In the ongoing debate in college football of playoffs vs. bowls I certainly come on the side of playoffs. I personally think the bowls have out lived their usefulness and that any tradition left in the system was pissed away when the Big Ten and Pac-10 agreed to join the BCS a few years back thus no longer guaranteeing that those two conference’s champions would meet in the Rose Bowl. Since the creation of the BCS in 1998 it has only avoided controversy twice, in 2002 and 2005 simply because they lucked out by having two major conference, unbeaten teams left at the end of the year. Not surprisingly those are the only two years that the BCS title game hasn’t been terrible. It is only in years like 2002 and 2005 where the BCS “works” but if you look at college football’s history there are several years with scenarios where such a system would have been incapable of solving any controversy. One of those years was 1993.
After many near misses at a national title Bobby Bowden and Florida State came into 1993 the run away favorites to win the title. Led by the eventual Heisman trophy winner Charlie Ward, the Seminoles destroyed every team in their path. I had forgotten how dominate they were, just look at their jaw dropping results from that year.
8/28 vs. Kansas 42-0
9/4 at Duke 45-7
9/11 vs. Clemson 57-0
9/18 at North Carolina 33-7
10/2 vs. Georgia Tech 51-0
10/9 vs. Miami 28-10
10/16 vs. Virginia 40-14
10/30 vs. Wake Forest 54-0
11/6 at Maryland 49-20
Not even their tormenters from Miami could give them a real challenge. Then came a trip to South Bend. The Irish were also undefeated and came in at #2 in both polls. The Noles fell behind 24-7 but made a furious comeback to pull the game to 31-24. They had the ball on the Irish 14 for one final play but Ward could not connect in the endzone and it looked like FSU’s national title hopes had been dashed but a late season loss yet again. Now going into that weekend Nebraska was undefeated and #3 in the Coaches’ Poll and #4 in the AP Poll (Miami was #3). The Cornhuskers had not been nearly as dominate as the Seminoles and Irish, with one point wins over UCLA and Kansas. The coaches would move Nebraska to #2 ahead of FSU but the media would leave the Seminoles ahead of the Huskers.
Things then of course got really interesting the following week as after their triumph over Florida State and now with strangle hold on the #1 ranking in both polls, the Irish were stunned at home by Boston College in another classic on a last second field goal 41-39. FSU that weekend slaughtered another ACC foe, N.C. State 62-3, and in the media poll reclaimed the #1 spot while Nebraska grabbed the #1 spot in the coaches poll. The Irish dropped all the way to #4 in both polls behind two different interesting stories. In the coaches poll at #3 was a surprising West Virginia team had upset Miami that week to improve to 10-0 which finally earned them some serious respect, but they were #5 in the media poll. #3 in that poll was Auburn. Auburn was on probation and ineligible for postseason, they concluded their regular season undefeated but nothing to show for it. The final weekend of the regular season would play out with FSU and Nebraska disposing of their rivals, Florida and Oklahoma, while West Virginia edged Boston College 17-14 and thus ending the season with a serious poll controversy. Here’s how the regular season concluded in the polls.
AP
1. Florida State 11-1
2. Nebraska 11-0
3. West Virginia 11-0
4. Auburn 11-0
5. Notre Dame 10-1
Coaches
1. Nebraska 11-0
2. West Virginia 11-0
3. Florida State 11-1
4. Notre Dame 10-1
5. Auburn 11-0
This is was a complete nightmare. The coaches felt the right thing to do was put Nebraska and West Virginia at the top two spots but many didn’t think either was on the level of Florida State and Notre Dame. Of course the media poll was ripped to shreds as how could you have FSU at #1 and the Irish at #5, let alone have West Virginia below FSU when they beat Boston College, who beat Notre Dame, who beat Florida State. This was the type of scenario that only a playoff could have solved. Interestingly enough there was one poll left after the SEC title game, which with Auburn ineligible didn’t have much meaning on the national scene, the media bumped the Irish past Auburn even though neither played.
In the bowl selection process the Orange Bowl held all the cards as who they picked would likely decide that national title. Nebraska had the automatic invite with winning the Big 8 so after that they had the choice of Florida State, West Virginia, and Notre Dame. The would choose the Seminoles, Notre Dame would head to the Cotton Bowl against Texas A&M, and West Virginia to the Sugar Bowl against Florida. In the afternoon of January 1st the Irish edged A&M 24-21. West Virginia would prove their doubters right as they would get murdered by the Gators 41-7 and potentially helping the pollsters quite a bit. If Nebraska could beat Florida State they would get an undefeated and relatively undisputed national champion. They took a 16-15 lead with a little over a minute to go but Charlie Ward would march the Seminoles down the field in a drive that included a fourth down conversion and very controversial personal foul penalty for a field goal and an 18-16 lead with 21 seconds left. A celebration penalty though gave Nebraska life and get in field goal range but kicker Byron Bennett badly hooked the 45 yard attempt. Everyone waited for the polls the next day to see if Notre Dame jumped Florida State due to the way everything shook out but the Irish’s unconvincing win over the Aggies left them at #2 and Bobby Bowden with his long awaited first national title, despite losing to the team who was at #2.
Preseason AP Top 25
1. Florida State
2. Alabama
3. Michigan
4. Texas A&M
5. Miami
6. Syracuse
7. Notre Dame
8. Nebraska
9. Florida
10. Tennessee
11. Colorado
12. Washington
13. Gerogia
14. Arizona
15. Stanford
16. Penn State
17. Ohio State
18. USC
19. BYU
20. North Carolina
21. Boston College
22. Oklahoma
23. Clemson
24. Mississippi State
25. N.C. State
Top 25 Regular Season Match-ups
Week 1
#20 North Carolina 31, #18 USC 9
Week 2
#3 Miami 23, #20 Boston College 7
Week 3
#1 Florida State 57, #21 Clemson 0
#11 Notre Dame 27, #3 Michigan 23
#17 Oklahoma 44, #5 Texas A&M 14
#8 Tennessee 38, #22 Georgia 6
#10 Colorado 45, #24 Baylor 21
#16 Ohio State 21, #12 Washington 12
Week 4
#1 Florida State 33, #13 North Carolina 7
#9 Florida 41, #5 Tennessee 34
#20 Stanford 41, #7 Colorado 37
Week 5
#3 Miami 35, #13 Colorado 29
#18 North Carolina 35, #19 N.C. State 14
Week 6
None
Week 7
#1 Florida State 28, #3 Miami 10
#13 Washington 24, #16 California 23
#25 UCLA 68, #19 BYU 14
Week 8
#1 Florida State 40, #15 Virginia 14
#2 Alabama 17, #10 Tennessee 17 tie
#19 Auburn 38, #4 Florida 35
#5 Ohio State 28, #25 Michigan State 21
#18 Michigan 21, #7 Penn State 13
#20 Colorado 27, #9 Oklahoma 10
#22 UCLA 39, #12 Washington 25
Week 9
#6 Miami 49, #23 Syracuse 0
#7 Arizona 9, #25 Washington State 6
#21 Virginia 17, #12 North Carolina 10
Week 10
#3 Ohio State 24, #12 Penn State 6
#6 Nebraska 21, #20 Colorado 17
#15 UCLA 37, #7 Arizona 17
#25 Kansas State 21, #14 Oklahoma 14
#24 Michigan 13, #21 Wisconsin 21
Week 11
#3 Ohio State 14, #15 Wisconsin 14 tie
#7 Tennessee 45, #13 Louisville 10
#19 Penn State 38, #17 Indiana 31
Week 12
#2 Notre Dame 31, #1 Florida State 24
#5 Ohio State 23, #19 Indiana 17
#11 Texas A&M 42, #20 Louisville 7
Week 13
#17 Boston College 41, #1 Notre Dame 39
#9 West Virginia 17, #4 Miami 14
#6 Auburn 22, #11 Alabama 14
#16 UCLA 27, #22 USC 21
#25 Virginia Tech 20, #23 Virginia 17
Week 14
#1 Florida State 33, #7 Florida 21
#2 Nebraska 21, #16 Oklahoma 7
#5 West Virginia 17, #11 Boston College 14
#14 Penn State 38, #25 Michigan State 37
Week 15
#9 Florida 28, #16 Alabama 13 (SEC Title)
#10 Wisconsin 41, #25 Michigan State 20
Bowl Results (MVP)
Las Vegas: Utah State 42, Ball State 33 (Anthony Calvillo)
Sun: #19 Oklahoma 41, Texas Tech 10 (Jerald Moore)
Aloha: #17 Colorado 41, #25 Fresno State 30 (Rashaan Salaam)
Liberty: Louisville 18, Michigan State 7 (Jeff Brohm)
Copper: #20 Kansas State 52, Wyoming 17 (Andre Coleman)
Holiday: #11 Ohio State 28, BYU 21 (Raymont Harris)
Freedom: USC 28, Utah 21 (Johnnie Morton)
Gator: #18 Alabama 24, #12 North Carolina 10 (Brian Burgdorf)
Alamo: California 37, Iowa 3 (Dave Barr)
Peach: #24 Clemson 14, Kentucky 13 (Brentson Buckner)
Independence: #22 Virginia Tech 45, #21 Indiana 20 (Maurice DeShazo)
Fiesta: #16 Arizona 29, #10 Miami 0 (Chuck Levy)
Carquest: #15 Boston College 31, Virginia 13 (Glenn Foley)
Hall of Fame: #23 Michigan 42, N.C. State 7 (Tyrone Wheatley)
Cotton: #4 Notre Dame 24, #7 Texas A&M 21 (Lee Becton)
Citrus: #13 Penn State 31, #6 Tennessee 13 (Bobby Engram)
Rose: #9 Wisconsin 21, #14 UCLA 16 (Brent Moss)
Sugar: #8 Florida 41, #3 West Virginia 7 (Errict Rhett)
Orange: #1 Florida State 18, #2 Nebraska 16 (Charlie Ward)
Final AP Top 25
1. Florida State
2. Notre Dame
3. Nebraska
4. Auburn
5. Florida
6. Wisconsin
7. West Virginia
8. Penn State
9. Texas A&M
10. Arizona
11. Ohio State
12. Tennessee
13. Boston College
14. Alabama
15. Miami
16. Colorado
17. Oklahoma
18. UCLA
19. North Carolina
20. Kansas State
21. Michigan
22. Virginia Tech
23. Clemson
24. Louisville
25. California
All-Americans
QB
Charlie Ward, Florida State
RB
Marshall Faulk, San Diego State
LeShon Johnson, Northern Illinois
Errict Rhett, Florida
WR
J.J. Stokes, UCLA
Johnnie Morton, USC
Ryan Yarborough, Wyoming
TE
Carlester Crumpler, East Carolina
Pete Mitchell, Boston College
OL
Mark Dixon, Virginia
Stacy Seegars, Clemson
Aaron Taylor, Notre Dame
Wayne Gandy, Auburn
Jim Pyne, Virginia Tech
Korey Stringer, Ohio State
Marcus Spears, Northwestern State
Rich Braham, West Virginia
Todd Steussie, California
Bernard Williams, Georgia
DL
Rob Waldrop, Arizona
Dan Wilkinson, Ohio State
Sam Adams, Texas A&M
Lou Benfatti, Penn State
Derrick Alexander, Florida State
Shante Carver, Arizona
Kevin Patrick, Miami
Bryant Young, Notre Dame
LB
Trev Alberts, Nebraska
Derrick Brooks, Florida State
Jamir Miller, UCLA
Barron Wortham, UTEP
Dana Howard, Illinois
DB
Antonio Langham, Alabama
Aaron Glenn, Texas A&M
Jeff Burris, Notre Dame
Corey Sawyer, Florida State
Bobby Taylor, Notre Dame
Bracey Walker, North Carolina
Jaime Mendez, Kansas State
K
Bjorn Merten, UCLA
John Becksvoort, Tennessee
John Stewart, SMU
P
Terry Daniel, Auburn
KR
David Palmer, Alabama
I've been trying for a while to figure out some sort reoccurring entry for what's become my favorite sport to watch on television in the last several years and that's college football. But I haven't been able to come up with anything to this point so I figured I'd post some memories and some useless facts which is what this blog was created for.
As I've said before my "sports life" began in 1986 but it wasn't until 1991 that I took a true interest in college football. Really two things stuck out and that was Desmond Howard and that Stanford had a good team for the first time in a while. Howard was the hyped player that seemed to deliver every week. I will never forget watching that Michigan/Ohio State game when he struck the Heisman pose after a punt return for a touchdown. There was this sense from the announcers and the crowd that right before the punt that he was going to do something big. Him striking that pose in perfect unison with Keith Jackson's "Hello Heisman" call is I think one of the truly cool moments sports history.
Now since I had started following sports with a rabid interest Stanford had been lackluster in football, except in 1986 when they played in the Gator Bowl but again I wasn't into college football at the time. The year before they had pulled off a shocking upset of then #1 Notre Dame in South Bend but need nothing of note after that. In '91 they had an early season upset of Colorado but were only 2-3 after five games. Starting quarterback Jason Polumbus was knocked with a shoulder injury and back up Steve Stenstrom took over, leading the Cardinal to six straight victories and just their second bowl bid in 13 years. I still have on tape and watch at least once a year their 38-21 ass kicking of then #6 Cal in the Big Game that year with "Touchdown" Tommy Vardell scoring three td's.
Now on to the useless facts. 1991 may have been as reponsible as any year for the creation of the BCS because it ended with a split national champ between two undefeated schools who could not play each other in the bowls, Miami and Washington. Miami was ranked higher in the preseason poll so they ended up higher than Washington at the end of the season although it was near upset against a weak Boston College team (week after Wide Right I) that cost Miami the top spot in the Coaches' Poll.
Preseason AP Top 25
1. Florida State
2. Michigan
3. Miami
4. Washington
5. Florida
6. Notre Dame
7. Penn State
8. Georgia Tech
9. Clemson
10. Oklahoma
11. Tennessee
12. Houston
13. Colorado
14. Texas
15. Nebraska
16. USC
17. Auburn
18. Iowa
19. BYU
20. Michigan State
21. Texas A&M
22. Alabama
23. Ohio State
24. UCLA
25. Syracuse
Top 25 Regular Season Match-ups
Week 1
#7 Penn State 34, #8 Georgia Tech 22
#1 Florida State 44, #19 BYU 28
Week 2
#23 UCLA 27, #25 BYU 23
Week 3
#2 Miami 40, #10 Houston 10
#3 Michigan 24, #7 Notre Dame 14
#6 Florida 35, #16 Alabama 0
#11 Tennessee 30, #21 UCLA 16
#23 Baylor 16, #12 Colorado 14
Week 4
#4 Washington 36, #9 Nebraska 21
#18 Syracuse 38, #5 Florida 21
#6 Tennessee 26, #23 Mississippi State 24
Week 5
#1 Florida State 51, #3 Michigan 31
#5 Tennessee 30, #13 Auburn 21
#7 Clemson 9, #19 Georgia Tech 7
#14 Florida 29, #21 Mississippi State 7
#16 Nebraska 18, #24 Arizona State 9
Week 6
#1 Florida State 46, #10 Syracuse 14
#7 Michigan 43, #9 Iowa 24
#18 California 27, #24 UCLA 24
#19 N.C. State 28, #21 Georgia Tech 21
Week 7
#2 Miami 26, #9 Penn State 20
#10 Florida 35, #4 Tennessee 18
#7 Notre Dame 42, #12 Pittsburgh 7
#20 Illinois 10, #11 Ohio State 7
#22 Georgia 37, #23 Mississippi State 17
Week 8
#3 Washington 24, #7 California 17
#14 Alabama 24, #8 Tennessee 19
#22 Colorado 34, #12 Oklahoma 17
#15 Iowa 24, #13 Illinois 21
#19 Texas A&M 34, #16 Baylor 12
#24 Syracuse 31, #20 Pittsburgh 27
Week 9
#19 Clemson 29, #12 N.C. State 19
#20 East Carolina 24, #23 Pittsburgh 23
Week 10
#9 Nebraska 19, #15 Colorado 19 tie
#11 Iowa 16, #13 Ohio State 9
#21 Baylor 9, #24 Arkansas 5
Week 11
#13 Tennessee 35, #5 Notre Dame 34
#6 Florida 45, #23 Georgia 13
#10 Iowa 38, #25 Indiana 21
#24 Virginia 42, #18 N.C. State 10
Week 12
#2 Miami 17, #1 Florida State 16
#4 Michigan 20, #25 Illinois 0
#8 Penn State 35, #12 Notre Dame 13
Week 13
#4 Michigan 31, #18 Ohio State 3
#21 Stanford 38, #6 California 21
Week 14
#5 Florida 14, #3 Florida State 9
#11 Nebraska 19, #19 Oklahoma 14
Bowl Games
California: Bowling Green 28, Fresno State 21 (MVP, Mark Szlachcic)
Aloha: Georgia Tech 18, #17 Stanford 17 (MVP, Shawn Jones)
Blockbuster: #8 Alabama 30, #15 Colorado 25 (MVP, David Palmer)
Liberty: Air Force 38, Mississippi State 15 (MVP, Rob Perez)
Independence: #24 Georgia 24, Arkansas 15 (MVP, Andre Hastings)
Gator: #20 Oklahoma 48, Virginia 14 (MVP, Cale Gundy)
Holiday: BYU 13, #7 Iowa 13 tie (MVP, Ty Detmer)
Freedom: #23 Tulsa 28, San Diego Sate 17 (MVP, Ron Jackson)
Copper: Indiana 24, Baylor 0 (MVP, Vaughn Dunbar)
Sun: #22 UCLA 6, Illinois 3 (MVP, Arnold Ale)
Citrus: #14 California 37, #13 Clemson 13 (MVP, Mike Pawlawski)
Peach: #12 East Carolina 37, #21 N.C. State 34 (MVP, Jeff Blake)
Cotton: #5 Florida State 10, #9 Texas A&M 2 (MVP, Sean Jackson)
Orange: #1 Miami 22, #11 Nebraska 0 (MVP, Larry Jones)
Fiesta: #6 Penn State 42, #10 Tennessee 17 (MVP, O.J. McDuffie)
Hall of Fame: #16 Syracuse 24, #25 Ohio State 17 (MVP, Marvin Graves)
Rose: #2 Washington 34, #4 Michigan 14 (MVP, Steve Emtman)
Sugar: #18 Notre Dame 39, #3 Florida 28 (MVP, Jerome Bettis)
Final AP Top 25
1. Miami
2. Washington
3. Penn State
4. Florida State
5. Alabama
6. Michigan
7. Florida
8. California
9. East Carolina
10. Iowa
11. Syracuse
12. Texas A&M
13. Notre Dame
14. Tennessee
15. Nebraska
16. Oklahoma
17. Georgia
18. Clemson
19. UCLA
20. Colorado
21. Tulsa
22. Stanford
23. BYU
24. N.C. State
25. Air Force
All-Americans
QB
Ty Detmer, BYU
Casey Weldon, Florida State
RB
Vaughn Dunbar, Indiana
Trevor Cobb, Rice
Russell White, California
Amp Lee, Florida State
Marshall Faulk, San Diego State
WR
Desmond Howard, Michigan
Mario Bailey, Washington
Carl Pickens, Tennessee
TE
Kelly Blackwell, TCU
Derek Brown, Notre Dame
Mark Chmura, Boston College
OL
Greg Skrepenak, Michigan
Bob Whitfield, Stanford
Jeb Flesch, Clemson
Jerry Ostroski, Tulsa
Mirko Jurkovic, Notre Dame
Jay Leeuwenburg, Colorado
Eugene Chung, Virginia Tech
Leon Searcy, Miami
Troy Auzenne, California
Ray Roberts, Virginia
Tim Simpson, Illinois
DL
Steve Emtman, Washington
Santana Dotson, Baylor
Brad Culpepper, Florida
Leroy Smith, Iowa
Joel Steed, Colorado
Shane Dronett, Texas
Rob Bodine, Clemson
Robert Stewart, Alabama
LB
Robert Jones, East Carolina
Marvin Jones, Florida State
Levon Kirkland, Colorado
Marco Coleman, Georgia Tech
David Hoffman, Washington
Steve Tovar, Ohio State
Joe Bowden, Oklahoma
Darrin Smith, Miami
Erick Anderson, Michigan
DB
Terrell Buckely, Florida State
Dale Carter, Tennessee
Kevin Smith, Texas A&M
Darryl Williams, Miami
Darren Perry, Penn State
Troy Vincent, Wisconsin
K
Carlos Huerta, Miami
Jason Hanson, Washington State
P
Mark Bounds, Texas Tech
KR
Qadry Ismail, Syrcause
PR
Kevin Williams, Miami
This year in college football there will be something called the BCS Championship Game or as I like to think of it, Fiesta Bowl II. It will match up the #1 and #2 teams in the BCS rankings and it will take place in the new Arizona Cardinals stadium which will be the new site of the Fiesta Bowl. It’s not a bowl game but it’ll be played at a bowl site the week after a bowl game was just played in it. It was the NCAA’s lame compromise they came up with for those who want to keep the bowl tradition and those who want a tournament or “plus one” format without actually addressing any of the flaws with the current format. But after it was after the 1986 regular season in the Fiesta Bowl where arguably the first true National Championship game may have ever taken place.
The landscape of college football was very different 20 years ago as many big time programs besides Notre Dame were still independents. Florida State, Boston College, Virginia Tech, West Virginia, Pittsburgh, Syracuse, South Carolina, and others were all independents. Two other national powerhouse independents would emerge as the #1 and #2 teams in the country in Miami and Penn State. Since neither had a conference affiliation thus neither was required to go to a particular bowl game. This is where the Fiesta Bowl came in as unlike the other major bowls they were not aligned with any conference to take their champion thus there able to invite both of the nation’s only undefeated teams. Miami were huge favorites with Heisman trophy winner Vinny Testaverde at quarterback, the Hurricanes beat their opponents by an average score of 38-12 during the regular season. Miami was the cockiest team on the planet at the time and infamously showed up to Tempe like this:
At a dinner to honor both teams the week of the game, the Hurricanes walked out of it. Jerome Brown was quoted as “Did the Japanese sit down and eat with Pearl Harbor before they bombed them?” You know equating yourself with the Japanese bombing Pearl Harbor has never been the smartest thing to say. But Penn State would upset Miami 14-10 to win an undisputed national championship, intercepting Testaverde five times in the game. Four years later Penn State would join the Big Ten and spark the move of several independents to join conferences.
One other thing 1986 was also the Year of the Boz, probably the greatest marketing ever of a college athlete ever. Oklahoma's All-American linebacker Brian Bosworth created a complete alter ego for himself known as The Boz and made himself the most recognizable player in college football. Oklahoma won the Big 8 title but Bosworth would be suspended from the Orange Bowl for testing positive for steroids.
Here are useless facts from 1986.
Preseason AP Top 20
1. Oklahoma
2. Michigan
3. Miami
4. UCLA
5. Alabama
6. Penn State
7. Texas A&M
8. Nebraska
9. Ohio State
10. Tennessee
11. Florida State
12. Baylor
13. Florida
14. Auburn
15. LSU
16. Georgia
17. Washington
18. BYU
19. Arkansas
20. Michigan State
Top 20 Reguarl Season Match-ups
Week 1
#1 Oklahoma 38, #4 UCLA 3
#3 Miami 23, #13 Florida 15
#5 Alabama 16, #9 Ohio State 10
Week 2
#14 LSU 35, #7 Texas A&M 17
#17 Washington 40, #10 Ohio State 7
Week 3
#4 Alabama 21, #13 Florida 7
#7 Washington 52, #11 BYU 21
Week 4
#1 Miami 28, #2 Oklahoma 16
#5 Michigan 20, #20 Florida State 18
#12 USC 20, #6 Washington 10
Week 5
#11 Iowa 24, #17 Michigan State 21
#16 Arizona State 16, #15 UCLA 9
Week 6
#12 Washington 24, #18 Stanford 14
Week 7
#4 Michigan 20, #8 Iowa 17
#10 Arizona State 29, #15 USC 20
#11 Texas A&M 31, #20 Baylor 30
Week 8
#6 Penn State 23, #2 Alabama 3
#7 Auburn 35, #13 Mississippi State 6
Week 9
#1 Miami 41, #20 Florida State 23
#7 Arizona State 34, #6 Washington 21
#8 Alabama 38, #19 Mississippi State 3
#17 Ohio State 31, #11 Iowa 10
#18 USC 20, #14 Arizona 13
Week 10
#18 LSU 14, #6 Alabama 10
Week 11
#17 Arkansas 14, #17 Texas A&M 10
#10 Washington 17, #19 UCLA 17 tie
Week 12
#3 Oklahoma 20, #5 Nebraska 17
#14 Arizona 34, #4 Arizona State 17
#6 Michigan 26, #7 Ohio State 24
#18 UCLA 45, #10 USC 25
Week 13
#14 Auburn 21, #7 Alabama 17
Bowl Games (MVP)
California: San Jose State 37, Miami of Ohio 7 (Mike Perez)
Independence: Mississippi 20, Texas Tech 17 (Mark Young)
Hall of Fame: Boston College 27, #17 Georgia 24 (James Jackson, Georgia)
Sun: #13 Alabama 28, #12 Washington 6 (Cornelius Bennett)
Aloha: #16 Arizona 30, North Carolina 21 (Alfred Jenkins)
Gator: Clemson 27, #20 Stanford 21 (Rodney Williams)
Liberty: Tennessee 21, Minnesota 14 (Jeff Francis)
Holiday: #19 Iowa 39, San Diego State 38 (Mark Vlasic)
Freedom: #15 UCLA 31, BYU 10 (Gaston Green)
Bluebonnet: #14 Baylor 21, Colorado 9 (Ray Berry)
All-American: Florida State 27, Indiana 13 (Sammie Smith)
Peach: Virginia Tech 25, #18 N.C. State 24 (Erik Kramer, N.C. State)
Rose: #7 Arizona State 22, #4 Michigan 15 (Jeff Van Raaphorst)
Citrus: #10 Auburn 16, USC 7 (Aundray Bruce)
Cotton: #11 Ohio State 28, #8 Texas A&M 12 (Chris Spielman)
Orange: #3 Oklahoma 42, #9 Arkansas 8 (Spencer Tillman)
Sugar: #6 Nebraska 30, #5 LSU 15 (Steve Taylor)
Fiesta: #2 Penn State 14, #1 Miami 10 (Shane Conlan)
Final AP Top 20
1. Penn State
2. Miami
3. Oklahoma
4. Arizona State
5. Nebraska
6. Auburn
7. Ohio State
8. Michigan
9. Alabama
10. LSU
11. Arizona
12. Baylor
13. Texas A&M
14. UCLA
15. Arkansas
16. Iowa
17. Clemson
18. Washington
19. Boston College
20. Virginia Tech
All-Americans
QB
Vinny Testaverde, Miami
RB
Brent Fullwood, Auburn
Paul Palmer, Temple
Terrence Flagler, Clemson
Brad Muster, Stanford
WR
Cris Carter, Ohio State
Wendall Davis, LSU
Tim Brown Notre Dame
TE
Keith Jackson, Oklahoma
OL
Jeff Bregel, USC
Randy Dixon, Pittsburgh
Danny Villa, Arizona State
John Clay, Missouri
Ben Tamburello, Auburn
Jeff Zimmerman, Florida
Chris Conlin, Penn State
Dave Croston, Iowa
Paul Kiser, Wake Forest
John Elliott, Michigan
Randal McDaniel, Arizona State
Mark Hutson, Oklahoma
Harris Barton, North Carolina
John Phillips, Clemson
DL
Jerome Brown, Miami
Danny Noonan, Nebraska
Tony Woods, Pittsburgh
Jason Buck, BYU
Reggie Rogers, Washington
Tim Johnson, Penn State
LB
Cornelius Bennett, Alabama
Shane Conlan, Penn State
Brian Bosworth, Oklahoma
Chris Spielman, Ohio State
Terry Maki, Air Force
DB
Thomas Everett, Baylor
Tim McDonald, USC
Bennie Blades, Miami
Rod Woodson, Purdue
Garland Rivers, Michigan
John Little, Georgia
Gordon Lockbaum, Holy Cross
Mark Moore, Oklahoma State
K
Jeff Jaeger, Washington
Marty Zendejas, Nevada
Jeff Ward, Texas
P
Barry Helton, Colorado
Greg Horne, Arkansas
Bill Smith, Mississippi
Greg Montgomery, Michigan State
Well I'm going to use the blog for venting my frustrations about the A's right now rather than subject the TWiB thread to it. Hey fine give the Angels credit for not laying down this weekend after an emotional 12 inning game on Friday. BUT YOU DO NOT BLOW A SIX RUN LEAD TO THE FUCKING MARINERS YOU CHOKING DOGS!!!!! Fuck, all I wanted you assholes to do is not make those last four games count and you are really fucking close to fucking this all up. Don't think for a second the Angels can't sweep you in four in Anaheim if you don't take care of your fucking shit right now in Seattle. Win these next two god dammit because you ain't getting any help from the Rangers.
See the worst thing about this is that the longer this goes on the longer Ken Macha continues to run this team into the ground. He's on pretty much a no day off policy for this month until they clinch and there are some guys, including Frank Thomas, who are really dragging out there right now and could use some rest before the playoffs. After tonight that feeling that this was all over on Friday is gone. This is still a race and I'm hating every second of it.
Ya, ya I'd hate to be Cardinals fan right now more and this post could look silly 24 hours from now but fuck it this loss tonight was unacceptable.
Regulars of the Sports forum know that for the past three years I've been running a College Football Pick 'Em Contest. At the conclusion of last season I was uncertain if I wanted to continue running this contest. During last season the contest started to become a chore for me to run rather than a fun time killer. But after giving it it some thought and given the desire of others to keep it going I've decided to do it for at least one more year. I'll be holding off on posting the sign up thread for this upcoming season until mid-July as I hope having sign ups start closer to the beginning of the season will mean less people jumping ship right as the contest starts. Last year I started signs up around this time and I had four people drop out within a month into the season. Further details of the 2007 contest will be held off until then, including a change in the BCS rankings.
To keep this entry in with the theme of my blog, it's time for a random list which relates to the contest. Last year I posted the Bored's College Football Pick 'Em Encyclopedia which had a recap of the first two seasons of the contest and all-time standings. I don't really feel like typing up a recap of last season but I have gone ahead and updated the all-time contest standings so here they are.
All-Time Records (ordered by total wins)
Note: Results where replacements picks were used are thrown out.
1t. CanadianChris 29-13
1t. teke 184 29-14
3. iggymcfly 28-11
4. Edwin MacPhisto 27-14
5. Vern Gagne 25-16
6t. AlwaysPissedOff 23-17
6t. phoenixrising 23-18
8t. Bored 22-18
8t. nogoodnick 22-21
10t. Cuban Linx 21-7
10t. Lando Griffin 21-19
10t. Spaceman Spiff 21-21
10t. Will Scarlet 21-22
14. Spicy McHaggis 20-21
15t. MarvinisLunatic 19-12
15t. Cartman 19-21
17t. Agent of Oblivion 18-21
17t. Gert T 18-21
19. Kotzenjunge 17-20
20t. JHawk 16-22
20t. bravesfan 16-23
22t. Secret Agent 13-12
22t. Agent Bond34 13-14
22t. Kingofthe909 13-16
22t. the pinjockey 13-25
26. Porter 12-13
27t. SilverPhoenix 11-10
27t. therealworldschampion 11-20
29. A MikeSC 9-3
30t. Loaded Glove 8-13
30t. Damaramu 8-15
30t. Carnival 8-17
33t. kkktookmybabyaway 7-5
33t. Urban Warfare 7-6
33t. Danville Wrestling 7-7
33t. Flyboy 7-7
33t. Vampiro69 7-7
33t. Leena 7-8
33t. Vitamin X 7-16
39t. UTBroward 6-7
39t. HarleyQuinn 6-8
39t. Angel Grace Blue 6-19
42t. Hawk 34 5-7
42t. Ortonsault 5-7
44t. Matt Young 4-2
44t. Dangerous A 4-7
44t. 2GOLD 4-9
44t. Mad Dog 4-9
48t. Jimbo 1-1
48t. "Hail" bps21 1-2
50t. IK Cool Jew 0-3
50t. Rob E Dangerously 0-4
MAC
Conference bids: Motor City, GMAC or MPC Computers, International
Locked up a bid: None
Near locks: Ohio
On the bubble: Akron, Ball State, Bowling Green, Central Michigan, Kent State, Northern Illinois, Western Michigan
The MAC is very hard to figure out when it comes to bowl bids because outside of the MAC title game winner, no one is guarenteed a bowl. In the past the loser of the MAC title game has often been passed up for the MAC's other bowl bid. This year they now have three bids so I would figure that both division winners will go to bowl games but I don't know that for sure. Now the reason why I picked Ohio as the one near lock is they are a good bet to run the table through the rest of the regular season with Miami U. and Eastern Michigan (2-15 combined) still on the schedule and Akron at home as being the only potential stumbling block. Considering they haven't been to a bowl game since 1968 I figure even if they lose the title game, at 9 wins they'll get one of the other two bids. If Kent State hadn't lost to Ohio at home last week they would all but locked up the East division but they probably are the next best bet to get a bowl bid. The winner of the CMU/WMU game on November 10th will likely decide the West division champ. The Garrett Wolfe factor makes NIU an attractive team but at 5-4 and still with CMU on the schedule I don't think a 7-5 record will get the job done although they could get an at large bid. Akron, Ball State, and Bowling Green are all likely done but are still mathematically alive in their division.
Mountain West
Conference bids: Las Vegas, Armed Forces, Poinsettia, New Mexico
Locked up a bid: BYU
Near locks: TCU
On the bubble: Air Force, Colorado State, New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming
Now with non-BCS conference teams getting in with a 6-6 record will be a dicey proposition but the odds that BYU will collapse and lose four in a row is just about zilch. TCU still has five games left to get to seven wins and they very likely will get to 9 or 10 wins. Utah should get to that all important seven wins although an upset at Air Force could be possible and they'd be in trouble trying to get win #7 against BYU. For a very obvious reason New Mexico has the best shot at getting in at 6-6 if no more than three teams in the conference finish with a winning record, which is very possible. Wyoming has San Diego State and UNLV left but a trip to BYU will doom their bowl chances. Air Force has a must win this week against Army to have any hope at a bowl as they still have Notre Dame, Utah, and TCU still on the schedule. Colorado State has BYU, Utah, and TCU the next three weeks so they're toast.
Pac-10
Conference bids: Rose/BCS, Holiday, Sun, Las Vegas, Emerald, Hawaii
Locked up a bid: California, Oregon, USC, Washington State
Near locks: None
On the bubble: Arizona, Arizona State, Oregon State, UCLA, Washington
Now how could I list Oregon State on the bubble after beating USC? It's pretty easy. For one before this past weekend they were probably considered the 8th best team in the confernece. Second because of a trip to Hawaii they have a 13 game schedule so that means still need two more wins to go bowling. They have one guarenteed win against Stanford but none besides that. Beat ASU this week and then they are a lock but have a letdown and it could get interesting but I'd say they are very good bet to pick up the two wins. If ASU wins Saturday then they lock up a bid but then they get Wazzu and UCLA at home before their rivalry game against U of A. UCLA has a very tough schedule left with road dates to Berkely and Tempe left, then of course USC. They have to beat the Beavers at home on November 11th to have a prayer. Washington has Stanford still left but appears done without Isaiah Stanback and they'll need to upset Oregon or Wazzu on the road to get in. U of A is listed simply because they are technically still alive.
SEC
Conference bids: Sugar/BCS, Capital One, Cotton, Outback, Chick-Fil-A (double ugh), Music City, Liberty, Independence
Locked up a bid: Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, Florida, Georgia, LSU, Tennessee
Near locks: South Carolina
On the bubble: Kentucky, Vanderbilt
You know I admit the SEC in terms of overall consistency of putting a large number of teams in the Top 25 every year, they are the best conference and I admit their fans travel better than any conference. But god damn it's almost unfair how they get so many of top non-BCS bowls. Anyways the Gamecocks have Middle Tennessee left on their scheduled so they will get win #6 but that might be it for them especially if they don't beat Arkansas this week. Kentucky has a better shot than one would think but they still have UL Monroe and they get Vandy at home. Beat Vandy and they'll be bowling although might have to get an at large bid. Vanderbilt on the other hand has to beat Kentucky and then pull off an upset of Florida or Tennessee. Just a hunch the Vols will be looking to put a beating on them for last year's upset that cost them a bowl game.
Sun Belt
Conference bids: New Orleans
Locked up a bid: None
Near locks: None
On the bubble: Arkanas State, Florida Atlantic, Middle Tennessee, Troy, UL Lafayette
Awww my favorite conference. It's simple win the conference, you go to New Orleans. By pure luck a couple of years ago they got two teams into bowls but don't expect that to happen even with a record 62 bids now. Everyone listed is still alive in the title race but it likely will come down to the MTSU/Troy game on November 25th as to who gets the bid.
WAC
Conference bids: BCS?, MPC Computers or GMAC, Hawaii, New Mexico
Locked up a bid: Boise State
Near locks: Hawaii, Nevada
On the bubble: Idaho, San Jose State
Obviously a lot is riding on Boise State getting into the BCS as it will give the conference four bids if they do. Hawaii should lock up a bid this week against Utah State and we know what bowl they are going to. There is a scenerio where Nevada could get left out if they get upset by Idaho and somehow San Jose State upsets Boise thus killing the chance of four bids but it's a longshot. Now who would have thought San Jose State would be in a good position to get a bowl bid while Fresno State would already be dead at the end of October? It's a shame for the Spartans that the Silicon Valley Bowl doesn't still exsist. Their most important game left is a trip to Idaho on November 25th which could decide the final bid. If BSU gets upset by Nevada though then they are both screwed.
Independents
Conditional bids: BCS/Cotton/Gator/Sun/Houston/All Other Big East bids (Notre Dame), Car Care (Navy), Poinsettia (Army)
Locked up a bid: Notre Dame
Near locks: Navy
On the bubble: Army
Navy and Army are pretty much like BCS conference teams in that if they get to 6-6 they are going bowling. Navy has Duke, Eastern Michigan, and Temple before the Army game so just a hunch they'll pick up at least one more win. Now what will be interesting is their conditional bid with the Car Care Bowl because that could be where Rutgers would go and it might cause some CONTROVERSY~ if the they would pass on a 9-2 Scarlet Knights team to take Navy but that is likely what will happen. Army has to run the table which includes winning at Notre Dame so the Poinsettia Bowl will be looking elsewhere for an at large team.
Let me say first off I hate the bowls. Okay scratch that I kind of like them but I hate the bastardized system we currently have that helps determine an undisputed champ about half of the time and in the process kills any tradition the bowl system still had. I'm an all or nothing guy when it comes to bowl games. Give me the Pac-10 champ against the Big Ten champ in the Rose, give me the SEC champ in the Sugar, and give me the Big XII champ in the Orange (not the fucking Fiesta) or don't give me any bowls at all, give me playoffs. Give me tradition or give me a real NCAA Division I-A College Football National Champion every year.
But we, or just me I suppose, have to deal with the cards we've been dealt so in that regard I'm going to take a look at each conference in March Madness kind of way to see who is going bowling and who is on the bubble. I'm not going to do any projections as I'm just not Bored enough to take the time to do so as there is still plenty of season left to fuck up any sort of projections. Now this year we've gone back to the 12 game schedule, which I can't stand because it guarentees teams with non-winning records will go to bowl games and thus we'll most likely end up with teams who went 6-7 but still being able to call their season a success because they went to the Birmingham Bowl. Also to make matters worse, as of last season I-AA wins now count every year rather than every four years to become bowl eligible. So if you're in a BCS conference and you are already at six wins, you're going bowling. Now to fill conference bids bowls can not take a 6-6 team over a team with a winning record so it's not impossible that a 6-6 BCS conference team could be left out but it would take an unusual set of circumstances for that to happen beyond a team just flat out rejecting an invite. There's always at least one or two conference bids that can't be filled by it's designated conference.
ACC
Conference bids: Orange/BCS, Chick-Fil-A (ugh), Gator, Champs Sports, Music City, Car Care, Emerald, MPC
Locked up a bid: Boston College, Clemson, Georgia Tech, Maryland, Wake Forest, Virginia Tech
Near locks: Florida State, Miami
On the Bubble: N.C. State, Virginia
Seminoles have Virginia and Western Michigan at home so they'll definately get to six wins and as bad as they've been it still would be a pretty big upset if Wake Forest won in Doak Campbell. Although if FSU does end up 6-6 and they find themselves invited to Boise I would wonder if they would choose not to go but doubtful they'd wanna piss off the ACC like that. Miami has a much tougher remaining schedule and it's also not out of the realm possibility they could also end up squeaking into a bowl at only 6-6. N.C. State closes the the season with UNC and ECU but before that they need to upset Clemson or Georgia Tech to get into a bowl and after last week's loss against Virginia that doesn't seem likely. Virginia breathed some life into their season with that win but they'll need to win at FSU or Virginia Tech including a win at home against Miami to get to a bowl.
Big XII
Conference bids: Fiesta/BCS, Cotton, Holiday, Alamo, Gator or Sun, Insight, Independence, Texas
Locked up a bid: Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Texas, Texas A&M
Near locks: Oklahoma State, Texas Tech
On the Bubble: Baylor, Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State
This conference has been impossible to figure out once you get past Texas and there's plenty of potential jumbling of the standings left to go. I was reluctant to call anyone a near lock but both the Cowboys and Red Raiders have Baylor at home. If either drops that game though they go on the bubble. Now like those two Kansas State does only need one more win and they do get Colorado this but it's in Boulder and don't forget what they did to Texas Tech a few weeks ago. After that the Wildcats have a loss against Texas and then it's a rivalry game at Kansas where all bets are off. Along with the two road games already mentioned, Baylor closes at home against Oklahoma so barring a miracle it's likely the Bears will have to wait another year before ending their bowl drought. Kansas has an outside shot of winning at Iowa State and then winning at home against against the Wildcats. If not they will need to upset Missouri at home to close out the season, assuming they get at least a split in the first two game. Iowa State has done nothing to indicate they can run the table but they are technically still alive.
Big East
Conference bids: BCS, Gator or Sun, Car Care (Navy has a conditional bid), Texas, International, Birmingham
Locked up a bid: Louisville, Pittsburgh, Rutgers, West Virginia
Near locks: South Florida
On the Bubble: Cincinnati, Connecticut, Syracuse
USF I have as a near lock simply because they still have Syracuse at home. An upset at home against Pittsburgh this week would also get the job done. Although Cincinnati is clearly the better team than USF, they are on the bubble as the have West Virginia and Rutgers next and then close out at UConn. I think they can beat UConn but the Huskies may also be playing for a bid so there's no guarentee. UConn will have to win their next three as they close at Louisville. Syracuse could run the table to get to a bowl. And I also could fuck Beyonce.
Big Ten
Conference bids: Rose/BCS, Capital One, Outback, Alamo, Champs Sports, Insight, Motor City
Locked up a bid: Iowa, Michigan, Ohio State, Penn State, Wisconsin
Near locks: Purdue
On the Bubble: Indiana, Michigan State, Minnesota
Purdue has been exposed in recent weeks and they have a 13 game schedule so they do need to get to seven wins but you have to figure they can win two out of three against Michigan State, Illinois, and Indiana. If they don't they are in big trouble going into Hawaii to close the season. Indiana can wrap up a bid at Minnesota this week but can you really guarentee a win for a team who already loss to I-AA team in any week? Lose to the Gophers and their chances dim in a hurry. The Spartans can help their chances big time if they win at home against Purdue this week but if the greatest comeback in college football history can't turn their season around, nothing will. Minnesota is toast.
Conference USA
Conference bids: Liberty, GMAC, Birmingham, Armed Forces, New Orleans
Locked up a bid: Tulsa, Houston
Near locks: Southern Miss
On the Bubble: East Carolina, Marshall, Rice, SMU, Tulane, UAB, UCF, UTEP
This conference just blows this year and really doesn't deserve five bids. If Houston were to drop their last three games it's possible they could be left out but it's unlikely and they have very winnable games against SMU and Memphis left. Southern Miss may have played themselves on to the bubble with their loss at home against ECU but they've played all their tough games and I'd be very surprised if they didn't win three of their last four. As for the bubble teams there are waaaaaaaay too many scenerios to go into with ECU and UTEP being the most likely to get the last two bids.
This entry is going longer than I expected so I'll stop now and do another entry tommorrow for the rest of the conferences.
December 30th - Meineke Car Care Bowl (Big East #3/Navy vs. ACC #6)
Navy vs. Clemson/Boston College/Miami
The mean 'ol Naval academy is stealing the Big East's bid here due to a conditional bid they had with this unfortunately named bowl. Clemson is likely to end up here after having what appeared to be promising Orange Bowl hopes just a couple of weeks ago.
December 30th - Alamo Bowl (Big XII #4 vs. Big Ten #4)
Texas A&M/Missouri/Nebraska vs. Purdue
Purdue will end up here by default and A&M is obviously favored here, if the Holiday Bowl doesn't grab them. Nebraska would probably be passed on if their available since they played here last season.
December 30th - Chick-fil-A Bowl (ACC #2 vs. SEC #5)
Virginia Tech/Georgia Tech/Maryland/Boston College vs. Georgia/Alabama/South Carolina
And just another reason why people have a hard time taking bowl game seriously. Chick-fil-A just wasn't satisfied with being the sponsor of the Peach Bowl so they bought out the name. I'd never even heard of Chick-fil-A when they first sponsored the bowl. The assumption right now by the projections is that the SEC will get two teams in the BCS thus leaving this game with a 7-5 team at best from the SEC. Although none of them picked them, when you look at the remaining schedule there is a distinct possibility Kentucky ends up here as they could go 7-5 while the other three all finish 6-6 and thus would have to be passed over. If Georgia Tech loses the ACC title game they'll end up here which obviously would eliminate Georgia from consideration.
December 31st - MPC Computers Bowl (WAC #1 vs. ACC #8)
Nevada/San Jose State vs. Miami/Florida State/Wake Forest
Larry Coker's last stand will likely be freezing his ass off in Boise. Like I said in the prior entry I'd be surprised if Nevada isn't Boise State's replacement here. Of course though perennial doormat San Jose State playing perennial national power Miami on blue turf would be delicious is so many ways.
Jaunary 1st - Gator Bowl (Big East #2/Big XII #5 vs. ACC #3)
West Virginia/Nebraska vs. Wake Forest/Clemson/Maryland
The Gator Bowl has become the ugly stepchild of the January 1st bowls and has been passed over the Peach and Holiday Bowl on the bowl totem poll in recent years. As mentioned before if Nebarska is available they will pass on an 11-1/10-2 Big East team to do so. A lot will depend on who ends up in the Holiday Bowl from the Pac-10 as if it's Cal is there then they will probably grab Nebraska but if it's USC they'll have to pass on them.
January 1st - Outback Bowl (Big Ten #3 vs. SEC #4)
Penn State vs. Tennessee/LSU/Arkansas
Although the Gator Bowl is the ugly stepchild of January 1st, this game has always felt like an unecessary January 1st game to me. It's starts way too early for us on the West Coast (8:00 AM after New Year's Eve? Fuck that) and the 3rd or 4th best team from the Big Ten playing the 4th or 5th best team from the SEC isn't all that exciting to me especially when there is a much bigger Big Ten/SEC match-up later in the day. It will be especially unexciting this year as an unranked Penn State team will be here by default barring something bizarre happening in the Big Ten in the last couple of weeks.
January 1st - Cotton Bowl (Big XII #2 vs. SEC #3)
Oklahoma vs. LSU/Arkansas/Auburn/Tennessee
I always kind of hope that the Cotton Bowl will one day regain it's status as the 2nd biggest bowl game but that will never happen. Oklahoma is almost a lock here at this point unless Texas gets upset in the Big XII title game and there is always a preference to take a team from the SEC West division so not sure what CFN is thinking with Tennessee.
January 1st - Capital One Bowl (SEC #2 vs. Big Ten #2)
Wisconsin vs. Tennessee/Florida/Arkansas
There's 99.99999999% chance the Badgers end up here. As for the SEC a lot will depend on what happens in the SEC title game.
January 1st - Rose Bowl (Pac-10 #1/BCS vs. Big Ten #1/BCS)
California/USC vs. Michigan
Aww the Grand Daddy of them all back where should always be played, on January 1st. Won't get the Big Ten champ but at least we will get a Pac-10/Big Ten match-up. Of course if Cal beats USC I will not be watching this game until Michigan has a substantial lead in the game. And as you can see no one is picking them to beat Ohio State.
January 1st - Fiesta Bowl (Big XII #1/BCS vs. BCS)
Texas/Notre Dame vs. Boise State
This appears to be the easiest bowl to predict at this point. Texas wins the Big XII and Boise State wins out, they'll be playing each other. Now you see Notre Dame and well that's because Ivan Maisel thinks Texas will end up in the BCS Title Game which is too scary to think of right now. Although I think they'll get crushed at least Boise will get to prove themselves against an elite team unlike Utah a few years ago who were stuck playing a Pittsburgh team that had no business being there in a year that turned everyone on the Big East.
Jaunary 2nd - Orange Bowl (ACC #1/BCS vs. BCS)
Georgia Tech/Wake Forest vs. Auburn/LSU/Louisville
I'm sooooooooo rooting for Wake Forest and Rutgers to win their conferences and play here as it might cause the Apocalypse. Obviously the popular choice seems to be the 2nd SEC team getting here.
January 3rd - Sugar Bowl (SEC #1/BCS vs. BCS)
Florida/Arkansas/Auburn vs. Notre Dame/Louisville
Convential wisdom is the Sugar Bowl will gobble up Notre Dame as they are ahead of the Orange and Fiesta on the BCS pecking order this year.
January 6th - International Bowl (MAC #3 vs. Big East #4/#5)
Ohio/Western Michigan/Kent State vs. Pittsburgh/South Florida
Exhibit A why when a bowl is played is overrated. It seems unlikely USF would be picked here to travel all the way to Toronto.
January 7th - GMAC Bowl (Conference USA #2 vs. MAC #2)
East Carolina/Tulsa/Houston vs. Ohio/Western Michigan/Central Michigan/Northern Illinois
And Exhibit B as nothing bowl game GMAC decided to get cute and schedule themselves the day before the BCS title game.
January 8th - BCS Championship Game (BCS #1 vs. BCS #2)
Ohio State vs. Louisville/Florida/Texas
Playing two bowl games at the same site a week apart is lame and January 8th is looooooong time to wait for the title game. Words can not describe how I don't want to see a Ohio State/Texas rematch although the elitist in me would prefer to see Florida than Louisville, not to say I don't think Louisville wouldn't be more deserving if they finish undefeated.
As I mentioned last week in my bowls entry I wasn't going to be doing any projections as there is still way too many games left to make any solid projections that go beyond guess work. If you want to try to predict how the ACC will shake out the rest of the way, be my guest. But I need content and even though I hate the current state of the bowl system, I love looking at potential match-ups. So in this entry I'm going to do what I've done a few times in the past in the College Football threads and jumble together bowl projections from various sites to give you an idea of where your favorite or hated team might be playing a meaningless game in late December. I'll take projections from ESPN.com, CFN.com, CBS Sportsline, CollegeBCS.com, and SI.com and throw little comments that will provide little to no insight.
December 19th - Poinsettia Bowl (Mountain West #3 vs. at-large)
Utah/Air Force/Wyoming vs. Kansas/Northern Illinois/UCLA/Ohio
Army had a conditional bid here but their incredibly slim bowl chances went up in smoke when they get blown by Air Force so it's anyones guess as to who gets the at-large bid but will likely go to a 6-6 BCS conference team or someone from the MAC.
December 21st - Las Vegas Bowl (Mountain West #1 vs. Pac-10 #4)
BYU vs. Oregon State/Washington State/Oregon
I should have corrected bravesfan, or whatever his name is now, in the College Football thread as he was under the impression that the Hawaii is the Pac-10's #4 choice but it's actually their last one. In any event BYU will lock up the Mountain West this week with a win over Wyoming and the greatest a trip a Mormon can have, Las Vegas. I'd say most likely the loser of the Civil War ends up here as the opponent.
December 22nd - New Orleans Bowl (Sun Belt #1 vs. Conference USA #5)
Middle Tennesse/Troy vs. UTEP/SMU/Rice
Obviously God caused Hurricane Katrina to prevent New Oreleans from being subjected to another Sun Belt bowl game but it's back this year. At least the Sun Belt will manage to end up with more than one winning team this year. MTSU hosts Troy on November 25th and that will decide the conference and I'm soooooo tempted to break my no Sun Belt games rule in my pick 'em contest for that game. UTEP was the popular choice here but I'm pulling for SMU as they have an outside shot at their first bowl game since the death penalty.
December 23rd - Birmingham Bowl Bowl (Conference USA #3 vs. Big East #5/6)
Southern Miss vs. South Florida/Pittsburgh
Now raise your hand if you actually knew there was something called the Birmingham Bowl this year? The projections were unanimous for Southern Miss and only one picked Pittsburgh instead of USF.
December 23rd - New Mexico Bowl (WAC #3 vs. Mountain West #4)
Nevada/San Jose State vs. New Mexico
Okay now raise your hand if you actually knew there was something called the New Mexico Bowl this year? See this is the problem with a lot of these little bowls as they can only hope to get a decent crowd if the home team becomes bowl eligible and then really is it even a bowl game at that point or just a glorified home game? New Mexico will have to sweat a little for a bowl eligiblity as they play BYU and TCU next but finish the season at home against awful San Diego State. Now the WAC projections are split down the middle which is odd because I'd think Nevada would definately take Boise State's spot in the MPC Computers Bowl but half of them think San Jose State will but I'm not going to lose sleep over it.
December 23rd - Armed Forces Bowl (Mountain West #2 vs. Conference USA #4)
TCU vs. Tulsa/UTEP/SMU/East Carolina
This is actually not a new bowl but the bowl formerly known as the Fort Worth Bowl and I know you are all appalled that such a historic bowl would go corporate, sort of. Oddly enough Navy and Army didn't have any sort of conditional bid here. TCU is the unanimous choice since it played on their homefield and have in the past rejected other invites just to stay home although this year they get their by default. Projections have no clue who goes from Conference USA here.
December 24th - Hawaii Bowl (WAC #2 vs. Pac-10 #6)
Hawaii vs. Arizona State/Washington State
Again this week's big story was the shocking news that Hawaii accepted an invite to the Hawaii Bowl. All but one of the projections had ASU going here.
December 26th - Motor City Bowl (MAC #1 vs. Big Ten #7)
Central Michigan/Ohio/Western Michigan vs. Cincinnati/Iowa/Middle Tennessee
CMU has emerged as this week's favorite to win the MAC but that conference has been impossible to figure out this year. Now with it almost a lock that Ohio State and Michigan will give the Big Ten BCS bids there's a very good chance the Big Ten won't fill their last bid and Cincinnati for geographic reasons, and because the Big East is losing a bid which I'll get to, was the popular choice. CollegeBCS.com was the one who picked MTSU and I don't know what they are thinking there.
December 27th - Emerald Bowl (Pac-10 #5 vs. ACC #7)
Washington State/Oregon/Arizona State vs. Florida State/Boston College/Maryland
It's still incredibly stupid to have a bowl game in an area as indifferent towards college sports as the Bay Area but at least they have the Pac-10 on board now so Stanford will have a bowl game to go to if they ever become bowl eligible again this decade. FSU is the odds on favorite to go here and watching them travel across the country for a game they won't give a shit about will be fun.
December 28th - Independence Bowl (Big XII #7 vs. SEC #8)
Oklahoma State/Kansas State/Texas Tech vs. Alabama/Georgia/South Carolina/Kentucky
The Big XII bowl picture is fairly unsettled so tough to guess here. One of the dissapointing 6-6 SEC teams will end up here.
December 28th - Texas Bowl (Big East #3/#4 vs. Big XII #8)
Rutgers vs. Kansas State/Oklahoma State
This is technically a new bowl game but it was the replacement for the Houston Bowl that went belly up but is being played in...Houston. Confused? Anyways that is correct what you read, Rutgers even with probably a 10-2 record will end up in a nothing bowl game against 6-6 Big XII team. Basically no bowls wanted the Big East after the purge a couple of years ago, which in hindsight hasn't hurt the conference at all, and this is the result of it.
December 28th - Holiday Bowl (Pac-10 #2 vs. Big XII #3)
USC/California vs. Texas A&M/Missouri/Nebraska
Holiday Bowl has really emerged as one of the biggest non-BCS bowls in recent years and it should be no different this year. But man fuck all these projections as only one has USC getting to the Rose Bowl which means most think Cal will win their match-up. USC likely killed their BCS at-large chances with the loss to Oregon State although there is a slim chance that they could get in if a lot of things break their way, one being Boise State failing to get into the BCS. Obviously if USC ends up here, Nebraksa wouldn't be the selection from the Big XII.
December 29th - Music City Bowl (ACC #5 vs. SEC #6)
Wake Forest/Virginia Tech/Boston College/Maryland/Miami vs. South Carolina/Kentucky/Alabama
Again the ACC is impossible to figure out who is going where right now as Wake Forest was the only team that showed up on two of the projections although I'd say Miami is a longshot here.
December 29th - Sun Bowl (Pac-10 #3 vs. Big XII #5/Big East #2)
Oregon/Oregon State/Washington State vs. Missouri/West Virginia
Yup the complete lack of wanting the Big East strikes again. The Gator Bowl has a deal this year where they can pick a Big XII team over the second place Big East team. Big XII fans travel very well so don't be shocked if an 11-1 Big East team gets passed over and sent to El Paso, especially if the Gator Bowl has a shot at getting Nebraska who's fans can almost sell out bowl games on their own. The Civil War winner likely goes here from the Pac-10.
December 29th - Liberty Bowl (Conference USA #1 vs. SEC #7)
Houston/Tulsa vs. Kentucky/Alabama
Houston's mild upset of Tulsa this week makes them the run away favorite now to win Conference USA.
December 29th - Champs Sports Bowl (ACC #4 vs. Big Ten #5)
Boston College/Virginia Tech/Maryland/Florida State vs. Iowa/Minnesota
No bowl game that gets BCS conference teams every year produces more lackluster games than the Champs Sports Bowl and this year should be no different. CFN.com is the one that picked Minnesota so obviously Vern has been bribing them.
December 29th - Insight Bowl (Big XII #6 vs. Big Ten #6)
Texas Tech/Oklahoma State vs. Indiana/Wyoming/Central Michigan/Utah
Again because both Ohio State and Michigan are going to be the BCS and because the Big Ten is incredibly mediocre once you get past the top three teams, this bid might not be filled by their conference. Texas Tech was the almost unanimous pick here for the Big XII. I'm still trying to figure out why the Insight parted ways with the Pac-10 when it's natural fit for the Arizona schools.
That's enough for tonight, cover the rest tommorrow.
The likely outcome of who will face Ohio State in the Fiest Bowl, part II is just depressing for me. Either we'll get a traditional Rose Bowl match-up, except not in the Rose Bowl, or we'll get the always lame rematch of a game already played. But now with only two weeks left in the season I can actually make an attempt to make my own projections that go beyond guessing. When it cames to the ACC though it will still be guess work as there is still way too much unresolved business in that conference. Also projecting the non-confernece winner besides Michigan to get into the BCS is tough but I'm picking West Virginia for now. For open bids the Big Ten won't be able to fill the Motor City Bowl and the ACC might not be able to fill the MPC Computers Bowl.
One thing I should point out in regards to the Gator Bowl that I wasn't aware of. Now in my previous bowl entries I brought up how they have the option now of passing on the Big East #2 selection (sending them to the Sun Bowl) and going with a Big XII team. What was not aware of that they have the option of taking the Big XII #2 pick one time in the next four years. So because of that I, and others, are projecting Oklahoma to get snatched up by the Gator Bowl. This would cost the Sooners $500k as the Gator pays out $2.5 million compared to Cotton Bowl which pays out $3 million. Are bowl politics fun?
Also the Birmingham Bowl has been named the PapaJohns.com Bowl. Why exactly did they need the .com part?
Poinsettia: TCU vs. Washington State
Las Vegas: BYU vs. Oregon
New Orleans: Middle Tennessee vs. East Carolina
PapaJohns.com Bowl: Tulsa vs. Pittsburgh
New Mexico: New Mexico vs. San Jose State
Armed Forces: Utah vs. Rice
Hawaii: Hawaii vs. UCLA
Motor City: Central Michigan vs. South Carolina
Emerald: Arizona vs. Florida State
Independence: Kansas State vs. Alabama
Texas: Cincinnati vs. Oklahoma State
Holiday: California vs. Texas A&M
Music City: Georgia vs. Clemson
Sun: Oregon State vs. Rutgers
Liberty: Houston vs. Kentucky
Champs Sports: Maryland vs. Purdue
Insight: Texas Tech vs. Minnesota
Car Care: Wake Forest vs. Navy
Alamo: Missouri vs. Iowa
Chick-fil-A: Virginia Tech vs. Tennessee
MPC Computers: Nevada vs. Kansas
Gator: Boston College vs. Oklahoma
Outback: Penn State vs. LSU
Cotton: Nebraska vs. Auburn
Capital One: Wisconsin vs. Arkansas
Rose: Michigan vs. West Virginia
Fiesta: Texas vs. Boise State
Orange: Georgia Tech vs. Louisville
Sugar: Florida vs. Notre Dame
International: South Florida vs. Northern Illinois
GMAC: Southern Miss vs. Ohio
BCS: Ohio State vs. USC
Jumping the gun here a bit but things seem fairly clear to me. I am holding out hope the Rose Bowl has the good sense not to pick Notre Dame for a rematch against Michigan but I might be wrong on that. Obviously a lot things can change with the title games next week but at that point there will be no need for projections.
One thing I learned tonight, the rule where bowls can not take a 6-6 team over a 7-5 team to fill a conference bid also applies to at-large bids which means Washington State, Arizona, Kansas, and Pittsburgh are all likely staying home while the MAC and Sun Belt will pick up extra bids.
Poinsettia: TCU vs. Western Michigan
Las Vegas: BYU vs. Oregon
New Orleans: Troy vs. East Carolina
PapaJohns.com Bowl: Tulsa vs. South Florida
New Mexico: New Mexico vs. San Jose State
Armed Forces: Utah vs. Rice
Hawaii: Hawaii vs. UCLA
Motor City: Central Michigan vs. Middle Tennessee
Emerald: Arizona State vs. Florida State
Independence: Kansas State vs. Alabama
Texas: Rutgers vs. Oklahoma State
Holiday: California vs. Texas A&M
Music City: Kentucky vs. Maryland
Sun: Oregon State vs. West Virginia
Liberty: Houston vs. South Carolina
Champs Sports: Wake Forest vs. Purdue
Insight: Texas Tech vs. Minnesota
Car Care: Clemson vs. Navy
Alamo: Missouri vs. Iowa
Chick-fil-A: Virginia Tech vs. Georgia
MPC Computers: Nevada vs. Miami
Gator: Boston College vs. Texas
Outback: Penn State vs. Tennessee
Cotton: Nebraska vs. Auburn
Capital One: Wisconsin vs. Arkansas
Rose: Michigan vs. LSU
Fiesta: Oklahoma vs. Boise State
Orange: Georgia Tech vs. Louisville
Sugar: Florida vs. Notre Dame
International: Cincinnati vs. Northern Illinois
GMAC: Southern Miss vs. Ohio
BCS: Ohio State vs. USC
I'm not into making projections a month into the season, basically so I won't look stupid, and I like to wait until the final week of the season to make projections. Now these are purely based on every higher ranked team winning their game next week and obviously that won't happen but it makes it easier to make projections that way. Note Navy, Southern Miss, and Memphis have already accepted invites to bowls.
BCS: Missouri vs. West Virginia
Orange: Virginia Tech vs. Georgia
Fiesta: Kansas vs. Arizona State
Sugar: LSU vs. Hawaii
Rose: Ohio State vs. USC
Capital One: Florida vs. Illinois
Cotton: Kansas vs. Arkansas
Holiday: Oregon vs. Texas
Chick-fil-A: Boston College vs. Auburn
Gator: Oklahoma vs. Clemson
Outback: Tennessee vs. Wisconsin
Sun: South Florida vs. California
Alamo: Penn State vs. Texas A&M
Champs Sports: Virginia vs. Michigan
Music City: Mississippi State vs. Florida State
Insight: Texas Tech vs. Indiana
Meineke Car Care: Cincinnati vs. Wake Forest
Las Vegas: BYU vs. Oregon State
Liberty: UCF vs. Alabama
Independence: Kentucky vs. Colorado
Emerald: UCLA vs. Maryland
Motor City: Central Michigan vs. Michigan State
Humanitarian: Boise State vs. Georgia Tech
GMAC: Bowling Green vs. Tulsa
Texas: Houston vs. New Mexico
International: Rutgers vs. Ball State
Poinsettia: Navy vs. Utah
Armed Forces: Air Force vs. Purdue
PapaJohns.com: Connecticut vs. Southern Miss
Hawaii: Fresno State vs. East Carolina
New Orleans: Troy vs. Memphis
New Mexico: TCU vs. Louisiana Tech
I don't know why anyone does bowl projections as they are almost impossible to predict until the final week of the season, which is why I wait that long. Now I normally cheat and peak at other bowl projections or Google various local newspapers to see where schools are likely going to end up but this time it's almost total guess work. Note I'm going under the assumption Oklahoma will finish #2 in the BCS when they are released in a couple of hours. Also I'm making the prediction that the WAC allows Boise State to accept an at large invite from the Motor City Bowl since the conference has enough eligible teams to fill their four bids to set up an all undefeated match-up against Ball State.
Edited due to blogger stupidity.
Congressional: Navy vs. Maryland
New Mexico: Colorado State vs. Louisiana Tech
St. Petersburg: South Florida vs. Memphis
Las Vegas: BYU vs. Arizona
New Orleans: Troy vs. Southern Miss
Poinsettia: TCU vs. Fresno State
Hawaii: Hawaii vs. Central Michigan
Motor City: Ball State vs. Boise State
Meineke Car Care: Wake Forest vs. Pittsburgh
Champs Sports: Virginia Tech vs. Wisconsin
Emerald: California vs. Miami
Independence: Louisiana-Lafayette vs. Notre Dame
PapaJohns.com: Rutgers vs. Arkansas State
Alamo: Missouri vs. Northwestern
Humanitarian: Nevada vs. Clemson
Holiday: Oregon vs. Oklahoma State
Texas: Rice vs. N.C. State
Armed Forces: Air Force vs. Houston
Sun: Oregon State vs. West Virginia
Music City: Vanderbilt vs. North Carolina
Insight: Minnesota vs. Kansas
Chick-Fil-A: Georgia Tech vs. LSU
Outback: Iowa vs. South Carolina
Gator: Nebraska vs. Florida State
Capital One: Michigan State vs. Georgia
Rose: Penn State vs. USC
Orange: Cincinnati vs. Boston College
Cotton: Texas Tech vs. Mississippi
Liberty: Tulsa vs. Kentucky
Sugar: Alabama vs. Ohio State
International: Buffalo vs. Connecticut
Fiesta: Texas vs. Utah
GMAC: East Carolina vs. Western Michigan
BCS: Oklahoma vs. Florida
Here's a quick revision to the Bowl Bubble entry after yesterday's results.
ACC
Bowls: BCS/Orange, Chick-Fil-A, Gator, Champs Sports, Music City, Meineke Car Care, Emerald, Humanitarian
Locks: Boston College, Clemson, Virginia, Virginia Tech
Near Locks: Florida State, Georgia Tech, Wake Forest
On the Bubble: Maryland, Miami, N.C. State
Maryland's upset of Boston College has increased the chances of possibly ten bowl eligible teams in the conference which means getting win #7 is even more important now. I still don't see FSU getting passed over at 6-6 as at worst they'll get grabbed by the Humanitarian Bowl. Miami looks finished after last night's debacle against UVA as they show no signs that they can pull off a road upset of Virginia Tech or Boston College.
Big XII
Bowls: BCS/Fiesta, Cotton, Holiday, Gator or Sun, Alamo, Insight, Independence, Texas
Locks: Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech
Near Locks: None
On the Bubble: Colorado, Kansas State, Nebraska
Colorado gets bumped down to the bubble after their loss to Iowa State, who's suddenly become a bit of a pest in the conference. Their game against Nebraska in two weeks will now be for a bowl bid for the winner. Because of the Colorado and Kansas State losses, Oklahoma State and Texas A&M have locked up bids. The conference will definitely get two teams in BCS bowls which gives them nine potential bids and that will be the maximum number of bowl eligible teams the conference can get at this point. The Texas Bowl can become an open bid of K-State fails to become bowl eligible.
Big East
Bowls: BCS, Gator or Sun, Meineke Car Care, International, PapaJohns.com
Locks: Cincinnati, Connecticut, South Florida, West Virginia
Near Locks: Rutgers
On the Bubble: Louisville, Pittsburgh
Only change here is USF locking up a bid as expected. Rutgers locks up a bid if they take care of Pitt at home next week.
Big Ten
Bowls: BCS/Rose, Capital One, Outback, Alamo, Champs Sports, Insight, Motor City
Locks: Illinois, Michigan, Ohio State, Penn State, Ohio State
Near Locks: Iowa, Purdue
On the Bubble: Indiana, Michigan State, Northwestern
Big Ten is the one conference that wraps up it's season next week so we will probably have a pretty good idea of who is going where after Saturday. The losses of Ohio State and Michigan have crippled the odds that the conference gets two BCS bids although there is still a slim chance if Michigan wins their game as OSU still could end up in the Top 14 if enough things go their way the final two weeks. Michigan winning would also be great news for the WAC, which I'll get to. If they don't get two in the BCS that means as many as three teams from the conference could be eligible but end up staying home so win #7 is an absolute must. Iowa has the easiest game with Western Michigan at home while Northwestern has the longest odds with a trip to Illinois.
Edit: I bumped Purdue down to near lock as if they lose to Indiana they drop to 7-5 and there might not be a bid available if enough of the six win teams get that seventh win.
Conference USA
Bowls: Liberty, GMAC, Texas, PapaJohns.com, Hawaii, New Orleans
Locks: Houston, Tulsa, UCF
Near Locks: East Carolina, Memphis, Southern Miss
On the Bubble: UTEP
Memphis' surprising win over Southern Miss almost assures the conference will get a very undeserving 6th bid as the Tigers finish with UAB and SMU at home. I dropped ECU to near lock after their shocking loss to pitiful Marshall but they should beat Tulane at home to get win #7.
MAC
Bowls: Motor City, GMAC, International
Locks: None
Near Locks: Bowling Green, Central Michigan
On the Bubble: Ball State, Buffalo, Miami of Ohio, Toledo
Only change is Ohio's bubble bursting. Buffalo is 4-6 but I think they are still mathematically alive to win the East division and I'm too lazy to look up the MAC tiebreaks so I'll just leave them there.
Mountain West
Bowls: Las Vegas, Poinsettia, Armed Forces, New Mexico
Locks: Air Force, BYU
Near Locks: New Mexico, Utah
On the Bubble: San Diego State, TCU, Wyoming
Somebody should force Conference USA to give up one of their bids to the Mountain West. There's a potentially odd situation setting up in this conference which is why I'm not locking up Utah and New Mexico just yet. TCU still has a realistic chance at seven wins which means Utah or New Mexico need to get to eight wins to breathe easy. They play each other next week and for Utah it is much more important that they win because they finish at BYU. New Mexico on the other hand finishes with UNLV at home.
Pac-10
Bowls: BCS/Rose, Holiday, Sun, Las Vegas, Emerald, Armed Forces
Locks: Arizona State, California, Oregon, Oregon State, USC
Near Locks: None
On the Bubble: Arizona, UCLA, Washington State
Oregon State locked up a bid while Stanford and Washington's slim hopes ended. Already went over UCLA's plight last week and they almost beat ASU but that might have been their last hope. If Wazzu upsets the Beavers at home next week then they still would have a shot in the Apple Cup and UW might have lost Jake Locker for the season last night to a neck injury.
SEC
Bowls: BCS/Sugar, Capital One, Cotton, Outback, Chick-Fil-A, Music City, Liberty, Independence
Locks: Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, LSU, Tennessee
Near Locks: Mississippi State
On the Bubble: Arkansas, South Carolina, Vanderbilt
Kentucky locked up a bid while South Carolina might find itself in some serious trouble now due to Mississippi State's win over Alabama. Even with the loss the Tide will pick up win #7 against UL Monroe next week so they are still a lock. I've moved the Bulldogs up to a near lock as win #7 should be a given in two weeks against Ole Miss. Arkansas is now on the bubble as if they don't beat the Bulldogs at home next week they will have to upset LSU to lock up a bid. South Carolina's bowl hopes may now rest on beating red hot Clemson at home in two weeks. Vanderbilt will have to beat Tennessee and Wake Forest to have any hope as there is no chance they grab a bid at 6-6 over any of the other teams.
Sun Belt
Bowls: New Orleans
Locks: None
Near Locks: Troy
On the Bubble: Florida Atlantic
MTSU and Arkansas State were eliminated this week so the conference title will come down to the Troy/FAU game on December 1st. Troy is at seven wins now so they would have a shot at an open bid now if they were upset.
WAC
Bowls: BCS?, Humanitarian, Hawaii, New Mexico
Locks: Boise State, Hawaii
Near Locks: Fresno State
On the Bubble: Louisiana Tech, Nevada, San Jose State
Only change is New Mexico State's bubble bursting. As I alluded to in the Big Ten entry, everyone in the conference should be rooting for Michigan to beat Ohio State. If that happens it will all but guarantee a BCS bid for the winner of the Boise State/Hawaii game as there is a rule in the BCS that if a non-BCS conference champ finishes in the Top 16 and is ranked higher than any other BCS conference champ they get an automatic bid. Now of course either still has a shot at finishing in the Top 14 if they win out which also give them a BCS bid. All that being said the status of Colt Brennan could throw a lot of things in flux as he has to be doubtful for their game at Nevada on Friday. If he's out and they lose that game, then say Brennan comes back for the Boise State game and the Warriors win, then the WAC will screw itself out a BCS bid.
ACC
Bowls: BCS/Orange, Chick-Fil-A, Gator, Champs Sports, Music City, Meineke Car Care, Emerald, Humanitarian
Locks: Boston College, Clemson, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Virginia, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest
Near Locks: None
On the Bubble: Maryland, Miami, N.C. State
Maryland/N.C. State is a loser goes home game this Saturday and the winner likely goes to a bowl. I only say likely because if Miami some how gets it's shit together and upsets Boston College that will give the conference nine eligible teams with eight bids. Even if Miami upsets BC they are a longshot as they played in the Humanitarian Bowl last year so they'd have to hope the Emerald Bowl grabs them over a 7-5 team and then the Humanitarian would have to pick that team over the Maryland/N.C. State winner. You can't officially rule out any conference yet at getting two BCS bids but the only scenario the ACC has is if Virginia Tech beats Virginia this week and then loses to Boston College in the conference title game. The Hokies conceivably could still be in the Top 14 at the end of the year, and definitely Top 18 if the BCS is forced to expand the at large pool. Now assuming Miami loses and the Virginia Tech scenario plays out where they get a BCS at large bid then that would leave the Humantarian Bowl as an open bid.
Big XII
Bowls: BCS/Fiesta, Cotton, Holiday, Gator or Sun, Alamo, Insight, Independence, Texas
Locks: Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech
Near Locks: None
On the Bubble: Colorado, Kansas State, Nebraska
I mistakenly said last week Oklahoma State had locked up a bid as for some reason I thought they already had six wins but they do. No changes from last week, Colorado/Nebraska will play for a bid on Friday, and Kansas State needs to beat Fresno State to become eligible. If they lose the Texas Bowl will be an open bid as there's no scenario where the Big XII doesn't get two BCS bids.
Big East
Bowls: BCS, Gator or Sun, Meineke Car Care, International, PapaJohns.com
Locks: Cincinnati, Connecticut, Rutgers, South Florida, West Virginia
Near Locks: None
On the Bubble: Louisville
Rutgers locked up a bid with their win over Pitt. Louisville needs UConn to beat West Virginia to win the Big East as that would likely give the conference two BCS bids as the Mountaineers would probably still be around the bottom of the Top 10. Then the Cardinals need to beat Rutgers a week from Thursday to become eligible. If West Virginia wraps up the Big East this Saturday, Louisville is done.
Big Ten
Bowls: BCS/Rose, Capital One, Outback, Alamo, Champs Sports, Insight, Motor City
Locks: Illinois, Michigan, Ohio State, Penn State, Ohio State
Near Locks: Indiana, Michigan State, Purdue
On the Bubble: None
I have the three 7-5 teams as near locks because the Big Ten as things stand at the moment won't have enough bids for all three. Now it is still possible that Illinois, if enough things go there way, can slip into a BCS bowl which then would give the conference enough bids. If that doesn't happen Purdue is probably the odd team out but they'd be a good bet to grab the likely Armed Forces Bowl open bid. What they have to worry about is if the SEC ends up with a 7-5 team without a conference bid and if the Armed Forces ends up being the only open bid which then the Boilermakers could be sitting at home.
Conference USA
Bowls: Liberty, GMAC, Texas, PapaJohns.com, Hawaii, New Orleans
Locks: East Carolina, Houston, Memphis, Southern Miss, Tulsa, UCF
Near Locks: None
On the Bubble: None
Everything is set here beyond where everyone is going. Southern Miss and Memphis are ranked 86th and 90th respectively in the BCS yet they are locked up for bowls.
MAC
Bowls: Motor City, GMAC, International
Locks: Bowling Green
Near Locks: None
On the Bubble: Ball State, Central Michigan, Miami of Ohio
So in the MAC not everyone plays the some number of conference games, some play seven and some play eight. Now because of that the divisions are decided by divisional record only, not conference record. Follow me so far? Central Michigan and Ball State, the 1st and 2nd place teams in the West division, don't play each other this year. Who the fuck came up with this? As for the bids, Bowling Green is going, um, bowling and the rest is a mess.
Mountain West
Bowls: Las Vegas, Poinsettia, Armed Forces, New Mexico
Locks: Air Force, BYU, Utah
Near Locks: None
On the Bubble: New Mexico, TCU
While Conference USA steals bids, someone in the Mountain West is probably going to have it's heart broken and it will likely be an 8-4 New Mexico team (assuming they beat 2-9 UNLV). Now you'd think New Mexico would get to go to the New Mexico Bowl but the bowl put a rule in for itself that it couldn't pick the Lobos more than onece in three years. So because of that if TCU gets win #7 as expected over San Diego State, there will likely be no bowl game for New Mexico unless there ends up being three open bids or enough of the 6-5 teams lose their last game then they'd need two as obviously Purdue would get one before them. Again Memphis is ranked 90th in the country and is going to a bowl game, while an eight win team (or maybe an 7-5 SEC or Big Ten team) probably isn't.
Pac-10
Bowls: BCS/Rose, Holiday, Sun, Las Vegas, Emerald, Armed Forces
Locks: Arizona State, California, Oregon, Oregon State, USC
Near Locks: None
On the Bubble: Arizona, UCLA
Before Dennis Dixon went all Boobie Miles on Thursday, the conference seemed assured two BCS bids. Now it's still a good bet but we have to wait and see how Oregon recovers this week against UCLA. If the conference doesn't get two bids that would be bad news for the open bids hopefuls as it seemed for a while now not only the Armed Forces Bowl would be open but also the Emerald Bowl. I'm reading conflicting reports where some indicate the Emerald picks before the Las Vegas Bowl this year which would leave Vegas open but I'm not so sure about that. In any event if Oregon is a shell of it's former self now without Dixon, then UCLA can get win #6. U of A is suddenly hot but they'll need to pull off another big upset against rival ASU in order to get eligible for the first time since 1998.
SEC
Bowls: BCS/Sugar, Capital One, Cotton, Outback, Chick-Fil-A, Music City, Liberty, Independence
Locks: Auburn, Florida, Georgia, LSU, Tennessee
Near Locks: Arkansas, Kentucky
On the Bubble: Alabama, Mississippi State, South Carolina
I had Alabama as a lock the last couple of weeks as I though there was no way in hell they'd lose to ULM. Well so much for that. Now the conference is all but guaranteed two BCS bids so they'll have nine total but we could end up with nightmare scenario where we have six 7-5 teams with five available bids between them. Now any 7-5 SEC team will get picked over all others trying to get an open bid but there are scenarios where there could end up being no open bids so because of that I'm going conservative here. Auburn I have as a lock as I feel they'd be safe at 7-5 in that scenario while I could see Kentucky or Arkansas getting snubbed in this nightmare scenario. Hopefully either Auburn beats Alabama and/or Clemson beats South Carolina to send one of those schools to a very long offseason. The biggest shame would be if Mississippi State got snubbed in the nightmare scenario.
Sun Belt
Bowls: New Orleans
Locks: None
Near Locks: Troy
On the Bubble: Florida Atlantic
No changes, Troy/FAU play each other December 1st for the conference unless FAU is stunned by winless FIU this week. Hopefully Troy avoids the upset in that game as they deserve to go to a bowl game and a better one than the New Orleans Bowl against one of the awful 6-6 C-USA teams but that's not gonna happen.
WAC
Bowls: BCS?, Humanitarian, Hawaii, New Mexico
Locks: Boise State, Hawaii
Near Locks: Fresno State
On the Bubble: Louisiana Tech, Nevada
Of course the big game is this Friday. If your Louisiana Tech and Nevada your probably rooting for Hawaii as their chances are better than Boise's at getting into the Top 12 to get the BCS bid and a 4th bid for the conference. Neither has any business going to a bowl game mind you.
I decided to give up on doing a Top 25 since my Top 10 wouldn't be a whole lot different from the BCS Top 10 at this point. So instead I'm going to go conference by conference to see what teams are on the bubble to make it to a bowl game. Any BCS conference team with seven wins at this time is a lock and some with six wins are as well although it all depends on if their conference is going to have too many or too few bowl eligible teams. There are no preset open bids this year although a couple may open if a conferece can't fill it. If any bids do open up something to keep in mind is if there is an available 7-5 team, that bowl take them over a 6-6 team which is how Middle Tennessee got to the Motor City Bowl (Big Ten didn't couldn't fill their bid) last year over a few a BCS conference 6-6 teams. Of course no one should feel sorry for any team who didn't finish with a winning record being left home this holiday season.
ACC
Bowls: BCS/Orange, Chick-Fil-A, Gator, Champs Sports, Music City, Meineke Car Care, Emerald, Humanitarian
Locks: Boston College, Clemson, Florida State, Virginia, Virginia Tech
Near Locks: Georgia Tech, Wake Forest
On the Bubble: Maryland, Miami, North Carolina, N.C. State
Now even though they both have six wins the reason why I have FSU as a lock and Wake Forest as a near lock is purely because of FSU's brand name. If the ACC were to end up with more than eight bowl eligible teams a 6-6 Wake Forest team could get left out but Bobby Bowden and company would definitley get an invite at 6-6. Georgia Tech has Duke and North Carolina the next two weeks so they should be fine. N.C. State has come out of no where to have a realistic shot at getting to six wins with home games against UNC and Maryland left. Maryland is reeling and I think they'll come up short. Miami is in big trouble after their loss to N.C. State as their last three games are against Virginia, Virginia Tech, and Boston College. UNC has to run the table to have a shot.
Big XII
Bowls: BCS/Fiesta, Cotton, Holiday, Gator or Sun, Alamo, Insight, Independence, Texas
Locks: Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, Texas, Texas Tech
Near Locks: Colorado, Oklahoma State, Texas A&M
On the Bubble: Kansas State, Nebraska
Colorado has Iowa State and Nebraska left so seven wins is very realistic. A&M will end up 6-6 most likely with Missouri and Texas left so there's an oustide chance they could be left without a place to go but the Big XII might end up with two teams in BCS bowls plus the Armed Forces Bowl in Fort Worth is likley to be open (which I'll get to in the Pac-10) so I'd be very surprised if they are staying home. Oklahoma State should pick up win #6 against Baylor in two weeks, if they don't upset Kansas, but again a small chance they might not have an available bid. K-State has Nebraska, Missouri, and Fresno State left and all bets are off after their embarrassing performance against Iowa State. Nebraska is likely toast although beating K-State could provide a glimmer of hope.
Big East
Bowls: BCS, Gator or Sun, Meineke Car Care, International, PapaJohns.com
Locks: Cincinnati, Connecticut, West Virginia
Near Locks: Rutgers, South Florida
On the Bubble: Louisville, Pittsburgh
Again the great purge of the Big East leaves the conference with by far the most pathetic line up of bowl games of any BCS conferece. It'll get worse this year as there's a 99% chance that the Gator Bowl will excercise it's option to grab the Big XII #2 team this year. USF will get win #7 at Syracuse this week but left them out of the locks just in case the roof caves in, literally. Rutgers has Army and Pittsburgh in the next two weeks so seven wins is expected. Louisville has a tough final three games at West Virginia, at USF, and vs. Rutgers so getting that 6th win is far from guarenteed. On top of that a 6-6 Big East team without an available in conference bid is very likely to be staying home. Pitt is only alive in the most clinical of terms.
Big Ten
Bowls: BCS/Rose, Capital One, Outback, Alamo, Champs Sports, Insight, Motor City
Locks: Illinois, Michigan, Ohio State, Penn State, Purdue, Ohio State
Near Locks: Iowa
On the Bubble: Indiana, Michigan State, Northwestern
Now here's a conference where it's almost a lock a 6-6 team will stay home. The mediocrity of the middle of the conference and everyone getting to beat up on sorry ass Minnesota has allowed a lot of teams to near bowl eligibility. They'll get helped out if Ohio State and Michigan both get in the BCS. Iowa looked awful most of the season but like N.C. State has turned it around and with Minnesota and Western Michigan left there's no reason they shouldn't get seven wins. Indiana could get left out in the cold if they can't pick up a 7th win and it's not a lock with a road trip to Northwestern and then at home against Purdue. They haven't been to a bowl game since 1993 so they have to be rooting for two teams from the conference to get into the BCS. Northwestern has Indiana and Illinois left while Michigan State has Purdue and Penn State left so both are longshots at this point if they don't win both games.
Conference USA
Bowls: Liberty, GMAC, Texas, PapaJohns.com, Hawaii, New Orleans
Locks: East Carolina, Houston, Tulsa, UCF
Near Locks: Southern Miss
On the Bubble: Memphis, UTEP
Reason #712 There are Way Too Many Fucking Bowl Games: Conference USA has six bids. This is a conference where half the teams aren't in the BCS Top 100. Memphis is ranked 103rd in the country yet they still have a shot at a bowl game. So since ECU, Houston, Tulsa, and UCF have six they are locks as it would be next to impossible for them not to get in that this point even if any of them lost out. Southern Miss still needs to get win #6 but they should pick it up against Memphis this week. UTEP only has four more wins and after Tulane this week they have Southern Miss and UCF left so the odds are against them which would be good news for those teams hoping for another open bid.
MAC
Bowls: Motor City, GMAC, International
Locks: None
Near Locks: Bowling Green, Central Michigan
On the Bubble: Ball State, Buffalo, Miami of Ohio, Ohio, Toledo
Awful, awful year for this conference as BGSU and CMU are the only two teams with winning records at the moment but both should win at least two of thier last three games to get to seven wins. After that it is anyone's guess as two gets the 3rd bid although Miami of Ohio does control their own destiny to win the East division to get to the title game but they better win their last two regular season games against Akron and Ohio or otherwise they'll be 6-6 and in a must win situation for the conference championship to remain bowl eligible.
Mountain West
Bowls: Las Vegas, Poinsettia, Armed Forces, New Mexico
Locks: Air Force
Near Locks: BYU, New Mexico, Utah
On the Bubble: San Diego State, TCU, Wyoming
BYU would have seven wins already if their game against SDSU wasn't postponed and they are a good bet to run the table in the conference. We could actually end up with more than four seven win teams in this conference which could create some problems for 6-6 BCS conference teams hanging their hat on grabbing an open bid. On the other hand one of the open bids will very likely be the Armed Forces Bowl (which again I'll get to) which will already have a Mountain West team so that will eliminate one option for this conference. There should end up being at least four seven plus win teams so any 6-6 team will definitely not be bowling.
Pac-10
Bowls: BCS/Rose, Holiday, Sun, Las Vegas, Emerald, Armed Forces
Locks: Arizona State, California, Oregon, USC
Near Locks: Oregon State
On the Bubble: Arizona, Stanford, UCLA, Washington, Washington State
With the conference being so top heavy this year and with the odds being very good at the moment that they will get two teams in the BCS, it is highly unlikely the Pac-10 will be able to fill all their bids. As previously mentioned the Armed Forces Bowl is pretty much a given to be open but the Emerald Bowl might also be available if UCLA fails to become bowl eligible. The Bruins have ASU, Oregon, and USC so it is looking bleak, although given their propensity to play to their competition watch them win two out of three. Oregon State has the Washington schools the next two weeks so they should win at least one of those games to become bowl eligible. The rest of the schools all need to run the table but it is unlikely any will do so.
SEC
Bowls: BCS/Sugar, Capital One, Cotton, Outback, Chick-Fil-A, Music City, Liberty, Independence
Locks: Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Georgia, LSU, Tennessee
Near Locks: Arkansas, Kentucky, South Carolina
On the Bubble: Mississippi State, Vanderbilt
Picking the locks and near locks are tough here as it is possible we could get 11 bowl eligible teams here which would obviously leave some 6 win teams without a SEC tie in bowl to go to. I went with Alabama and Tennessee as locks even though they still need that important win #7 over the other three as those two would be more attractive to bowls than the other three. Of the near locks South Carolina has the toughest road to get win #7 as they have Florida and Clemson left although both games are at home. Mississippi State will at least get win #6 when they play Ole Miss but the next two weeks are huge for them against Alabama and Arkansas as they must win one of them or otherwise they are very likely staying home. Vanderbilt also has the odds stacked against them while trying to end their 24 year bowl drought as they will definitely need to get seven wins to have a shot but they have Kentucky, Tennessee, and Wake Forest left on their schedule.
Sun Belt
Bowls: New Orleans
Locks: None
Near Locks: Troy
On the Bubble: Arkansas State, Florida Atlantic, Middle Tennessee
Don't look now but the Sun Belt finally has a good team in their conference, that being Troy. I only have them as a near locks simply because they have to beat MTSU and FAU still to wrap up the conference but I expect they will. It's a real shame that Troy gets stuck going to the New Orleans Bowl as they would easily be the best team in both the MAC and Conference USA. FAU and MTSU could still win the conference if they upset Troy.
WAC
Bowls: BCS?, Humanitarian, Hawaii, New Mexico
Locks: Boise State, Hawaii
Near Locks: Fresno State
On the Bubble: Louisiana Tech, New Mexico State, Nevada, San Jose State
Pretty much in the same boat as last year with this conference as a lot will depend on whether they get a team in the BCS or not. Fresno has Hawaii and Kansas State the next two weeks so their season finale against New Mexico State may have to be where they get win #7. The rest all need to become bowl eligible and hope either Hawaii or Boise gets into the BCS.
Thank you to Oregon State Vanessa Hudgens I do not have to worry about a Cal national championship, although still need to some help to avoid them getting to the Rose Bowl.
With the BCS Rankings out I probably shouldn't even bother with this anymore but maybe one more week. Pretty simple there are five undefeated BCS teams so they make up my Top 5. This week though I now have to include two loss teams in the rankings and even rank some of them above one loss teams but I will rank all one loss teams. Now one rule that I always stick by is if you have two teams with the same number of losses and who have played each other, you must rank the winner of the head-to-head match-up higher. As much as I hate Cal there is no justifying ranking them below Oregon. Of course this rule has to be thrown out when you have a situation like with LSU, South Carolina, and Kentucky. LSU beat South Carolina, South Carolina beat Kentucky, Kentucky beat LSU. In this case given that yesterday's game could have gone either way and that LSU beat South Carolina convincingly, I've ranked LSU above Kentucky.
1. Ohio State
2. South Florida
3. Boston College
4. Arizona State
5. Kansas
6. LSU
7. South Carolina
8. Oklahoma
9. Kentucky
10. West Virginia
11. California
12. Oregon
13. Missouri
14. Virginia Tech
15. Auburn
16. Florida
17. Cincinnati
18. Texas Tech
19. Tennessee
20. USC
21. Virginia
22. Kansas State
23. Connecticut
24. Hawaii
25. Boise State
What We Learned Last Night: The only team capable of beating USC in the Coliseum is Stanford. Hey they got the last two wins there.
Everything continues to be completely fucked up this year. We're now down to ten BCS conference undefeated teams and only three of them would anyone have expected to be at this point. Again I always give the benefit of the doubt to those teams so all of them are in my Top 10, even UConn. Also decided not to rank any two loss teams for this week, although that will go out the door next week. Sure you could argue Florida but they lost Auburn, who lost to Mississippi State and all three of those teams have two loses. I can't really justify ranking Mississippi State above Florida but how can you rank Florida above Auburn if they lost them at home?
The only one loss teams that I don't have ranked are Texas Tech and Texas A&M. Tech has played just about the weakest schedule of any BCS conference team to this point and lost to a bad Oklahoma State team. I did a double take when I noticed A&M was 5-1 as they've looked like complete shit against any team with a pulse but they pulled out close wins over Fresno State and Oklahoma State to keep their season from turning into a disaster. Those two happen to play each other next week so whoever wins I'll finally rank them.
But really none of this means anything, so don't bother reading it.
1. LSU
2. Ohio State
3. California
4. South Florida
5. Boston College
6. Missouri
7. Cincinnati
8. Arizona State
9. Kansas
10. Connecticut
11. South Carolina
12. Oregon
13. Oklahoma
14. West Virginia
15. Kentucky
16. USC
17. Illinois
18. Virginia Tech
19. Wisconsin
20. Florida State
21. Indiana
22. Hawaii
23. Boise State
24. Wyoming
25. Virginia
For the two of you who liked the TSB entries I know I said I'd get around to finishing this month but doesn't look like that'll happen. I've been doing a ridiculous amount of overtime at work lately and my time on the board is spent working on my pick 'em contest. Also after next week I'll be working on my end of the season 2007 MLB Player Rankings for the blog so the TSB is just going to have to wait.
So we're down to 23 undefeated teams in I-A/FBS/Whatever football so obviously my "only rank unbeaten teams" goes out the window. But that being said, I still say give credit to all the unbeatens at this point so I'm including them all in my Top 25. Who cares UConn hasn't played anyone and will end up 6-6, what's the harm in giving them a No Prize this early in the season?
1. LSU
2. USC
3. Oklahoma
4. Florida
5. West Virginia
6. Boston College
7. Ohio State
8. Kentucky
9. California
10. Oregon
11. Texas
12. Wisconsin
13. Clemson
14. Rutgers
15. South Florida
16. Arizona State
17. Cincinnati
18. Missouri
19. Kansas
20. Purdue
21. Michigan State
22. South Carolina
23. Georgia
24. Hawaii
25. Connecticut
Before I get to the football, this week I go on baseball overdrive with the Bored's 2007 MLB Awards and Bored's 2007 MLB Player Rankings. Both are great if you were in a coma since April which I wish I was instead of being subjected to the A's season.
I didn't end up having work yesterday after all so I was able to be lazy and gorge myself on college football all day after all but the Cal/Oregon game left such a bad taste in my mouth that I didn't feel like doing an unfunny Wrap Up entry. Cal is now a legit Top 3 team which means there is no God.
As for my Pointless Top 25, with so many top teams losing this weekend it is pretty much impossible not to give some 1 loss teams a decent ranking. But that being said I stil think the entire Top 10 should only be unbeaten teams, even though that is proving very difficult. Again don't even bother reading it.
1. LSU
2. USC
3. Fuck!
4. Ohio State
5. Kentucky
6. South Florida
7. Boston College
8. Wisconsin
9. Arizona State
10. Cincinnati
11. Oregon
12. South Carolina
13. Florida
14. Missouri
15. Georgia
16. Purdue
17. Oklahoma
18. Kansas
19. West Virginia
20. Kansas State
21. Illinois
22. Michigan State
23. Texas
24. Hawaii
25. Connecticut
Much kudos to UCLA this week for ending Cal's Rose Bowl hopes and thus extending their drought to 49 years. I wish I had been bold enough to make the proclamation a few weeks ago but there was almost no doubt in my mind the Bruins would lose to Notre Dame but beat Cal. If they played a high school Powder Puff team next week they'd lose but put up against a strong opponent and they usually win.
Top 25, you know the drill. I can hold off on ranking any three loss teams for at least another week. Sure there's an argument for Auburn but they could easily have five losses as well. I might become really ambitious this week and try to make bowl projections but usually I'm way too lazy to do such a thing.
1. Ohio State
2. Boston College
3. Arizona State
4. Kansas
5. LSU
6. Oklahoma
7. South Florida
8. West Virginia
9. Oregon
10. Missouri
11. Virginia Tech
12. Florida
13. South Carolina
14. Kentucky
15. USC
16. Virginia
17. Georgia
18. Connecticut
19. Wake Forest
20. Alabama
21. Michigan
22. Texas Tech
23. Penn State
24. Hawaii
25. Boise State
This was actually relatively uneventful Saturday and after all the chaos in the previous weeks I get the feeling we may have a boring November. We're down to only 10 BCS conference teams with one loss or less compared to 18 at this time last year so I think law of averages this past week might be a sign of things to come. Even now in the era of a 12 game regular season and conference championships I still don't see us having the first two loss, post-bowls national champion. Believe me though I would love a two loss champion as it would even further kill the argument that the regular season is one big playoff.
Almost made it through October without ranking any three loss teams but as the SEC continues to cannibalize itself I have no other choice.
1. Ohio State
2. Arizona State
3. Boston College
4. Kansas
5. LSU
6. West Virginia
7. Oklahoma
8. Oregon
9. Missouri
10. Georgia
11. Connecticut
12. Alabama
13. Virginia Tech
14. South Florida
15. Wake Forest
16. Auburn
17. Florida
18. Michigan
19. Tennessee
20. Wisconsin
21. South Carolina
22. USC
23. Kentucky
24. Hawaii
25. Boise State
iggymcfly and Carnvial have them so I might as well too. I'm actually doing this in lieu of my pointless College Football Wrap-up as I missed all of the mid-day games yesterday and next Saturday I have to work and possibly the Saturday after that as well so it might be a while before I do another Wrap up entry. I did want to do a Worst Top 25 poll but then I realized that would take more time than doing a generic Top 25 so I opted for the lazy route.
One thing to get out of the way before this quickly thrown together poll I do have one crackpot theory about early season polls. I rarely see a point during the first month of the season of ranking a team that has already lost a game. With the current college football postseason structure, the regular season is supposedly a "playoff" unto itself where if a team loses they are eliminated. This of course is not true since one loss teams have and will win national championships but you get the idea. Teams that lose this early in the season are very likley to lose again and I personally don't see any team that has lost a game already this season that is going to run the table, although I won't keep anyone from making the argument for one. So that said for now I'm only going to rank teams that are undefeated but after next week we will be almost month into the season and at that point I may change that, if I actually do another one.
Also I'm really for the most part only taking into account what has happened so far this season, which is how the polls are supposed to work but don't. Yes Boston College is ranked too high but they've won three conference games and none of them were really in any doubt late in the game so I say give credit where credit is due at this point. I put this together in about ten minutes so don't even bother looking at it.
1. LSU
2. USC
3. Oklahoma
4. Florida
5. West Virginia
6. Boston College
7. Ohio State
8. South Carolina
9. California
10. Oregon
11. Texas
12. Penn State
13. Wisconsin
14. Rutgers
15. Kentucky
16. Auburn Alabama
17. South Florida
18. Clemson
19. Arizona State
20. Cincinnati
21. Missouri
22. Hawaii
23. Texas A&M
24. Kansas
25. Purdue
For my 100th entry I originally planned on doing a comprehensive list of the 100 Greatest Oakland A's players of all-time and wouldn't just be simply be a career list of Win Shares as that wouldn't really work. I never got Bored enough to start working on it though so maybe sometime in the offseason I'll get around to it. But I guess doing my awards for the 2006 season works as an 100th entry since I've been tracking the MVP award most of the year and I'm sure the three of you are on the edge of your seat as to what my final ballot looks like.
Before I get to the awards this week I'll start working on the Bored's 2006 MLB Player Rankings this week that will be BLOG EXCLUSIVE~ this year. You know the last two years how I posted them on the board to tell. No? Oh well, I'm still doing them.
Starting with the N.L. and no I won't be doing Manager of the Year which I've explained before why I don't care about the award. Instead of my normal, pointless talking before I post my "ballot" this time I'll post my picks for each award and then briefly explain my picks.
N.L. Cy Young
3. Chris Carpenter, Cardinals
144 ERA+, 4.28 K/BB, 1.07 WHIP, 67.2 VORP, 19 Win Shares
2. Roy Oswalt, Astros
150 ERA+, 4.37 K/BB, 1.17 WHIP, 71.8 VORP, 21 Win Shares
1.
153 ERA+, 3.56 K/BB, 1.13 WHIP, 68.6 VORP, 22 Win Shares
This was a really tight race but I felt Webb was just a cut above the rest over the course of the season. There isn't a bad choice here but it does appear Webb will end up winning the writer award. I gave Bronson Arroyo and Carlos Zambrano consideration for the 3rd spot as well. And no Trevor Hoffman should not win it as some lifetime achievement award just because no won in the N.L. won more than 16 games.
N.L. Rookie of the Year
3. Dan Uggla, Marlins
.282/.339/.480, 104 RC, .281 EQA, 40.0 VORP, 22 Win Shares
2. Ryan Zimmerman, Nationals
.287/.351/.471, 107 RC, .283 EQA, 27.9 VORP, 25 Win Shares
1.
.292/.353/.480, 108 RC, .290 EQA, 55.9 VORP, 25 Win Shares
About a month ago this was probably Uggla's award to lose and well, he lost it. Uggla completely faded at the end of the season while Ramirez only seemed to get stronger. I really hope the media took notice as it seemed like the award was being conceded to Uggla. You can look at Ramirez's basic numbers and know that he clearly had the better year.
N.L. Most Valuable Player
10. Garrett Atkins, Rockies
.329/.409/.556, 119 RC, .310 EQA, 61.5 VORP, 26 Win Shares
9. Alfonso Soriano, Nationals
.277/.351/.560, 121 RC, .300 EQA, 49.2 VORP, 30 Win Shares
8. Chase Utley, Phillies
.309/.379/.527, 122 RC, .298 EQA, 65.0 VORP, 28 Win Shares
7. Jose Reyes, Mets
.300/.354/.487, 124 RC, .289 EQA, 57.7 VORP, 29 Win Shares
6. David Wright, Mets
.311/.381/.531, 123 RC, .307 EQA, 53.3 VORP, 32 Win Shares
5. Lance Berkman, Astros
.315/.420/.621, 141 RC, .331 EQA, 71.2 VORP, 34 Win Shares
4. Miguel Cabrera, Marlins
.339/.431/.568, 141 RC, .333 EQA, 79.1 VORP, 34 Win Shares
3. Ryan Howard, Phillies
.313/.425/.659, 137 RC, .337 EQA, 81.3 VORP, 31 Win Shares
2. Carlos Beltran, Mets
.275/.388/.594, 125 RC, .320 EQA, 67.6 VORP, 38 Win Shares
1.
.331/.431/.671, 150 RC, .346 EQA, 86.6 VORP, 39 Win Shares
About a month ago I had Pujols and Beltran neck and neck but Pujols pulls away in September. After knocking the hype surrounding his chase for the "non-steroid" homerun record I give Howard the #3 slot and he wouldn't be as bad a pick as the potential A.L. winner could end up being. But it does seem the last week Pujols had regained favor in the media as the choice.
A.L. Cy Young
3. C.C. Sabathia, Indians
138 ERA+, 3.91 K/BB, 1.17 WHIP, 46.0 VORP, 14 Win Shares
2. Roy Halladay, Blue Jays
147 ERA+, 3.88 K/BB, 1.10 WHIP, 68.2 VORP, 21 Win Shares
1.
164 ERA+, 5.21 K/BB, 1.00 WHIP, 79.7 VORP, 25 Win Shares
The toughest ballot decision out there is by far 3rd place in the A.L. Cy Young race. Santana will win the award unanimously and Halladay should be the unanimous #2. I went with Sabathia due to his strong peripherals although VORP and Win Shares didn't particularly like him this year. By the time I get around to starting pitchers on my player rankings C.C. might not be ranked #3 among A.L. starters but I wanted to get this done tonight so I gave him the nod over Chien-ming Wang and John Lackey. You could even make strong arguments for injured rookies Liriano and Papelbon. Speaking of which...
A.L. Rookie of the Year
3. Justin Verlander, Tigers
122 ERA+, 2.07 K/BB, 1.33 WHIP, 47.0 VORP, 15 Win Shares
2. Jonathan Papelbon, Red Sox
505 ERA+, 5.77 K/BB, 0.78 WHIP, 38.6 VORP, 18 Win Shares
1.
211 ERA+, 4.50 K/BB, 1.00 WHIP, 51.1 VORP, 16 Win Shares
Yes they both got hurt by the dominance of these two is too much to overlook and you could make arguments for both. I went with Verlander for 3rd giving him credit for being solid over the full season instead of another dominant pitcher with a small sample in Jered Weaver.
A.L. Most Valuable Player
10. Carlos Guillen, Tigers
.320/.400/.519, 106 RC, .310 EQA, 67.0 VORP, 26 Win Shares
9. Justin Morenau, Twins
.321/.375/.559, 120 RC, .308 EQA, 51.8 VORP, 27 Win Shares
8. Jim Thome, White Sox
.288/.416/.598, 123 RC, .328 EQA, 63.2 VORP, 26 Win Shares
7. Jermaine Dye, White Sox
.315/.385/.622, 119 RC, .320 EQA, 65.4 VORP, 26 Win Shares
6. Manny Ramirez, Red Sox
.321/.439/.619, 111 RC, .342 EQA, 65.3 VORP, 29 Win Shares
5. Travis Hafner, Indians
.308/.439/.659, 124 RC, .355 EQA, 80.4 VORP, 25 Win Shares
4. Johan Santana, Twins
3. David Oritz, Red Sox
.287/.413/.636, 126 RC, .334 EQA, 75.8 VORP, 29 Win Shares
2. Joe Mauer, Twins
.347/.429/.507, 104 RC, .321 EQA, 66.6 VORP, 31 Win Shares
1.
.344/.417/.483, 138 RC, .316 EQA, 79.2 VORP, 33 Win Shares
If you told me in my first MVP Watch that I'd be picking Jeter at the end of the year as my choice for MVP, and not even have a second thought about it, I would have laughed. I hate the media's infatuation with Jeter as much as anyone but the guy was king sized this year. Of course the media has now become infatuated with Justin Morneau for some ungodly reason. I don't see how anyone can look at the Twins and come away thinking Morneau is the MVP of that team. Anyone arguing Morneau for MVP of the league is out of their mind. Unrelated I should note that I slammed the David Oritz support when the media was ready to give him the award in early August but now with the Red Sox fade and his playing for himself comments he killed his chances. Now though I kinda like the guy and his tear down the stretch, meaningless or not, gives him the 3rd spot. He'd be a hell of a lot better choice than Morneau.
