Recently, I handed out some kudos to a few college football coaches. That was done off the top of my head; therefore, I happened to ignore some other coaches whose teams have excelled/over-achieved this year. So, let me add to my previous list with kudos to:
Ron Zook – Illinois: The win over Ohio State ought to demonstrate that he can do more than just recruit athletes; he can “coach ‘em up” too.
Al Groh – Virginia: After losing the first game to a truly mediocre Wyoming team, Virginia has steadily improved and will get to play in a “significant” bowl game. The butt-stomping they put on Miami in Miami’s final game in the Orange Bowl was definitive.
Sylvester Croom – Mississippi State: This season, Mississippi State beat Alabama for the second year in a row. In addition, they went to Auburn and Kentucky (two teams who spent time in the rankings) and beat both of them on the road. The Bulldogs will be going to a bowl game this year – - and not as spectators.
Illinois’ win over Ohio State may have prevented another train wreck. If the BCS Championship Game had been played a week ago, it would have been LSU/Ohio State. Let’s see; an undefeated Ohio State walks through a soft schedule in a conference living on past glories only to meet a faster and much more athletic team with one loss in the SEC; I think we’ve seen that movie already. Everyone focused on the really tough Ohio State defense up until a week ago when Illinois ran through it at will at the end of the game to close things out. Here’s a question; how many offensive powerhouses did Ohio State shut down this season? Akron? Kent State?
The Big 10 is a conference that was once dominant in the US. It may regain that status some day. But at the moment, it is certainly in the bottom half of the BCS Conferences in terms of overall quality. I won’t make it out to the worse than some of the “minor conferences” because that is just not the case, but the Big 10 is not awesome and is not deserving of any kind of reverential stature.
No one gives Hawaii any serious consideration for a major BCS Bowl Game and I marvel at the short memories for all the college football gurus. Last year – it really wasn’t back when Amos Alonzo Stagg was roaming the sidelines – those same gurus also knew for sure that Boise State stood exactly no chance against Oklahoma. Unless I was in some parallel universe at the moment, I recall Boise State winning that game. So, why not Hawaii against one of the champions of a supposed power conference? I think it would be fun to watch and that could mean big TV ratings which means big revenues – - and that’s the only reason we have BCS Bowl Games in the first place.
Since I’m on the subject of bowl games, the “naming rights” business has gotten out of hand with regard to these games. If you think I’m over-reacting here, ruminate on these:
The San Diego Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl will be played at Qualcomm Stadium.
The Meineke Car Care Bowl will be played at Bank of America Stadium.
When you think of college football during the Holiday Season, does the San Diego Credit Union immediately come to mind? If it does, you need help. Where is all of this leading? I don’t know but I do know there are some “naming rights” that should never happen no matter how much money is involved. For example:
Camel cigarettes should never have the naming rights for a hospital annex.
The Betty Ford Clinic should not “brand” a line of cocktail napkins.
The “More Taste League” should never worry about whether or not to sanction Salvation Army Beer.
There are some bad NCAA football games on the docket for this weekend:
Florida hosts Florida Atlantic on Saturday. Why?
Alabama hosts Louisiana-Monroe. Why?
Louisiana-Lafayette travels to play Florida International. Who cares?
When the Pope comes to the US next year, he will say a mass at Yankee Stadium. On the same visit, he will also say a mass in Washington DC at the new stadium for the Washington Nationals. In another piece of news, the Tampa Bay Devil Rays changed their name to the Tampa Bay Rays. Did they do that to have a better chance of getting the Pope to Tampa to say a mass there? Enquiring minds want to know…
Finally, here’s a comment from Mike Bianchi in the Orlando Sentinel regarding the name change for the Tampa baseball team:
“The Tampa Bay Devil Rays are no more. Earlier this week, they officially changed their name to just the ‘Rays.’ Meanwhile, down in Hades, the Devil released the following statement: ‘Thank God. Those bums were giving me a bad name.’ “
But don’t get me wrong, I love sports …