NCAA Endzone

Six bowls in the past two days. Seven in the next two (though only one today; Alabama versus Colorado). Yea, the bowl season is in full swing.

Matt Ryan and Boston College were able to hold off a pesky Michigan State team in the Champs Sports Bowl, 24-21. Ryan picked apart the Sparty defense with 249 yards and 3 touchdowns. The win gave BC 11 for the year, the best since 1940. It also gave them their 8th straight bowl win, the longest streak in the nation.

In the Texas Bowl, a pair of mid-majors faced off in the form of Texas Christian and Houston. After an even first three quarters and a 10-10 tie, the Horned Frogs took control with 10 straight points, though the Cougars were able to tack on a late field goal. QB Andy Dalton controlled the game nicely for TCU, completing 70% of his passes and running in a touchdown.

Yvenson Bernard came back in style, running all over the Maryland defense for 177 yards and score. Even though the Terrapins were able to get the first score of the game and a 14-7 lead at the end of the first, they were shut out the rest of the game, with the final being 21-14. James Rodgers for the Beavers had 155 total offensive yards along with two touchdowns including a fumble recovery in the end zone.

After a 10-0 Uconn lead at halftime, Wake Forest came out on fire in the 2nd half with 24 unanswered to get the win, 24-10 in the Meineke Bowl. The Huskies managed only 213 yards of offense, while the Demon Deacons had 412, including a 29-38 passing day from Riley Skinner, along with 268 yards and a touchdown.

Mississippi State shut down All-American Kevin Smith just enough to hold the UCF Knights to only three points offensively, while a 4th quarter touchdown run by Andre Dixon gave the Bulldogs a 10-3 lead and the victory. Smith ran for 119 yards, falling well short (61) of Barry Sanders and the record. The two teams combined for 418 yards of offense and was the lowest scoring game since 1976.

Joe Pa picked up win number 500 as Penn State beat Texas A&M 24-17 in the Alamo Bowl. It was a game of runs, as the Aggies dropped 14 on the Nittany Lions in the first, while State put 17 on A&M in the second. On a 4th and goal call from Penn State’s two-yard line, Stephen McGee slipped up, turning both the ball and game over. The win gave Joe 23 post-season victories and put him one behind Bobby Bowden for most all-time wins.

What a Holiday Bowl…

It began with a very bizarre play where a Texas coach touched a live ball, resulting in an unsportsman-like conduct penalty and costing the Longhorns a big turnover.

Of course, what looked like at first a good game brewing, turned into a blowout, as the Longhorns back-up offense just made the score 45-20, putting a cap on this one.

The Longhorns are sending it back at Arizona State QB Rudy Carpenter, after he criticized Texas’ defense during media days. A “Rudy� chant has out broke throughout the Longhorns’ sideline and now Carpenter has been pulled in favor of another backup.

While this game was close at times, it has been basically dominated in all aspects by Texas all game long. The Sun Devils offense got going some in the 2nd half, but the defense was too overmatched to keep them in this game. Colt McCoy picked them apart, and the man-to-man defense was killed by his running ability, as he even scrambled for a touchdown and another where he was tackled at the 2 and fumbled into the end zone, resulting in a Texas touchdown.

Dennis Erickson has done a great job at Arizona State and for the 2nd straight year led a previously under-achieving team to a very successful season (Idaho). The key to the success of next season will be Rudy Carpenter and how well he shakes off this game. McCoy will likely return, though Jamal Charles isn’t guaranteed, meaning the Longhorns will be in good shape, and will challenge for a Big 12 title.

Looking ahead to the Capital One Bowl….

The bowl season is in full tilt, and here is a quick recap of the happenings so far…

Utah opened the bowls with a 35-32 victory over Navy. After a scoreless first quarter, the offenses came alive, combining for 50 points in the 2nd half. Brian Johnson led the way for the Utes with 226 yards passing and 2 touchdowns.

Howard Schnellenberger’s Owls of Florida Atlantic made their first bowl appearance in school history count as they exploded offensively on Memphis, winning 44-27. Led by QB Rusty Smith, the Owls went for 336 through the air, along with Smith’s 5 touchdowns and a strong second-half defense that held the Tigers to 7 points.

Cincinnati increased the Big East bowl win total to six over the past two seasons with its 31-21 victory over Southern Miss, who is involved in a coaching change. Ben Mauk threw for 334 yards in the relatively easy win.

The New Mexico Lobos shutout the Wolfpack of Nevada in their own bowl, 23-0. It gave them their first bowl win since 1961, a 46-year losing streak. It also made them 1-1 in the New Mexico Bowl, losing last season in the inaugural game.

In the most exciting game of the post-season so far, BYU took down struggling UCLA 17-16 in the Las Vegas Bowl, but needed a blocked 28-yard field goal at the end of regulation to due so. The Cougars, back-to-back MWC Champions (16-0 in the past 2 seasons), had a great day from receiver Austin Collie, with 107 yards and a touchdown.

After the Boise State, East Carolina game (currently 38-24 ECU), there is a four-day break before Purdue and Central Michigan take the field. Maybe the best match-up this month is Arizona State and Texas in the Holiday Bowl this Thursday.

Kevin Smith, the junior star running back at the University of Central Florida, has decided he will return for his senior season.

After discussing it with both his coaches and the NFL board, he felt it was best to return and get his degree, along with many awards and accolades.

Oh, and don’t confuse him with the Kevin Smith famous for his “Jay and Silent Bob� films. This Smith is making a name for himself.

Already an All-American, one of the biggest records for a running back sets in his sights. He is 180 yards short of Oklahoma State-great Barry Sanders’ all-time single season rushing record, one he set in 11 games.

However, due to a recent statistical addition by the NCAA, bowl game stats are added to season totals, giving Smith a total of 14 games; 12 regular season, the conference championship, and the Liberty Bowl versus Mississippi State.

Certainly debatable, Smith’s record would stand should he get the necessary yardage versus a stingy-SEC defense led by defensive end Titus Brown. Sylvester Croom’s Bulldogs improved drastically this season, enough to make their first bowl in seven years.

With this announcement, UCF is already figured to be the top pick for champions in 2008 in Conference USA, though they lose senior QB Kyle Israel.

Mississippi State on the other hand is a very up-and-coming program, getting their first winning season since 2000. Croom was the first African-American head coach in the SEC when he signed three seasons ago, and the cowbells signal that that decision has paid off.

Wondering what WVU’s plan for the future is at head coach?? Here it is…

The first game of the bowl season is almost here…

The Utah Utes at 8-4 will be facing the Midshipmen of Navy, also at 8-4. Not exactly the biggest match-up in the world, but a solid game for the Poinsettia Bowl, which has been Navy’s bowl home several years running.

The big news in this game is that it will be the first game in seven years where the Midshipmen will not be coached by Paul Johnson, who accepted the Georgia Tech head-coaching job.

The big name will be Utah senior QB Brian Johnson. The dual-threat will have one of the worst defenses in the country to pick apart, allowing almost 440 yards per game. The rare 3-4 scheme will need to put pressure on Johnson in order to force him to make quick decisions and not allow him time to work against a much less talented defense that works on hard play and determination.

On the other side of the ball, Reggie Campbell, one the Navy’s most prolific running backs of all time, will need to show his senior leadership and talent against the stingy Utah defense. The triple-option will new to Utah, since the Air Force went away from it this season.

While this is a very even match-up, especially considering how hard the Naval Academy always plays, but without having their head coach of 6 years should be enough to send the more talented Utes into the winners circle. Kick-off is this Thursday, the 20th, 9 PM, and can be seen on ESPN.

More coaching news in college football; read up here!

Following up on my previous story, West Virginia’s head coach Rich Rodriguez will be leaving the program to take the same job at Michigan. The Wolverines assistant athletic director confirmed the reports today that “Coach Rod� would become Michigan’s 17th different head coach.

The pricey 4 million dollar buyout should leave the Mountaineers with plenty of resources to find their next coach. No early candidates have been announced.

Reports say that the players weren’t particularly shocked but were still disappointed. Even possible future players like top recruit Terrelle Pryor said that he might consider Michigan now that Rodriguez is headed there. Previously, it was believed that WVU was the front-runner for the quarterback from Pennsylvania.

While Lloyd Carr will coach Michigan in the Capital One Bowl, there is no word as to Rodriguez’s plans with the Fiesta Bowl and the ‘Neers.

If Coach Rod does accept the job, it would end the drama of the Michigan job. After first targeting Les Miles, even with a report on ESPN saying he was the next head coach then having a press conference to say he was staying at Louisiana State, followed by the attempt of Greg Schiano, Rutgers head coach. He also said he was no longer in the running.

Two other head coaching positions remain available, along with any that may occur after bowl games. Southern Methodist (SMU) and University of California – Los Angeles (UCLA) both remain without head coaches.

Though little known, Rodriguez does have ties to the Michigan program. His head coach was Don Nehlen, who was previously with Michigan under the famous Bo Schemebchler.

The big news in my neck of the woods is whether or not West Virginia University head coach Rich Rodriguez will be leaving the school for Michigan.

He reportedly meet with both the U of M athletic director and president in Toledo, Ohio yesterday morning, though “Coach Rod� refused to comment.

Rodriguez has spent 7 seasons as head coach of the Mountaineers, compiling a 60-26 record including 4 Big East championships. At the same time, he has turned WVU into a national powerhouse.

The whole deal will be tough to pull off after last year’s scare. Reports were made that Rich was in talks with Alabama about their head coaching vacancy, but then later told he planned on staying at WVU. They responded by putting a 4 million dollar buyout on his contract.

While conference rival-head coach Greg Schiano of Rutgers already turned down the job, along with Les Miles of LSU, Rodriguez is playing the quiet game, not commenting at all, giving fans little reassurance.

West Virginia must be getting tired of Michigan…

First, they steal beloved basketball head coach John Beilein, and now attempt to take the most popular man in the state.

The Mountaineers finished the season at 10-2, losing to rival Pittsburgh in the last game of the season to remove any national championship hopes. They still, however, won the Big East and will play Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl in 2008. It’s the ‘Neers second BCS trip in three season, the other year being a victory in the Gator Bowl.

Remember when Appalachian State blocked that field goal, stormed the field, and pulled off the biggest upset in college football history by beating Michigan?

Wow, that was a while ago…

Last night, the Mountaineers did something neither Michigan nor anyone can say in Football Bowl Subdivision, and that is win a championship.

In fact, they did something no one in Division 1 can ever say, and that is win 3 championships in a row. The three-peat is only the 5th all-time in college football, with four other teams doing it D-2 and D-3.

The ‘Neers scored the first three touchdowns of the game, going up 21-0, and never trailed to Delaware, who came in ranked 14th at 11-3, with the final being 49 to 21. It was the biggest margin of victory of their three championships.

QB Armanti Edwards had a terrific game both through the air and on the ground, with three total touchdowns. HB Kevin Richardson ran for 122 yards and scored his 9th touchdown in championship games.

The win gave Appalachian State their 12th straight playoff win and their 13th win of this season.

When asked if the Michigan win was more important of more significant, Edwards responded so cleverly, “Michigan didn’t put a ring on our finger.”

Of course, Edwards is only a sophomore, meaning he has two more seasons to get the Mountaineers championships number 4 and 5. Of course, he could always declare after next year’s season.

“I can’t tell you how much relief there is in being a three-peat,” Appalachian State coach Jerry Moore said. “It is over.”

Or is it?

Read up about the Mitchell Report and major leagues baseball here.

The Sun Belt just got bigger.

Well, sort of.

In the year 2013, the University of South Alabama Jaguars will join the Sun Belt conference, expanding it to 10 teams.

Of course, USA doesn’t have a team yet…

They plan to start football in ’09, and making the full transition to Division 1-A (FBS nowadays) by ’13. This will also give the state of Alabama five 1A teams, making the recruiting even tighter in the state.

The biggest affect you will see from this move is on the two non-BCS schools, Troy and University of Alabama – Birmingham. If UAB wasn’t having enough trouble, they now have another big-time school to steal away all the 1 and 2-stars away from them.

Troy is an upstart program making a name for themselves in the Sun Belt as well, and has even produced a first round pick in the now-Dallas Cowboys defensive end Demarcus Ware.

Sadly, it may hurt them more than it helps USA. If they do managed to last more than two years, the program will need at least six or seven years before it challenges for a championship, even just in the lowly Sun Belt.

One thing they do have going for them is a good stadium for such a small program. The stadium in which they will be playing is the same where the Senior Bowl and GMAC Bowl is held every year, holding 40,000 fans.

Of course, this isn’t the first time USA has attempted to field a football team. In 2005, they even began selling tickets before canceling the season. However, this could finally be the season where the Jaguars finally start coming together.

The big news in football altogether : Petrino bails on Falcons and heads to Arkansas. Read here.

Paul Johnson, after spending six very successful years at the Naval Academy, had been signed as the new head coach at Georgia Tech, for a deal worth 11 million over the next seven years.

At Navy, Johnson lead the Midshipmen to a 6-0 record versus Army, the longest streak by either side since the rivalry began, broke the longest losing streak to one school in the country by beating Notre Dame (who just had a big commit) this season, and is taking Navy to their 5th straight bowl game after only reaching one in the previous 20 seasons.

At the same time, the Georgia Tech program has struggled, most notably in the Georgia rivalry, where it has dropped 7 straight.

“That [Georgia game] is a game Georgia Tech needs to win,” Johnson said. “I embrace that.”

If not for Calvin Johnson, likely the greatest athlete to ever grace the Tech campus, they would’ve been hard pressed to find winning seasons in the previous few years. This season, they muddled to a 7-5 finish in a weak ACC, the 3rd such season under Chan Gailey. He also posted two 7-6 marks. The one unusual year was Johnson’s senior season, where they were invited to the Gator Bowl with a 10-2 record, falling to WVU.

After fans weren’t even thinking Johnson as a possible hire, he sprung out and is apparently a very good choice. They seem to think he can break the scary trend against Georgia and even Clemson.

Johnson was previously the head coach of Georgia Southern, where he won two Division I-AA national championships and a record five consecutive Southern Conference titles.

Johnson has said he won’t coach either team in their respective bowl games. Instead, he plans to begin his new job and might even start recruiting as early as Monday. He also plans to get his assistant coaches together soon also.

“I hope this is my last job. The hardest thing you have to do in coaching is that meeting with your team when you tell them you’re leaving. I’ve had to do that twice as a head coach, and I hope I don’t ever have to do that again.â€?

Tim Tebow won the Heisman as soon as the voting began, but he may have lost it tonight…

Darren McFadden, the senior running back at Arkansas, came in a close second to Tebow in the voting, losing by approximately 200 ‘points’. That may seem like a large margin, but when you consider that he received 1,700 total, it is just a fraction.

The scary part is that nearly 500 points had no real effect on the winner, because the voting is open to any player, not just the finalists. Meaning all those points went to people who had no real chance at winning.

Maybe even worse is that this year’s voting wasn’t all that close. In 2004, Matt Leinhart (the winner), Adrian Peterson, and Jason White all finished within 350 points of each other. The year before, Jason White beat Larry Fitzgerald by only 150 points, nearly the same amount of points uninvited Darren Sproles finished with. And just two years before that, QB Eric Crouch beat Florida QB Rex Grossman by only 62 points.

But back to this year. Granted, there is no guarantee that McFadden would’ve beat Tebow by more than 200 points even if the voted re-started after they announced the four finalists, but why test it?

While it is hard to argue against Tim Tebow, it’s easy to root for McFadden. He stayed around for his senior after finishing in 2nd last season in the voting as well, only to accomplish little that he hadn’t already. He is still the top RB prospect, and maybe the top overall, but his team did very little in the crowded SEC and he was overtaken in the Heisman by a sophomore; the first ever to win the award.

Colt Brennan finished in a distant 3rd, 1,100 points behind McFadden. Don’t feel too bad for him; he lead a Hawaii team to its biggest game ever, and the 3rd non-BCS team to get into a BCS game. Oh, and he might be the top QB in the next draft. Read more about Colt here.

That is, unless Chase Daniels has anything to say about it. He ended up in fourth place, receiving 425 points. His Missouri Tigers are headed to the Cotton Bowl, after being in the national championship game two weeks ago.

Other players receiving votes: Oregon’s Dennis Dixon (178), West Virginia’s Patrick White (150), Boston College’s Matt Ryan (63), UCF’s Kevin Smith (55, the only non-BCS player), LSU’s Glenn Dorsey (30), and Virginia’s Chris Long (17, the son of Hall-of-Famer Howie).

Criticizing the voting system is one thing. Criticizing the player is another. Tebow had a great season, played hard, and was the most important player on a great team. His 20/20 touchdown season passing and rushing was a first, and his 51 total TDs are simply amazing. Whether or not you believe McFadden, Brennan, or even Daniels is more deserving, it’s hard to say no to such a great ball player.

“And the winner is…�

Somehow ESPN has managed to turn that simple statement into nearly 2 hours worth of coverage.

As if the hour-long special wasn’t bad enough, they practically dedicate the preceding ‘SportsCenter’ to the Heisman Presentation, with about 100 different analysts giving their opinion on who they would vote for.

It really takes about 2 minutes for the actual presentation. But, about 10 minutes on each candidate, even though it has basically been narrowed to two, along with past Heisman winners hanging out and of course, commercials, the whole program is dragged out way longer than necessary.

Obviously it is all about the money, as anything is with ESPN. The true spirit of college football is that these guys throw it on the line week in, week out, without payment. They play because they love the game and want to win. However, when it comes to television, something gets lost in the translation.

This presentation is not going to change the outcome. It’s not going to change votes. And it certainly is not going to change most people’s opinion on who they think is the best player in college football.

What will it change?

My opinion on ESPN’s true nature… What happened to bringing sports to the world? When did it become about the money?

In other news, is Tennessee’s head coach on the way out? Read about it here.

Is this Tim Tebow’s year?

Regardless of what may come Saturday night, the sophomore from Florida has been unbelievable all season long, scoring 51 total touchdowns. His Gators play in the toughest conference in football and was just outside a BCS game. His video game-like stats with two years of college left will be rewriting record books before long, though one may be broken Saturday.

No sophomore has ever won the Heisman.

But at some point, your grade must be thrown out. Voters should focus on what he has done on the field, and that is lead a team that was worried that he may be more like a fullback then a field general.

So, when people disregard how old he is, and just focus on his play, he wins, right?

Maybe not…

Senior QB Colt Brennan of Hawaii’s monster stats are only half the story. The former walk-on has been without a doubt the most valuable player to his team; the only to go undefeated. Hawaii makes its first appearance in a BCS game.

Florida? It won the national championship last season, but this year is settling for a trip to Orlando and the Capital One Bowl against Michigan. While it certainly isn’t a worse case scenario for the Gators, few would have imagined the Warriors would be where they are today.

Sure, the schedules matter. But maybe people are voting more on a name and a school than a player.

Its likely, almost guaranteed, that Tebow will walk away with the Heisman. However, if this writer had a vote, it’d be for Colt Brennan.

Just how important is teamwork? Read about it here…

Flashback to Saturday morning…

Missouri, at 11-1, is sitting very well at #1 in the country, fresh of beating rival Kansas (previously unbeaten), and one game away from a National Championship game…

Now today… One loss to a BCS-bound Oklahoma team and suddenly they are out millions of dollars, and are headed to the Cotton Bowl. Meanwhile, Kansas does nothing and finds their way into the BCS, along with a 3-loss Illinois.

The Orange Bowl may have their choice as to what team they take (they choose Kansas over Mizzou), but at some point Missouri, #6 in the BCS, had to find their way into one of the big 5, right?

Wrong.As I predicted.

Illinois snuck in to the Rose Bowl to face USC, at #13 with three losses from a weak Big 10. Hawaii (needed OT to surpass the mighty Spartans of San Jose), Georgia (didn’t make it to the SEC Championship game), and of course, Kansas, all found their way into a BCS game.

At the same time, the BCS still believes their system is great. They typically use the idea of “the season is a playoff� in defense to their bowls. However, if this is the case, why isn’t Hawaii playing in the championship? Or even better, how is Kansas and Illinois in a better game than Missouri, even though the Tigers beat both.

Instead, we get to see the slaughtering of Juice and the Illini, Kansas’ extremely unimpressive team, and the Buckeyes get into the championship by not having a conference championship and finishing early.

Predictions, anyone?

Rose – USC, 42 – 21
Sugar – Georgia, 28 – 24
Fiesta – Oklahoma, 45 – 38
Orange – Virginia Tech, 21 – 10
BCS Championship – LSU, 35 - 21

Who didn’t see this coming?

In what is undoubtedly the craziest, most unpredictable season in college football history, did anyone really think it would end so simply? That Missouri would have a storybook ending, taking out the only team to beat them this season and at the same time locking up the Heisman for QB Chase Daniel? Or that West Virginia would steamroll their rival in a game where they were four touchdown favorites?

Well it didn’t.

Missouri was outplayed and out coached by Bob Stoops and the Sooners, likely dropping from the title game down to the Cotton Bowl. West Virginia had luckily wrapped up its BCS game; though there is no doubt they won’t be playing in the one they wanted to.

While their doors were shut, many opened. Teams like the Sooners, USC, and Virginia Tech, teams who won their conference championship game, took a giant leap forward in their pursuit of the championship. They all locked up BCS games, but each made a case for getting into the big game.

USC’s recent surge has given people reason to believe they are contenders, but the loss at home against Stanford is a killer. Pete Carroll will never admit this, but if not for a certain ACL tearing; they wouldn’t even be in the Rose Bowl.

Tech looked good against Boston College, but a 41-point loss earlier in the season to LSU looks bad. Really bad considering LSU is also trying to find their way back into title talk.

And how can they not be? Their only losses are in a total of 6 overtimes, versus quality opponents. Of course, they have loss twice, something teams like Kansas and Ohio State have going for them.

Ohio State is likely in by default. They haven’t played in two weeks but managed to jump five spots in the polls during that time. It will most likely be seven by night’s end.

Kansas and Georgia are in a tough position. While Kansas has only one loss and Georgia is the #4 team, meaning they should jump into the championship, they didn’t play this weekend and in reality finished 3rd in each of their conferences.

Which brings us to Oklahoma. Rumor is that they may have done enough yesterday to jump in the voters’ polls to #2. Unfortunately, that’s only 2/3 of the BCS rankings. The computers currently have the Sooners behind Virginia Tech, who with enough votes from humans could find their way in with an all-around feel good story.

So with all these crossing storylines and general muddiness of the BCS, who will come out on top?

No one can say for sure, but Ohio State seems to be a lock (let’s try to avoid a repeat performance).

As for the other team, everything is up for grabs. LSU may be the most deserving, while Oklahoma showed the most yesterday. USC is the hot team, and the computers love Virginia Tech. It seems like Georgia should slide in if the polls hold up, while Kansas is the only other one-loss team around.

Playoffs anyone?

Read up on my favorite baseball team’s recent signing here!