Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Week 3 of the College Football Season

Well, we are just about done with the non-conference schedules, and there were some big games this week.  Toss in the latest on potential re-alignment, and what do we have?  Well.......

1. Clemson's comeback win against Auburn is the kind of win that turns a corner for a program.  Taj Boyd was masterful in the comeback and all those good recruiting years have the Tigers' roster full of talent.  I think they are still going to be hard pressed to get a conference title, but they might have some momentum.  Now, the question is how will they stand up to the Noles?

2. The Vols still can't beat the Gators.  Oh, and letting John Brantley play in Charlie Weis' offense was a masterstroke.  He was never going to succeed in a spread-rushing attack, but is one of the better pro-style prospects in the country and fits the new O to a T.  Mind you, he still needs to improve, but a great move for him and the Gators.

3.  Michigan State is not the #15 team in the country at this point.  Dantonio will have them winning games they shouldn't, but Notre Dame's D is not that good

4. Texas isn't quite back, but at least they know who their QB is going to be this year.  168 yards for McCoy is not great, but doing it on 15 attempts is solid

5. Looking at the trouble that South Carolina had with Navy at home begs a question.  If USC is the best in the SEC East, then what the hell happened to the SEC East?

6. Ok, if Arizona State is the best in the Pac-12 South, and they can't beat Illinois, and went to OT against Missouri, then the Pac-12 south is not good....at all.  Mind you, there are some nice players on that team, but they are not ready for primetime.

7. Uhm, Miami's defense?  Yeah, they are pretty good, but I don't know that they are as good as Ohio State made them look.  Seriously, you leading passer had 22 yards?  I thought Bausermann had a chance to be solid enough to start a year, but he was shook.  It's time to bench him and let the kid have his shot.

8. The OU - FSU game was a great game between 2 very good teams.  It was physical, and outside of a nutjob linebacker for the Noles, pretty cleanly played....oh yeah with one exception.  FSU gets some momentum early and has what looks to be a touchdown or near touchdown pass and the receiver gets 2 helmets to the head?  That's dirty and really was a shame to have that be such a big play in such an important game that was played so well overall.  Taking nothing away from OU at all, because they were the better team that night.  FSU will be there, but their best players are too young at this point to really be considered a title contender.  That play, however, inspires a thought.  Personal fouls against defenseless receivers shoudl be spot fouls.  If you are going to launch yourself and deliver life/career threatening blows to the head, which are considered personal fouls, then all benefit should be taken away from you doing that.  The Sooners saved 15 yards and were able to hold the Noles to a field goal rather than have FSU score a TD to tie the game early. 

9. I cannot wait for the Oregon - Stanford game.  They are, pretty clearly, the class of the Pac - 12 and the winner will be a heavy favorite to represent the conference in the BCS.

10. So, my latest thoughts on conference re-alignment?

      I think the ACC has the chance to end any question about what the best basketbally conference in the country is by accepting Syracuse, Pitt, and UConn if that rumor proves true.  People look at this re-alignment only from a football point of view but in the ACC basketball is king and adding even 2 of those 3 premier teams would be huge.  Additionally, leaving the Big East to join the ACC would be a small recruiting boost for those schools as the ACC, though not the SEC, is better respected than the Big East in the football world.

     OU's statements that they are willing to stay if the Big 12 kicks out the existing president and makes some changes is huge.  Regardless of Texas, OU gives the conference a potential flagship program.  Toss into that the the PAC-12's reported decision to stand pat for now, and I think now is the time for the Big 12 to be aggressive.  With a few moves, they could move from deathbed to one of the potential power conferences. The moves to my mind are:
     1. Kick out the president and work on the reforms that are needed to keep OU.  This will keep OSU as well, and give you a chance of keeping the conference together overall.  This is reinforced by the Pac-12 decision because UT doesn't have another top-tier choice at this point unless they go independent.
     2. Recruit new schools.  With the Big East weakening, go take TCU.  They are a regional fit and are very solid in a number of athletic programs having a top tier football program and a CWS level baseball program.  Take a look at schools like BYU, Houston, and Boise State who have managed to shohorn their way into the national conciousness.  These are teams that could compete right now in football and each of them is solid in at least one other sport while fitting into the region.
     3. Flip that growth and momentum into a new TV deal that includes the LongHorn network with some short of profit sharing across the board.  UT may not like that, but once you have grown, and have OU committed, they can leave if they want to.

DAMN I LOVE FOOTBALL SEASON

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