College Football Week 10

And another undefeated team is creeping into the top ten. The University of Houston is 9-0 and QB Casey Keenum continues to throw the ball. The last three will present their own challenges. This Thursday is a quick turnaround as the Cougars go out on the road to Tulane. Then more conference games against SMU and Tulsa will give them a challenge to go 12-0. And of course Conference USA has their title game.

The so-called game of the century between LSU and Alabama is all I need. Alabama dropped to number 3 in the BCS standing, still in front of undefeated Stanford and Boise State. And much talk has surrounded a national title rematch between the two teams. Haven't I heard this before? In 2006 Michigan and Ohio State faced each other as undefeated, but the home-town Buckeyes outlasted the Wolverines 42-39. Much of the nation clamored for a rematch. But it didn't happen and Michigan went on to lose the Rose Bowl and Ohio State went on to lose the national championship. This year LSU won at Alabama by a field goal in OT. Based on LSU's win coming on the road should eliminate a rematch, or Alabama's opportunity to play in the title game. I've always felt that the national title game should include conference champions, and after Saturday night, should not include a team that lost on its home turf. So, No, I don't want a rematch.

I'm thinking many Iowa fans were surprised this week's game between Iowa and Michigan State didn't earn the 2:30 ABC start. I was hoping for it. Instead the game for the Legends Division lead is on ESPN2 beginning at 11am. We can't be surprised Nebraska and Penn State are above the Hawkeyes in the TV pecking order. First time these two teams play, and each are ranked in the nation's top 25. Putting Michigan and Illinois at 2:30 on ABC is a little puzzling, but perhaps they are looking to draw as many TVs as possible. That puts Iowa and Michigan State on ESPN2 at 11am. This promises to be a well-hyped game that could live up to the expectations. But it doesn't garner the ESPN or ABC slot. I guess this game is only big for the fans in each state.

College Football Week 6



Courtesy Dallas Observer Blogs

 Ok, let's assume these young ladies were very happy with Les Miles and the LSU Tigers after Saturday night....Is LSU the 2010 edition of the Iowa Hawkeyes?...In case you missed it over the weekend--Michigan State Coach Mark Dantonio has as many conference wins in Ann Arbor as Michigan Coach Rich Rodriguez----and----Name the four coaches who have won as a visiting coach at Ohio State, Michigan and Penn State? Hayden Fry, Barry Alvarez, Glen Mason and Ron Zook.....Is Dallas the new neutral site for Big XII games? A week ago the Red River Rivalry was held at the Cotton Bowl, only to be followed up with Baylor and Texas Tech this week. At new Cowboys Stadium in Arlington Arkansas and Texas A&M battled. Maybe the Big XII is looking for Jerry Jones to finance their new post-Nebraska conference.....A special shout out to the people in charge of renaming the new conference series between Iowa and Nebraska, The Farmageddon. Shirts are being printed for the inagural game. Here's hoping that the game isn't moved to black Friday .... And isn't there someone in your life you wish you could go for two against?

Finally, this tweet sparked a nerve late Saturday night:

PeteThamelNYT Pete Thamel

RT @ChrisGalippo: Football is only a game. I'm just glad I'm not 1 of those miners still trapped. Think they care bout USC-Stanford?

Pete Thamel is a well-respected college sports writer for the New York Times and his tweets have been insightful since I've been following him last season. But let's not try place the tragedy of the Chilean miners with that of a college football game in California. We are all praying for the safe return on these miners, but based on the recent news, and video coming from Chile, the miners seem to be in good spirits and are close to returning to their loved ones. And in fact they may not care about a Pac-10 battle that went down to the wire, they did care about their national team play Ukraine a month ago. Judging by the linked video, their spirits were high and health appeared good.

Football, and sport in general is only a game, but it does lift the spirits of a community, region or country. Tell the people of New Orleans that the Super Bowl was only a game. Still reeling from the effects of Hurricane Katrina, the Saints World Championship lifted the spirits of Louisiana. Would the American hostages being held in 1980 Iran refer to the Olympic Semi-Final Hockey match-up of the USA and USSR say it was only a game? That victory provided a nation with a sense of pride it had been missing for years.

So, Mr. Thamel, the Chilean miners probably didn't care about USC - Stanford last Saturday night, but why would they? But don't dismiss Football as "only a game." And while you didn't originate the tweet, your supported it by re-tweeting it. Sport brings pride and relief like no other event in our lives.

CSVA

The Collegiate Sports Video Association (CSVA) was created in the early 1990s as an organization to enhance the role of the video coordinator and their department within the athletic organization. Since the original meetings at a Holiday Inn in South Bend, Indiana during the Summer of 1993, the organization has definitely come a long way.

It has taken many years to organize the CSVA convention to its present state. Many different formats of the convention have come and gone, searching for the right amount of time for professionals to gain valuable knowledge make themselves better, then passing on the benefits to their athletic program and coaching staff. Classes are now offered in the areas of post-production, seminars bringing together the best in their fields discussing the new and changing technology, as well as vendors promoting their trade allowing the video coordinators to make their jobs easier.

This past week the annual convention was held outside of Chicago in Schaumberg, Illinois. Video Coordinators from the different college levels as well as high schools and NFL team gathered to network, learn and debate what is best for the association as a whole as technology evolves. Tours were offered to the Chicago Bears facility as well as the studios of the Big Ten Network. The entire week is not serious as participants enjoy an afternoon of golf (this year rained out), dinner and award ceremony as well as casino night.

The hot topic facing video coordinators at the college and NFL level is the transition to High Definition coaching video. Currently there are no NFL or college teams operating in a full-HD environment, but the time that happens is not far off. Camera technology is where it needs to be, but the editing and exchange companies are continuing to make their product efficiently work for a football team's existing needs. Above representatives from Sony, Panasonic, XOS Digital, Webb are among the panelists discussing where the HD environment exists today.

In between sessions video coordinators and their staffs have the opportunity to visit with those who have a direct affect on their jobs. Over twenty vendors set up shop and discussed the latest and greatest they have to make a video coordinator help prepare their team best.

The banquet on the last night, the highlight is the announcing of the CSVA Video Coordinator of the Year award. Each conference's winner is among those who can be voted the national winner. Matt Harper and Tom Shepherd of Michigan State represented the Big Ten, but were unable to take the national honor. That special recognition was awarded to Doug Aucoin of Louisiana State University.

College Football Week 13

If this weekend's slate of Championship games goes to form, many predict the Hawkeyes to be facing Courtney's Boise State Broncos in the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl. There is nothing definite, but the fans of the black and gold should cheer for Texas to defeat Nebraska, Cincinnati to beat Pittsburgh and the BCS powers that be select Iowa over Penn State. Many arguments for both teams to earn the at-large BCS selection, but this is one time the fans of the black and gold can point to the head to head match up where Iowa defeated Penn State 21-10....This past weekend of college football provided much more excitement than most of the NFL games on Sunday. Given the opportunity I would've much rather watched the Alabama - Auburn rivalry game or the Battle for the Boot between Arkansas and LSU instead of Minnesota - Chicago. The NFL has the elite athletes playing the game at its highest level, but it can't compare to the genuine excitement of the college game where there are battles for boots, jugs, pigs and bragging rights with "good old fashined hate" in a "backyard brawl"...One piece of the game college players and coaches can take from the NFL is game management in the final minutes. A week earlier LSU was much aligned for trying to spike a ball with one second to go. This week it was Auburn and Kansas. Auburn for not using the clock appropriately for moving themselves into the scoring zone with less than a minute to play. And Kansas for not killing time off the clock with a lead under three minutes. Each team found themselves on the losing end due to bad clock management. The NFL's Tom Brady and Peyton Manning do it better than few before and the college coaches need to teach it better than what fans see today....Once the final BCS rankings come out in one week I will show how they can be transcribed into a viable play-off option incorporating the bowl system....

College Football Week 12

We are re-visited by the original yound lady that started our weekly look at cheerleaders in this weekly posting. Brianna of UCLA is courtesy of Sports Illustrated. As said on the SI.com site, she is a Green Bay Packer fan. Good enough for me to highlight her a second time. It is also apporpriate to highlight her as the rivalry of the two BCS LA schools face each other at the Coliseum on Saturday. As the USC Marching Band tweeted today, "It's TROY WEEK! "High up in the hills of Westwood, sprawled offensive to the eye, lies a Cal extension campus known as Westwood High..." No other sport has the rivalries like College Football....Notre Dame lost for the fifth time in their home finale to Connecticut. It is hard to find anyone defending the Irish head coach, Charlie Weis as most have him packing up his office once he returns from Palo Alto this weekend. There are many reasons / excuses thrown out as to how difficult it is to win in South Bend, but there are many advantages to coaching in this Northern Indiana college town. Facilities are unrivaled, support is strong by administration and alumni, and national recognition is second to none. Many names are being thrown out as to Charlie's successor including Urban Meyer at Florida, Bob Stoops at Oklahoma, and Brian Kelley at Cincinnati. The one supposed knock against Notre Dame are the tough academic equirements. If this is such a concern, Notre Dame needs to expand their search beyond the aforementioned names. Meyer and Stoops have established programs have nothing to gain by making the move. Kelley is at an institution that allows him to bring in students that a Notre Dame may decline. If this is the case is Kelley the right match? The one proven coach who has dealt with tough academic guidelines and has a great name in the local recruiting area of South Bend is Pat Fitzgerald of Northwestern. This young coach has done an outstanding coaching job with lesser talent playing similar teams facing Notre Dame. While it would take much to lure Fitzgerald from his alma mater, it will be tough for him to do much more in the Big Ten Conference....Michigan. Wether or not the fans in Ann Arbor want a change, there will be no such change coming. A fan or not of Rich Rodriguez he does deserve at least one more year to get the program back into the top ten that the Wolverine fans are accustomed to. It will also be hard to lure a good coach to Michigan with their Athletic Director on the clock before retiring September 4, 2010. If a change at the top of the football program is to come, a new AD must be hired first. The Wolverines aren't prepared to do that. Michigan fans should be patient as well. Those who wanted Les Miles of LSU in 2007 will have one more year to evaluate him as the Tigers head coach. Miles, who won the National Championship in his third year with the school has had troubles acheiving such level since. While his teams have been very good in a tough SEC, they haven't reached the SEC title game.

College Football Week 6

After making an appearance last year, we bring back the Washington State Dance Team. Someone should show them some love as they have little to cheer for in the far Northwest.

Tebow-NO
We should feel thankful that this is Tim Tebow's last year as a college quarterback. The media attention he has garnered since winning the Heisman Trophy has been over the top, but what was witnessed a week ago in preparation for LSU has been excessive. My guess is Florida Head Coach Urban Meyer played into the media's hands and kept them questioning Tebow's status. I believe Meyer knew early in the week as to his status, but kept all those who were covering the Gators, as well as the LSU Tigers guessing. The Man Crush that everyone has on him needs to come to an end.

Upside Down MAC
A year ago the Mid-American Conference garnered much attention for a number of teams with undefeated records. Among those at the top were Buffalo and Ball State. How much difference a year makes. The 2008 MAC Champ Bulls, are 0-2 in conference with only two overall wins. The regular season undefeated Cardinals are winless through six in 2009.

Pick Your Homecoming Opponents Carefully
This year the Iowa Hawkeyes scheduled mighty Michigan as their Homecoming opponent. Often schools around the country pick teams they have a good chance of defeating. However there are other reasons to schedule teams other than those rich in history. In the past Iowa has scheduled Indiana, Northwestern and Purdue. Each look as if it may be an easy win, but that shouldn't be the only criteria. Homecoming should also be a way to help sell tickets to a game which may be a hard sell. Michigan is not one of those teams. Demand was high in Iowa City a week ago causing scalpers to ask for higher prices than normal. Also tickets that normally could be sold to the general public were now being allotted for members of the Alumni Band and other University dignitaries that have a greater interest in academic research rather than the Wolverines. In 2010 Iowa has already tabbed Penn State as the Homecoming opponent. Get your tickets early as they will be harder to come by.

College Football Week 4

While many top 20 teams continue to fall, the ladies of Alabama support the Crimson Tide as they continue to stay in the top 5. Alabama has proven to be worthy of their ranking. However Florida and Texas are my two teams that may find themselves being knocked off in the within the next three weeks. Florida must play at LSU in two weeks while Texas takes on Oklahoma in the Red River ShootOut in three weeks.

Talk in the press box following the Hawkeye upset of Penn State focused on ABC's decision to carry the Iowa - Michigan game on the 10th. Other options for the prime time game that week include Baylor at Oklahoma as well as Florida at LSU. However CBS has the first option for the SEC showdown, and if they pass, the broadcast would move to ESPN as ABC cannot show an SEC game in prime time. If that game does appear on cable the broadcast team of Musberger and Herbstreit will be live in Baton Rouge. However a matchup of undefeateds in Iowa City would be tough for ABC to pass up.

A score that went with little notice over the weekend had Idaho beating Northern Illinois in Dekalb. This is the same NIU team which upset Purdue the week before and pushed Wisconsin to the final minute. Idaho moves to 3-1 in the WAC and makes a statement for the improved football competition in the non-BCS conference. A potential key match-up comes in the second to last game of the season when the Vandals travel to Boise to take on the top 10 Broncos.

College Football Wrap-Up

A quick look back at the bowl season thanks to the USC Song Girls.

Florida head coach, Urban Meyer defended his former school, Utah and deemed them as a non-BCS school who is very much BCS quality. He mentioned the facilities are better than some BCS schools (Iowa), talent is better than some BCS schools (Indiana) and beat all BCS schools that came their way.

Congrats to the Pac 10. They went undefeated in all of their bowl games. A conference that was so maligned early defended themselves well into the post-season.

Big 10 lived up to expectations. Did many expect Penn State to beat USC in the Rose Bowl? Who had any faith in the Golden Gophers as they played Kansas? Wisconsin? Northwestern? Ohio State? Iowa played the best of any of the conference schools, but they did play a bad South Carolina team. Had the Hawkeyes played a game higher in the bowl line-up (Georgia, Cap One) the Big Ten may have increased their number of wins to 2. Ohio State hung with Texas longer than I thought.

The most exciting action of the day in El Paso may have been the world record set by Villiage People and the 41,000+ fans who performed "YMCA." Sure beat the 3-0 win by Oregon State.

Finally, many northerners have long said that if any southern school had to play for the title in the colder climate, the outcome would change. Consider this, six of the last six BCS title winners have come from warmer climates and three of those have played in their home state. Perhaps talent wants to stay close to home, but when was the last time Florida, LSU, or Alabama played a regular season game at a Big 10 or Big 12 school?

Check out this link ranking the Big 10 in 2009... http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/college/chi-10-big-10-football,0,3555209.story