating.

One Month from today is the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl, one of the many possibilities for the Hawkeyes.

The Decision

Fiesta....Orange....Capital One....For Iowa fans any one of these bowl games is a welcome escape from the blustery, wintery cold of Iowa. But for the Iowa Football team it is about placing themselves in the best bowl possible. Since the advent of the BCS the goal for each team is to play for the National Championship or participate in one of the BCS bowl games. With one week to go many teams are still in the hunt for one of the coveted bowl spots, and among them are two from the Big Ten--Iowa and Penn State. Each team has done their share of lobbying either in public or behind closed doors. They are both 10-2 and are known for their legion of fans who will sell out the stadium. If it was decided on the playing field, Iowa would recieve the bid. The Hawkeyes defeated the Nittany Lions in State College 21-10 the last weekend of September. But bowls aren't necessarily decided that way. Iowa fans have benefitted from having the intangibles go their way in the past, but that may not be the case in 2009. Penn State boasts the largest living alumni in the world, a traditional football power, and a Hall of Fame coach who is nearing the end of his career and the opportunity to have him at your bowl many not happen again. Iowa, for good reason boasts their large fan base who travels very well to bowl games as well as a large amount of Iowans who winter-specifically in Arizona, the win over Penn State with a more impressive 10-2 record based on their demanding schedule, and the higher BCS ranking. As long as the favorites win their remaining games this Championship weekend, the Fiesta Bowl will have the first option to select an at-large team--most likely either Penn State or Iowa. The lobbying may continue between now and Sunday afternoon, and for what its worth, here are two videos produced in 2006 that support Iowa's bid to the Fiesta Bowl.

The Process

At this time of the year rumors are flying. Either they are about coaching changes or of what team is playing who in what bowl. I have been fortunate to live through the first set of rumors only once in my professional life and the second set has become a regularity for many years. However this time around the focus is on whether we are in the BCS and who the opponent may be.
I had a few rattled on Facebook today when I posted, "I got a call from LSU today....." Immediately I had a few wondering what I meant as well as one who didn't think that sounded good. Before too many took this post and ran to the message boards with it, I quickly pointed out that they had called for a few different reasons. Among them was to ascertain Penn State's phone number.
Since there are many scenarios with different locations and different teams it is important to make the contacts early in order to be prepared for the final announcement. LSU and I made sure our formats were compatible - which they are - and that we would trade the entire season. LSU was looking to do the same with Penn State, their possible opponents in the Capital One Bowl.
I then put a call into Boise State to find out what they are hearing as well their expectations for exchange. With one game to go their focus was on New Mexico State, but with the end of the year banquet set for Sunday, the Bronco Video Coordinator knew he needed to be prepared as well. A day earlier he fielded a call from Alabama and I'm sure he will hear from others as the week progresses.
Unless Nebraska upsets Texas, my possibilities of schools to exchange with are few, if you read the many national predictions. The teams I am seeing are Boise State, TCU, Georgia Tech and LSU. There could be others, but those reappear the most. The bowls we could face any of those teams in are Fiesta, Orange, and LSU. The Outback is still a possibility as well, but a remote one at that. All of them among the finest of the bowl lineup.
Boise State is in a different position. I was informed if they don't make the BCS their possibilities drop to the Humanitarian Bowl in their home stadium or the Emerald Bowl in San Francisco. Definitely there are perks to playing in the Big Ten.
The BCS Selection Show will be Sunday night at 7pm. We may know our status in that selective group earlier in the day when the Florida Citrus Sports Council releases their teams in the Capital One and Champs Sports Bowl. Then it becomes a wait and see for which game and the opponent. Then it is a rush to get the video in the coaches hands.

Regular Season Finale

After 12 straight weeks the Iowa Football regular season comes to a close. 10-2 record culminating with a victory over rival Minnesota in the battle for Floyd of Rosedale. The victory was no different than eight others of the regular season, a tough battle with the decision in doubt until the last few minutes of the game. With this record the Hawkeyes have put themselves into position for a BCS bowl game or a trip to Orlando for the Capital One Bowl. Wherever the destination it was the first time the Hawkeyes finished with double digit wins since 2004 and quite possible could finish in the top ten, the first since that same year.

The family outside Kinnick Stadium prior to Saturday's game.
And what has become a good luck charm during the year, me along with the Minnesota Video guy, Mike Schaaf. Every game a picture has been taken with the opposing video coordinator, the Hawkeyes have been victorious. Of course I don't bring that up until after the picture has been taken.

One of the BCS bowls in consideration for the Hawkeyes is the FedEx Orange Bowl. With Voice of the Hawkeyes, Gary Dolphin is Orange Bowl representative Larry Gautier in the Learfield Booth prior to the Minnesota game. The Hawkeyes appeared in the 2003 South Flordia game bringing over 40,000 fans in a match-up with Southern California. Also in attendance Saturday were representatives from the Capital One Bowl and Outback Bowl. Iowa last appeared in the Capital One Bowl in 2005, and played in the most recent Outback Bowl against South Carolina. Iowa's bowl destination will not be known until December 6th when the bowl pairings will be announced.

On the Friday prior to the final home game, the Johnson County I-Club hosts the class of Seniors for the weekly breakfast. Seventeen seniors were honored.

Gary Dolphin introduced Head Football Coach, Kirk Ferentz.

College Football Week 8

Bobby Bowden, you OLD dog, you......With a come from behind win against the Tar Heels the heat on Bowden has quieted down, but only for a week.....Congratulations Ball State Head Coach, Stan Parrish on winning your first game as a head coach since 1986. He hasn't been a head coach every year, but the losing streak was ended at 34......Much has been made about the mediocrity of the Big Ten, but take a look at the schedule Texas has played. Their non-conference slate included wins over Louisiana-Monroe, UTEP and Wyoming with an upcoming battle with Central Florida. NONE of those teams are from BCS conferences. Iowa is on track to play the top five Big Ten teams on the road as well as take on an opponent from the Big 12 (Iowa State) with a home game against Arizona. The national media can criticize the Big Ten all they want, but that is based on the success of the past years, as is the respect Texas is receiving. Remember in Colt McCoy's freshman season, his 9-3 team went down to the final drive with a 6-6 Iowa team in their home state. If you want to look at the past, take that into consideration......I am continuing to lobby for a BCS Buster Saturday. The idea of a playoff has taken a backseat to the current bowl structure. I, too am in favor of the bowl lineup, but there is no reason to implement a system to place the appropriate teams in the correct bowls. A criticism of TCU and Boise State is their lack of strength of schedule. "Those teams could not compete on a weekly basis with the BCS conferences," is the argument. If so, pair them up on either Thanksgiving weekend or the following Saturday. As is the case in basketball with Bracket Buster weekend, college football could pair the appropriate teams from the WAC, Mountain West, MAC and Sun Belt. A year ago Boise State could've played Ball State and this year the pairing could be against TCU.

College Football Week 7

With the first BCS poll announced over the weekend, this is a good time to showcase the ladies of one of the top FCS programs. On Saturday Southern Illinois defeated Northern Iowa in one of the most impressvie victories of the day. In a sold out UNI Dome, the Salukies from Carbondale defeated a Panther team which is next to unbeatable at home. However, in a division with a play-off all this victory will do for SIU is position them in a 16 team play-off. The Panthers have their backs to the wall with a must-win game at South Dakota State this weekend. With a loss, the Panthers are out of the play-off.

In College Basketball, ESPN has introduced Bracket Buster Weekend. It is intended to generate excitement among non-BCS conference teams and improve their seeding in the upcoming NCAA Tournament. The time has come for ESPN to do the same with College Football. Boise State is #4 in the first BCS poll released on Sunday. TCU is #8. Among the remaining game Boise has, one is against a team with a winning record giving them little hope to improve in the BCS poll. ESPN could reserve Thanksgiving weekend for a BCS buster set of games. Pairings could be announced on November 1 and each year the host team can rotate among the different conferences. A Boise State - TCU match-up would definitely create interest and perhaps provide credibility to the winner. Will the winner have a legitimate claim to being in the National Title Game? Doubtful, but it is one step closer to the playoff the media and fans have been asking for, with the winner guaranteed a spot in a BCS bowl.

BCS on ABC?

(Doesn't this look GREAT!)

Word is spreading that Fox may be willing to hand over the BCS to ABC / ESPN this year rather than after this bowl season when the contract is up. ABC holds the rights to the Rose Bowl, and since this year's National Championship game is also at the Rose Bowl and will be shown on ABC, Fox may be willing to sell the rights to the Disney Family of Networks.

We Can Only Hope.

Interesting how College Football's version of March Madness is heading to pay tv while CBS is willing to show all games free over the air as well as to anyone with a high-speed internet connection, regardless of whether the game should be blacked out. ESPN / ABC definitely knows how to televise college football. ABC has been doing it since the 60s, but it would be nice that the premier college sport would also be willing to be shown free to everyone in the country.

More BCS Mess

I had to post this picture. I'm not sure how to describe it, but maybe painting your whole body isn't the best idea when the forecast is for rain throughout the entire game.

Driving to work today I heard the discussion on a popular morning ESPN radio show as to who are the best two teams right now and who should be playing for the title. I find that amusing since the NCAA Basketball Tournament doesn't necessarily pit the two best teams together for its championship game. They try, but how often do those top four seeds make the final four. I don't believe it has ever happened. Depending on what station you turn to, you will hear of as many as five or six different teams that should be playing in the BCS Title Game. If we were to have a play-off system, would that give us the best two teams? Or would that give us the two teams who survive an eight or more team tournament.

While we are comparing the BCS mess to March Madness, if we did have a play-off there would still be criticism of the system. If there were eight teams involved, there would be discussion as to who was left off. In March, there is much discussion and disagreement as to who #65 is. SIXTY-FIVE! When was the last time a eight seed or lower has won the championship. I don't recall one. We want to narrow the football down to the top eight. We know that will be expanded within ten years of the beginning of the play-off system.

I have stated before a way to accomplish a "truer" champion while making the regular season have meaning as well as maintaining the current bowl system. We want a play-off, but there will continue to be criticism. It is only natural.

College Football Week 14

The Big Ten may have 11, but it's not as screwed up as the Big 12--I'm looking for some one's take on the Big 12 South. What did Texas do to lose the right to play for the championship? Their only loss is at Lubbock on a last second play to Texas Tech. The Red Raiders are also tied for the league lead, but lost badly at Norman. Oklahoma's one loss is to Texas, by ten points on a neutral field. The argument for the BCS is that the regular season is the playoff. Then Texas beat Oklahoma and the Longhorns should be on their way to play for Missouri and beat them for a second time this year. Sure, I'd rather see Oklahoma play for the conference and national title, but Texas has earned the right more than the Sooners.

Georgia drops the ball--Not only have the Bulldogs underachieved against the top teams of the conference, and now state, but the Georgia Radio Network may have had the biggest disappointment of the day. On a day that found in-state rival Georgia Tech win for the first time in seven years over the Bulldogs, but it was disappointing to hear (or not hear) the in-game ceremony for former Georgia radio announcer of 43 years, Larry Munson. At the end of the first quarter Munson was brought to the field to be honored with a video tribute in front of the sell-out crowd. However for those of us listening to the network that so many had enjoyed his calls, we were treated to the usual three minutes of commercials. What made Munson famous were his calls on the radio, and for the network that he worked for not to listen in and sell-out to advertisers was uncalled for.

Big Ten, not Penn State thanks Oregon--Oregon's win in the Civil War over in-state rival Oregon State will most likely send the Southern California Trojans to play in the Rose Bowl for the fourth consecutive year. Had the Beavers won, they would've received the invite to play Penn State and USC had gone to another BCS bowl game. Penn State would've been heavily favored over Oregon State in a re-match the Nittany Lions won by 31 in week 2. But it will be a home game for the Trojans and look for another USC win over the Big Ten in the Rose Bowl.

Faster, Stronger, Bigger Ducks--Did anyone else think it was a men versus boys match-up between Oregon and Oregon State. The Ducks were faster, stronger and bigger than the conference leading Beavers. Oregon State looked more like the team we've seen over the last five years than the team that beat Southern Cal.

Bowl Predictions--My bowl predictions with one week to go. Look for the Big Ten to lock their teams in this week.

Rose Bowl--Penn State v USC
Fiesta Bowl--Ohio State v Texas
Capital One Bowl--Iowa v Georgia
Outback Bowl--Michigan State v South Carolina
Alamo Bowl--Northwestern v Missouri
Champs Sports Bowl--Minnesota v North Carolina
Insight Bowl--Wisconsin v Kansas

The Capital One is very interested in bringing the Hawkeyes back to Orlando. The match-up with Georgia would showcase two of the best running backs in college football. Shonn Greene of Iowa and Knowshon Moreno of Georgia. The Outback is another possibility for the Hawkeyes and look for LSU to be the opponent if Iowa lands here. South Carolina also has a large fan following, but it wouldn't be necessary if Iowa is invited to Tampa. LSU has a bigger name and will be a good draw for ESPN.

Finally, I'm watching the Bears and the Vikings while writing this up. It sure is nice to see the retro uniforms of Minnesota. Except for them playing indoors, these unis are reminiscent of the Bud Grant, Purple People Eaters era of the 70s and 80s. Or where have you gone Tommy Kramer?

College Football Week 12

A look back at College Football's week 12.

Go Beavers. All Big Ten members but Penn State will be cheering for Arizona this Saturday as the Wildcats host Oregon State. The Beavers looked impressive in their win over California and now travel to the desert. OSU is two wins away from playing in the Rose Bowl. Penn State has to like its chances playing the Beavers again instead of Southern California in their backyard. However if Oregon State makes the BCS, most likely that will send only one Big Ten team to the BCS party and each conference team will drop down the bowl selection list.

Fear the Turtle. Maryland has certainly improved as the season progresses. It opened the season by squeaking out a 14-7 win over FCS power Delaware. A week later lost at Middle Tennesse State 24-14. Following that upset the Terps haven't lost at home and their two losses came in the Commonwealth of Virginia to UVA and Tech. This past week they upset what was perceived as the best team in the ACC in North Carolina. They end their home slate this Saturday against Florida State and then end the season at Boston College. Two wins are definite possibilities.

The Cubs win the Pennant. No, this past playoff season wasn't a bad dream, but the Chicago Cubs have won a World Series more recently than the storied Michigan Football program has had a season with eight losses. The Wolverines have gone 129 without losing eight or more games in a season. If anyone tells you Rich Rodgriguez was left with the cubbard bare, don't believe them. WRs Mario Manningham and Adrian Arrington had eligibility remaining but left, and a starting offensive lineman defected to The Ohio State University last spring.

This little Piggy went to Iowa. No, the above picture is not of the Iowa Football team holding a Minnesota Cheerleader. That is Floyd of Rosedale, the travelling trophy awarded annually to the winning team in the Iowa - Minnesota football game. Floyd has lived the good life in Iowa City over the past 12 months. Game time is 6pm on the Big Ten Network. Wayne Larrivee and Chris Martin have the call. As always, tune into the Hawkeye Radio Network with Gary Dolphin and Ed Podolak.

Big Ten Bowl Predictions

With two weeks remaining in the Big Ten season many are making bowl predictions. I'll take my stab at it as well as final records.



Penn State..........7-1, 11-1 ROSE BOWL
Ohio State...........7-1, 10-2 FIESTA BOWL
Michigan State...6-2, 9-3 CAPITAL ONE BOWL
Iowa.....................5-3, 8-4 OUTBACK BOWL
NWestern............5-3, 9-3 ALAMO BOWL
Wisconsin.............3-5, 7-5 CHAMPS BOWL
Minnesota............3-5, 7-5 INSIGHT BOWL



The Motor City Bowl will not have a Big Ten representative this year. Illinois (5-5) still has Ohio State in Champaign and finish at Northwestern. The Fighting Illini will be shut out of the bowl season in 2008 after representing the Big Ten in the Rose Bowl following the 2007 season.

The Big Ten must also hope for Oregon State to lose one of their remaining three games (vs Cal, @ Arizona, vs Oregon). The Beavers are currently in the drivers seat for the Rose Bowl due to their head to head win over USC. If the Pac-10 has two teams in the BCS, the Big Ten most likely will be shut out.

Also, the BCS only has to take ONE non BCS-Conference school. Currently Utah, Boise State and Ball State would be eligible for BCS play, but the BCS only has to take one of the three teams.

Selections won't be made until the first Sunday in December. I encourage all to leave their predictions in the comments section of this post.

#3 Goes Down

The unpredictability that is the college football season hit Iowa City, Iowa. Down 23-14 in the fouth quarter, the Iowa Hawkeyes beat the third ranked Penn State Nittany Lions on a Daniel Murray field goal with :01 remaining to give the Hawkeyes a 24-23 win and seemingly eliminate a Big Ten team from the BCS Title Game.

Just returning from a local night spot, Hawkeye fans are savoring the win, the first over a top five team since 1990. Ironically a member of that squad, John Derby was among those celebrating the victory at Eggy's in North Liberty. Quote of the night was directed from a female Hawkeye fan to Iowa Radio Voice, Gary Dolphin. The middle-aged lady said, "Gary, I'm having an orgasm just standing next to you."

This was the Hawkeyes sixth win in the last seven attempts over the Nittany Lions.

Sittin' in the Principal's Office

Alright, not the best shots, but you are looking at Kinnick Stadium on the Thursday prior to the #3 Penn State Nittany Lion's Saturday arrival. Musco Lighting was busy preparing its lights for the national television broadcast.
It doesn't seem long ago that Musco first lit up Kinnick Stadium, but it was over 23 years ago they were brought in for the Michigan - Iowa game. That day (October 19, 1985) the #1 Hawkeyes faced the #2 Wolverines. Today, a game of that magnitude would attract a national prime time audience with ESPN's GameDay. However that wasn't the case then. The game began at 2:30 with CBS showing the game to a split-national audience. Auburn and Georgia Tech was the other game. But one thing hasn't changed, Brent Musberger called that game as he still calls the most prolific games today. However Brad Nessler, Bob Griese, Paul McGuire and Stacey Dales will call the game for ABC Saturday.

Tim Tebow for Heisman
I'm not sure he deserves it this year. There are many other good candidates. Colt McCoy (Texas), Sam Bradford (Oklahoma), Graham Harrell (Texas Tech) are on most voter's lists, and for good reason. Each have led their teams to remarkable seasons, but the returning Heisman winner has received little attention and may not win it again this year. However this article http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/31/sports/ncaafootball/31florida.html?_r=3&pagewanted=2&ref=sports&oref=slogin brings to light the life of a college quarterback. Being a video coordinator, there are few who realize how important video is to a football coaching staff and team members. Tebow here shows the commitment needed to excel at the highest level.

Thanks for Playing
Five openings have occurred in Division I (FBS) College Football. The latest is Ron Prince at Kansas State. I don't have first-hand knowledge of what led to his dismissal, but it is extremely difficult to understand how someone could lose thier position after 2 1/2 years on the job. A new coach's first year is to understand his personnel and recruit players to fit his system Typically the coach takes over with a late jump in the recruiting process. In the coach's second year, the system begins to take place, but often they are doing it with young inexperienced student-athletes. In year three, positive signs should take place, however the coach still doesn't have many experienced players that he recruited. Prince made a commitment to the players and their families to be there until they completed their time at Kansas State. However the athletic director decided it was time to move in a different direction.
I don't feel it is right for any coach to leave for a better job after the same amount of time on the job, but it is worse for the University to rid themselves of a coach after the same period of time. I don't know all the circumstances, but how long will this AD give the next coach to succeed?

Obama for Playoff?
On the eve of the '08 Election, Barack O'Bama explained to ESPN's Chris Berman that he would like to see a college football playoff in college football. The next day prominent coaches like Bob Stoops and Pete Carroll came out in support of a play-off system. Let's forget about John McCain's plea for eliminating substance performing drugs. We wouldn't want to talk about something that isn't good for the body, rather center our focus on a seemingly trivial play-off system.
What i propose is the following. Start the season a week earlier and ensure it is over the Saturday prior to T'Giving. Thanksgiving weekend is Conference Champion Saturday. Each conference will play their title game or determine the champion in their pre-determined way. After those games, seed the conference champions into a 8-team play-off to begin play the first Saturday of December. The following Saturday would be the semi-finals with the title game played the Saturday after January 1. Those teams that don't qualify for the play-offs would then be sent to their conference designated bowl game. This would allow fans and staffs to adequately prepare travel arrangements. If the season were to end today your playoff would look like the following:
#1 Alabama vs #8 Boise State
#4 USC vs #5 West Virginia
#3 Penn State vs #6 Georgia Tech
#2 Texas Tech vs #7 Utah
The conference season remains important. You must win your conference to advance to the field of 8. Many notable top ten teams are absent. Florida, Oklahoma, Texas, are among the list. However now it is important to win every conference game, no matter when it occurs.