Thursday, January 31, 2008
Thursday, January 3, 2008
So having just seen another early top ten go up on this site I thought I would throw my hat into the fray to analyze what the top twenty-five of the next year should look like to begin the season. All this is done, of course, without actually knowing which players are going to go to the NFL and which are going to stay. Which coaches may be hired and which may go at the last second.
I am not going to lie when I say that this top twenty-five might have some surprises in it and I only put these surprises in there because I think these teams have a chance to surprise a lot of people.
The hard part about making this sort of list, other than not knowing which players might return, is that at the end of every season, half of the bowl teams have a strong reason for optimism going into the next season, either because of Bowl wins or because of new coaches.
Then there are teams like Notre Dame who probably have optimism, but I am having a hard time figure out where they belong. Yes, they had an awful year. Yes, I cannot stand Notre Dame. But you cannot deny that amount of talent and you cannot deny that Charlie Weis, god bless his front-butt ass, will do everything he can to improve his coaching this next season.
Without further ado, I give you a shitty top 25 that can be blasted from here to eternity:
#25 - Mississippi State: Why? Because I find it hard not to believe in Sylvester Croom. This is a man who knows his football, and more importantly, the kids believe in him. I believe this is a team ready to take the next step and cause havoc in the SEC, especially in a season in which LSU and Auburn will have new starting quarterbacks.
#24 - Notre Dame: I have no idea why I have them ranked. Something just tells me that they pull out some tough wins to get to eight wins on the season.
#23 - BYU: Because they are religious and they will pray to their god....Mitt Romney.
#22 - Alabama: Yes, they lose to Croom again. It's called penance. But I think they also finally beat Auburn.
#21 - Florida State: I think this may have been the most impressive victory of the Bowl Season so far...and they lost! If they don't face massive sanctions I think they have a chance to claim their division.
#20 - UCF: Mr. Smith returns. Mr. O'Leary returns. UCF learns how to pass a little.
#19 - UCLA: How does Rick Neuheisel avoid a NCAA Tourny pool with that basketball team?!? O, and he is a good coach.
#18 - Tennessee: The Great Pumpkin is a good coach and people in Orange Nation should be happy with what they have.
#17 - Auburn: They are going to try the spread next year with a new quarterback named Burns. They will do just that to a lot of defenses.
#16 - Illinois: I meant to put them here, and then I put Wisconsin here. To be honest I am going to end up being way wrong either way.
#15 - Clemson: Honestly, I think a darkhorse to run the table. But it's Clemson and they are always a darkhorse, and they always disappoint.
#14 - Michigan: I think Lloyd Carr did his last great coaching move in the bowl game and unleashed the team for R-Rod. Another school that should have been happier with their coach.
#13 - Texas Tech: Another darkhorse. Mike Leach is a lawyer. Enough said.
#12 - Kansas: I think this team is a lot better than people give them credit for and I think they are going to start proving it.
#11 - Texas: I know Charles is leaving, but that was an impressive win in the bowl game. They also have Colt McCoy coming back, and he doesn't look like that other Colt after the Sugar Bowl.
#10 - LSU: Ryan Perilloux gets his time. But they lose Glenn Dorsey.
#9 - Oregon: I think they found a new quarterback. Now, if they could only get rid of those old plain uniforms.....
#8 - Virginia Tech: I had a friend that called the LSU-VT game earlier this year "The Tragedy Bowl" and that is reason enough to place them this high.
#7 - Arizona State: They have one heck of a coach. They weren't even supposed to be good this year. I think they unleash the devil. And their cheerleaders are hot.
#6 - Ohio State: All they do is win. Except when playing the SEC. Shoot me if I ever wear a sweater vest.
#5 - Florida: Don't Tase me Bro!
#4 - USC: Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you this decade's Florida State, never out of the Top 4.
#3 - Georgia: This team is loaded. So is their schedule. No way they get through unscathed.
#2 - Missouri: This team brings back tons of talent and next year they have the experience to take it all the way. Too bad they don't have fans that travel.
#1 - West Virginia: I think this is a team on the cusp of greatness. Not to mention the weak conference they are in.
Teams I found hard to leave out: Pittsburgh, Washington, Georgia Tech, Miami, Wisconsin, California, Penn State, Cincinnati, South Carolina.
You can make fun of this all you want, because I put absolutely NO research into this. If you get all hot and bothered that your team was left out...well get a life, cause I just made this shit up.
I am not going to lie when I say that this top twenty-five might have some surprises in it and I only put these surprises in there because I think these teams have a chance to surprise a lot of people.
The hard part about making this sort of list, other than not knowing which players might return, is that at the end of every season, half of the bowl teams have a strong reason for optimism going into the next season, either because of Bowl wins or because of new coaches.
Then there are teams like Notre Dame who probably have optimism, but I am having a hard time figure out where they belong. Yes, they had an awful year. Yes, I cannot stand Notre Dame. But you cannot deny that amount of talent and you cannot deny that Charlie Weis, god bless his front-butt ass, will do everything he can to improve his coaching this next season.
Without further ado, I give you a shitty top 25 that can be blasted from here to eternity:
#25 - Mississippi State: Why? Because I find it hard not to believe in Sylvester Croom. This is a man who knows his football, and more importantly, the kids believe in him. I believe this is a team ready to take the next step and cause havoc in the SEC, especially in a season in which LSU and Auburn will have new starting quarterbacks.
#24 - Notre Dame: I have no idea why I have them ranked. Something just tells me that they pull out some tough wins to get to eight wins on the season.
#23 - BYU: Because they are religious and they will pray to their god....Mitt Romney.
#22 - Alabama: Yes, they lose to Croom again. It's called penance. But I think they also finally beat Auburn.
#21 - Florida State: I think this may have been the most impressive victory of the Bowl Season so far...and they lost! If they don't face massive sanctions I think they have a chance to claim their division.
#20 - UCF: Mr. Smith returns. Mr. O'Leary returns. UCF learns how to pass a little.
#19 - UCLA: How does Rick Neuheisel avoid a NCAA Tourny pool with that basketball team?!? O, and he is a good coach.
#18 - Tennessee: The Great Pumpkin is a good coach and people in Orange Nation should be happy with what they have.
#17 - Auburn: They are going to try the spread next year with a new quarterback named Burns. They will do just that to a lot of defenses.
#16 - Illinois: I meant to put them here, and then I put Wisconsin here. To be honest I am going to end up being way wrong either way.
#15 - Clemson: Honestly, I think a darkhorse to run the table. But it's Clemson and they are always a darkhorse, and they always disappoint.
#14 - Michigan: I think Lloyd Carr did his last great coaching move in the bowl game and unleashed the team for R-Rod. Another school that should have been happier with their coach.
#13 - Texas Tech: Another darkhorse. Mike Leach is a lawyer. Enough said.
#12 - Kansas: I think this team is a lot better than people give them credit for and I think they are going to start proving it.
#11 - Texas: I know Charles is leaving, but that was an impressive win in the bowl game. They also have Colt McCoy coming back, and he doesn't look like that other Colt after the Sugar Bowl.
#10 - LSU: Ryan Perilloux gets his time. But they lose Glenn Dorsey.
#9 - Oregon: I think they found a new quarterback. Now, if they could only get rid of those old plain uniforms.....
#8 - Virginia Tech: I had a friend that called the LSU-VT game earlier this year "The Tragedy Bowl" and that is reason enough to place them this high.
#7 - Arizona State: They have one heck of a coach. They weren't even supposed to be good this year. I think they unleash the devil. And their cheerleaders are hot.
#6 - Ohio State: All they do is win. Except when playing the SEC. Shoot me if I ever wear a sweater vest.
#5 - Florida: Don't Tase me Bro!
#4 - USC: Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you this decade's Florida State, never out of the Top 4.
#3 - Georgia: This team is loaded. So is their schedule. No way they get through unscathed.
#2 - Missouri: This team brings back tons of talent and next year they have the experience to take it all the way. Too bad they don't have fans that travel.
#1 - West Virginia: I think this is a team on the cusp of greatness. Not to mention the weak conference they are in.
Teams I found hard to leave out: Pittsburgh, Washington, Georgia Tech, Miami, Wisconsin, California, Penn State, Cincinnati, South Carolina.
You can make fun of this all you want, because I put absolutely NO research into this. If you get all hot and bothered that your team was left out...well get a life, cause I just made this shit up.
Announcing Mayhem
We have had three BCS games so far, and every single one of them has allowed me to sleep soundly. Real snoozers.
We were spoon fed the Hawai'i is this year's media darling stories for weeks and all it got us was sheer and utter humiliation that that was a BCS game. We were fed that Illinois was a huge underdog but had all this team speed and Big-10 power that they might pull off an upset. Pass the applesauce, please. We were told WVU had no chance, not noting that they had a pretty good defense and Rich Rodriguez didn't coach that side of the ball. Not noting that there was this guy named Pat White on offense, who can also be known as the Flash from now on.
This BCS season went downhill early. Imagine going into championship Saturday a month ago that Notre Dame was #4 instead of UGA, and that the Irish were 10-2. The #1 and #2 teams in the country lose. Who do you think Kirk Herbstreit is promoting to be in the MNC then?
My point is not that UGA deserved to be in the MNC, because who the hell knows if they did. We sure as hell will never get the chance to find out. My point is that announcers have too much control over the BCS process. College Gameday blatently pandered for an LSU-Ohio State game over a month ago, all the while dismissing teams like UGA and Kansas.
Do I have a problem with the LSU-Ohio State game? No. In fact, I actually think it might be a pretty good game and lord knows of all the teams clamoring for a spot in the MNC those two probably had the strongest arguments. My problem is that the pandering would not have occurred if UGA was Notre Dame or USC or Nebraska. UGA does not hold the same light in the national media as these other schools and I would be the first to admit it.
Announcers talking too much took a new turn in the Sugar Bowl. All pregame we had to deal with this Hawai'i is the team of destiny everyone is supposed to like shtick. Colt Brennan had a personal interest story on him about how he redeemed himself from a "mistake." I am proud that he has been able to redeem himself as are many other people throughout the nation. I am not proud of the Fox network or Brennan not saying what that mistake was. Colt, you broke into a woman's room and exposed your genitals to her. Do not make a personal interest story about yourself to make yourself out like a victim if you can't state that. That story made it seem like he did nothing wrong and he was run out of the University of Colorado by mean and evil people.
Later in the game Thom Brennaman, who should never call a college game again after calling UGA the "Gators," started praising Hawai'i for not giving up, while, at the same time calling UGA classless for still playing hard. Thom, the team had its backups in. These are kids that never see playing time. You want them to start taking knees with ten minutes to go against the highest scoring offense in college football? You want them to come into the Sugar Bowl, a game they may never get the chance to play in again and not try? Go back to the NFL Thom.
I am really hoping for something better in the Orange Bowl tonight. But, to be honest, I kind of smell a Kansas victory in impressive fashion. That team still wants to prove themselves.
We were spoon fed the Hawai'i is this year's media darling stories for weeks and all it got us was sheer and utter humiliation that that was a BCS game. We were fed that Illinois was a huge underdog but had all this team speed and Big-10 power that they might pull off an upset. Pass the applesauce, please. We were told WVU had no chance, not noting that they had a pretty good defense and Rich Rodriguez didn't coach that side of the ball. Not noting that there was this guy named Pat White on offense, who can also be known as the Flash from now on.
This BCS season went downhill early. Imagine going into championship Saturday a month ago that Notre Dame was #4 instead of UGA, and that the Irish were 10-2. The #1 and #2 teams in the country lose. Who do you think Kirk Herbstreit is promoting to be in the MNC then?
My point is not that UGA deserved to be in the MNC, because who the hell knows if they did. We sure as hell will never get the chance to find out. My point is that announcers have too much control over the BCS process. College Gameday blatently pandered for an LSU-Ohio State game over a month ago, all the while dismissing teams like UGA and Kansas.
Do I have a problem with the LSU-Ohio State game? No. In fact, I actually think it might be a pretty good game and lord knows of all the teams clamoring for a spot in the MNC those two probably had the strongest arguments. My problem is that the pandering would not have occurred if UGA was Notre Dame or USC or Nebraska. UGA does not hold the same light in the national media as these other schools and I would be the first to admit it.
Announcers talking too much took a new turn in the Sugar Bowl. All pregame we had to deal with this Hawai'i is the team of destiny everyone is supposed to like shtick. Colt Brennan had a personal interest story on him about how he redeemed himself from a "mistake." I am proud that he has been able to redeem himself as are many other people throughout the nation. I am not proud of the Fox network or Brennan not saying what that mistake was. Colt, you broke into a woman's room and exposed your genitals to her. Do not make a personal interest story about yourself to make yourself out like a victim if you can't state that. That story made it seem like he did nothing wrong and he was run out of the University of Colorado by mean and evil people.
Later in the game Thom Brennaman, who should never call a college game again after calling UGA the "Gators," started praising Hawai'i for not giving up, while, at the same time calling UGA classless for still playing hard. Thom, the team had its backups in. These are kids that never see playing time. You want them to start taking knees with ten minutes to go against the highest scoring offense in college football? You want them to come into the Sugar Bowl, a game they may never get the chance to play in again and not try? Go back to the NFL Thom.
I am really hoping for something better in the Orange Bowl tonight. But, to be honest, I kind of smell a Kansas victory in impressive fashion. That team still wants to prove themselves.
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