College Gameday Breaks Down the BCS

Prior to the OU-OSU game, College Gameday broke down the BCS system.

OU jumps Texas in BCS, headed to Big 12 Championship

The top five of the BCS standings released Sunday:

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

For Complete BCS standings, visit http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/rankingsindex.

The BCS decided the fate of the Big 12 South Sunday, and it favored OU, despite the Longhorns constant campaigning. 

The Sooners defeated Oklahoma State 61-41 Saturday, giving them the edge in the computer poll and the number 2 spot in the BCS behind Alabama.  Oklahoma has a .9351 BCS average. Texas’ BCS average is .9223. The Sooners were one point ahead of Texas in the USA Today coaches poll and 6 points behind the Longhorns in the Harris Interactive poll.  

The Sooners head to Kansas City to face off against Missouri in the Big 12 Championship.  If OU wins, they will go to the BCS Championship game against the SEC Champion, either Alabama or Florida.  If the Sooners lose, then it is likely Texas will go to the BCS Championship, without winning their conference championship.  

The Bedlam Debacle

Well, just when you thought Oklahoma State was on their way to legitimizing their football program, they go and do something completely absurd.

A new policy announced in January states that Bedlam tickets would only be made available to those who purchased season tickets.

THIS IS THE MOST RIDICULOUS THING I HAVE EVER HEARD!!!!

Is the athletic department that incompetent?  Inept?  Stupid?  The synonyms could go on and on! 

Mike Gundy

OSU finally renovates and vastly improves its stadium, only to pull an idiotic move like this!

Capacity for the stadium is about 60,000, but nearly 10,000 seats could be empty at game time.

This is just embarrassing, both for the University and the state of Oklahoma.

Tickets to Bedlam are the hottest ticket in the state. Heck, it’s probably the hottest ticket for the state of Oklahoma in almost a decade.  But the “geniuses” running the OSU athletic department have greater financial aspirations.

What!!!???

OSU wouldn’t even have a football program if it wasn’t for Boone Pickens, and even then, they still struggle to compete.  Now, OSU finally has a good team, and they continue to find ways to screw up!

Then the situation turned from bad to worse.  When the Tulsa Tribune encouraged OSU to give away the remaining tickets to needy children or Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans, a spokesperson for OSU said the school had no such plans.

What generosity Oklahoma State.  Way to go.

So, on behalf of all Oklahomans, I would like to say thank you Oklahoma State.  Thank you for setting back your program another 10 years.  Thank you for embarrassing our state on national television.  And thank you for legitimizing the country’s belief that Oklahomans are ignorant and “U-N-E-D-U-M-A-C-A-T-E-D.” 

College Football Week 13 Slideshow

I made this slideshow to give an in-depth look at the top ten teams that played in week 13.

Nate Feken’s Week 14 Preview

Saturday, (Nov. 29, 2008):

(1)Alabama vs. Auburn – 3:30 on CBS

Breakdown:           

In the 72nd playing of the Iron Bowl, the stakes will be very high for the Alabama Crimson Tide.  They look to complete their regular season without a loss against the dreaded Auburn Tigers. 

This feat will not be an easy one considering the recent history of the series.  Auburn has won the past six games, but all of these victories have been by 10 points or less. 

The last time the Tigers played a No. 1 team they beat Florida 23 to 20 in 2001. 

Auburn’s hard-nosed defense should keep this game close, but the inept Tiger offense won’t be able to find the end zone enough.  This will be a close game, especially since both teams had the week off to prepare for each other. 

Despite recent trends, Alabama’s great defense will force a couple turnovers and give QB John Parker Wilson and the Tide offense good field position and easy access to the end zone.

ADVANTAGE: Alabama

Final Score: Alabama 42 – Auburn 10

Star Watch:

Alabama

RB’s #38, 22, & 5: Glenn Coffee, Mark Ingram, & Roy Upchurch – the trio has combined for 2,043 yards and 21 TDs.  They should be able to continue to carry the Alabama offense between the three of them against the gritty Auburn defense

DB #49 Rashad Johnson – He will get another big turnover against a suspect Auburn offense, he leads the SEC in passes defended with 10, and has 5 INTs, with 125 return yards and 2 TDs

LB #25 Rolando McClain – the big mike backer will look to roam the field and shut down the Tiger’s rushing attack, he has 77 tackles, 10 for a loss, 3 sacks, and 1 INT

Auburn

DE’s #94 & 52 Sen’Derrick Marks & Antonio Coleman – Auburn has a pair of great defensive ends that will try to contain QB J.P. Wilson and the Bama backfield.  They have combined for: 15 QB hits, 72 tackles, 8 sacks, and 19.5 tackles for a loss.

QB #18 Kodi Burns – Burns is able to make some great plays with his feet, but must make better decisions when passing the ball and limit turnovers to help the Tigers pull off the upset.  He has 503 yards & 5 TDs on the ground and 937 yards, 2 TDs, and 7 INTs through the air.

RB’s #44, 1, & 27: Ben Tate, Brad Lester, & Mario Fannin – These playmakers must execute in order to throw off the Tide Defense.  Each back provides something different and must do their job.  They have combined for 1155 yards & 6 TDs rushing, and 286 yards & 3 TDs receiving.

 

 

 

Thursday, (Nov. 27, 2008):

(2)Texas vs. Texas A&M – 6 p.m. on ESPN

Breakdown:

This game has major BCS implications for Texas if they wish to keep their National Title hopes alive.

There are two contrasting goals for the teams involved. 

Texas looks to keep its Big 12 and National Championship aspirations alive with a victory.  Conversely, A&M looks to ruin a great season for their arch rivals and salvage a tough rebuilding year for first year coach Mike Sherman. 

If the Longhorns win, their focus shifts to staying ahead of Oklahoma in the BCS standings and locking up the Big 12 South.

A&M has won the previous two meetings in the Lone Star Showdown, but look for the Longhorn’s superior talent to help them pull away in this one.  The Longhorns will be well prepared for this one, after letting the Aggies sneak up on them the last two seasons. 

Aggie quarterback Stephen McGee has led the past two upset wins for A&M, however, he will be watching from the sideline with a sprained shoulder.  This places the Aggies chances squarely on the shoulders of sophomore QB Jerrod Johnson.  The Longhorns will roll in this one behind their running game and stout defense.

 

ADVANTAGE: Texas

Final Score: Texas 70 – Texas A&M 28

 

Players to Watch:

Texas

QB #12 Colt McCoy – played poorly in past two matchups between these teams, 34 for 60, 389 yards, 1 TD and 4 INTs

WR #8 Jordan Shipley – at least one receiving touchdown in all but one game, major kickoff return and receiving threat            

DE#98 Brian Orakpo – a beast coming off the edge, one of the best pass rushers in the nation, ranks second in the Big 12 with 8.5 sacks           

                  Texas A&M                

QB#1 Jerrod Johnson – very athletic QB with a big arm, leads 22^nd rated pass offense, his decision making will make and break the game, 20 TD/10 INTs

QB/WR#17 Ryan Tannehill – great athlete and team’s playmaker, 3^rd string QB as well as team’s leading receiver with 813 yards, 81.3 yards/game, 5 TDs

P#16 Justin Brantly – one of the best punters in the country, good field position from his punts could help keep the Aggies in the game, leads conference punting

 

 

 

Pistol Pete vs. Boomer and Sooner

 

(3) Oklahoma @ (12) Oklahoma State – 8 p.m. on ABC

Breakdown:

Oklahoma comes into another tough Bedlam game in Stillwater with Big 12 and National Championship invites on the line.  

Bob Stoop’s squad looks to make a statement against the Pokes to impress the BCS voters.  If the Sooners win this game and Texas and Texas Tech win their games, Oklahoma’s championship hopes will ride on the BCS ratings.  

So look for the Sooners to really come out hot early and not look back.  Oklahoma State’s offense should keep them in the game, with their multiple offensive weapons.  Kendall Hunter will try to lead the ground attack, while Dez Bryant will lead their aerial assault.  Eventually Oklahoma’s defense should step up and put the clamps on the Cowboy’s offense and put this one away for the Sooners.

 

ADVANTAGE: Oklahoma

Final Score: Oklahoma 45 – Oklahoma State 35

Star Watch:

Oklahoma

            QB#14) Sam Bradford – he will look to run this high powered offense of the Sooners and lead them to a victory, leads the nation with 42 TDs and 2^nd in the country in pass effiecincy, looks to help his cause for the Heisman as well

            LB#28) Travis Lewis – this redshirt freshman has been huge this year for the Sooners and always seems to be around the ball, look for him to cause a turnover, 117 tackles, 3.5 sacks, and 4 INTs

            RB#7) Demarco Murray – seems to have his surgically repaired knee back under him, and will find a way to score, probably OU’s most explosive player, 929 yards rushing, 379 receiving, and 548 kickoff yards, for a total of 17 TDs

Oklahoma State

            WR#1) Dez Bryant – maybe the best receiver in all of college football, look for him to go up and make a couple big play for the Pokes, 68 receptions, 1222 yards (3^rd highest), and 16 TDs

            RB#24) Kendall Hunter – the guy that stirs OSU’s drink, he keeps the Cowboys in it and provides a highly rated rushing attack, 1495 yards (5^th best), with 14 TDs, and a 6.8 yards per carry

            QB#11) Zac Robinson – will try and lead the Pokes offense against a very hot Sooner defense, look for him to make plays with his arm and legs, 2481 yards, 21 TDs/7 INTs, 3^rd most efficient qb in all of college footballFriday, (Nov. 28, 2008):

 

 

 

(4)Florida @ (20)FSU – 3:30 p.m. on ABC

Florida vs. Florida State

 

Breakdown:

Another Sunshine Showdown, another game that features both teams ranked in the top twenty-five and in the hunt for championships. 

Florida has locked up the SEC East division and looks to keep their National Championship hopes alive with a win.  Florida State can win the Atlantic Division of the ACC with a victory and a Boston College loss. 

Florida has won the past four games of this rivalry, by an average of 18.5 points. 

Florida’s plethora of offensive weapons will overtake the Seminole’s defense.  After all, the Gators have the third highest scoring offense in college football. 

Christian Ponder will lead the hit-and-miss Seminole offense.  The Noles are coming off their best performance of their season, but they must limit turnovers against the Gator’s ninth ranked total defense.

In the end, the Gators defense will force a few turnovers and their speed on offense will run circles around Florida State. 

 

ADVANTAGE: Florida

Final Score: Florida 52 – Florida State 13

Star Watch:

         Florida           

Tim Tebow

  

QB #15 Tim Tebow – look for Tebow to spread the ball around to his offensive playmakers, he is one of the most efficient rating qb’s in the nation with a rating of 175.2, he has thrown an amazing 22 TDs to 2 INTs, for 2114 yards

            WR/RB #1 Percy Harvin – he is one of the most exciting and explosive players in the country, he should find the end zone through the air or on the ground, averages 14.3 yards every time he touches the ball, has 1020 all purpose yards and 15 TDs

            LB #51 Brandon Spikes – defensive leader and playmaker, leads team with 74 tackles, and has 3 INTs and has returned 2 for TDs

Florida State

            LB #51 Derek Nicholson – looks to shut down the Gator’s playmakers and hold off their explosive offense, leads team with 70 tackles, 13 for a loss, fumble return for a TD

            RB #6 Antone Smith – tied with 60 points for team’s leading scorer, will try to put the             Seminole’s offense on his back, he has a real nose for the end zone has 14 TDs and 696 yards rushing

            QB #7 Christian Ponder – he will try and manage the Seminole offense to keep them in the game, must make better decisions to get team in the end zone, 12 TDs/11 INTs, can make plays with feet, 390 yards rushing and 4 TDs

 

 

 

(5) University of Southern California vs. Notre Dame – 8 p.m. on ESPN

Breakdown:

            Charlie Weis summed this match up best when he said, “We’re at different ends of the spectrum at this point.”  Notre Dame will be heavily over matched in this contest.  The Trojans just have too many athletes on both sides of the ball for the Irish to handle.  SC’s explosive running back stable should have a hay day against Notre Dame’s defense.  Jimmy Clausen has been far too inconsistent to do any damage against a USC defense that has several players headed to the NFL next year.  The Trojans should pull away in the first half and never look back.

 

"The Reggie Bush Push"

 

ADVANTAGE: USC

Final Score: USC 63 – Notre Dame 3

 

Star Watch:

Southern Cal

            LB#55) Rey Mualuga – a first round lock next year and the leader of a fast physical front seven for the Trojans, should be able to get to Clausen all day, has 66 tackles, 2 INTs and one for a TD

            RBs#25 & 13) C.J. Gable & Stafon Johnson – combined for 1173 yards and 7 TDs a piece, one of these two should break the game open for the Trojans against a suspect D

            DB#2) Taylor Mays – this oversized safety should be wreacking havoc on ND’s passing attack and come up to help on the run, 46 tackles, and 7 pass breakups

Notre Dame

            WRs#23 & 3) Golden Tate & Michael Floyd – the pair has been ND’s passing attack this year and has combined for 1590 yards, 96 catches, & 14 TDs

            QB#7) Jimmy Clausen – he will have to manage a near perfect game to keep the Irish in this one, must limit INTs thrown 20 TDs/15 INTs

            S#28) Kyle McCarthy – must be able to come inside the box and help out with the Trojan’s running back stable, leads team with 96 tackles and 3.5 tackles for a loss

 

 

For a preview of the entire top ten teams, visit http://bcsbreakdown.wordpress.com/nate-fekens-week-14-preview/.

BCS Kids

I wanted to look at the BCS and get some advice from the experts.  However, these might not be the college football experts you’re used to.

Now What?

After the OU thrashing of Texas Tech, what’s going to happen now?  OU believes if they win at OSU, they should represent the south in the Big 12 Championship game.  Texas beat OU head to head, so they think they should go to the Big 12 Championship.  And Texas Tech only has one loss.  Do I really have to say what EVERYONE is thinking?

THERE NEEDS TO BE A PLAYOFF!

If it isn’t obvious by now, then you are blind.  The BCS system has been heading towards apocalypse for years, and it looks like it will finally get there.

Even President-Elect Barack Obama wants a playoff. 

Let’s look at the proof.

The most obvious reason the current system is flawed is the undefeated rule.  If three teams in major conferences go undefeated, then who goes to the BCS championship game?  One team will get left out.  So you look at strength of schedule, right?  But that doesn’t work all the time.  Unfair?  Yeah, I think so.  Those teams worked all year to stay undefeated to have a shot at the title game, and after they do, one gets left out.  No, no, no, this is ridiculous.

 

Next, teams that lose early in the season actually BENEFIT in the end.  More than likely, there will not be two or three undefeated teams in major conferences.  So, teams that lose early in the season will climb back up the standings, while a good team may lose to another good team at the end of the season, and drop way back and out of championship contention.

 

Let’s not forget how this happened twice to Ohio State (look how that turned out).

 

Some people claim a playoff would take the significance and value away from the regular season, but this isn’t true.  Teams still must play well enough to be ranked in the top 8 or 10 at the end of the season.

 

 

Then, there’s the current situation: a three way tie.  I realize that Tech got demolished by OU, but strong arguments can be made by both Texas and OU to represent the Big 12 South.

 

I want someone to dispute my point of view.  If you can present a clear and reasonable argument against a playoff, then I will listen and possibly concede, but this can and will not happen.  A playoff in Division 1 college football must happen, and it must happen soon!

BCS Standings – November 23, 2008

BCS Standings – November 23, 2008

		BCS		Harris Poll			USA Today
	TEAM	BCS AVG	PRVS	RK	PTS	%	RK	PTS	%
1	Alabama	.9872	1	1	2839	.9961	1	1518	.9954
2	Texas	.9209	3	4	2577	.9042	4	1370	.8984
3	Oklahoma	.9125	5	3	2598	.9116	2	1412	.9259
4	Florida	.8755	4	2	2644	.9277	3	1401	.9187
5	USC	.7974	6	5	2387	.8375	5	1288	.8446
6	Utah	.7858	7	8	2113	.7414	7	1153	.7561
7	Texas Tech	.7789	2	7	2118	.7432	8	1073	.7036
8	Penn State	.7520	8	6	2187	.7674	6	1157	.7587
9	Boise State	.6581	9	9	1901	.6670	9	1033	.6774
10	Ohio State	.6210	10	10	1827	.6411	10	994	.6518

No More Automatic Bids

I was recently watching College Football Live with Lou Holtz and Mark May.  They were having an argument about automatic bids to BCS bowl games.  May agreed that conference champions should get an automatic bid to a BCS bowl. 

Miami Hurricanes

Are you kidding me?  Are you telling me that a two or even three loss ACC or Big East team should go to a BCS bowl game over a one loss Big 12 or SEC team, or even an undefeated Boise State, Utah, or Ball State club?  This just proves the old system does not work anymore.

 

Now I understand that the ACC and Big East are considered major conferences, but when the conference champion has three losses and isn’t even ranked in the top 25, they don’t deserve to get an automatic bid.  They didn’t earn it!  There are one-loss teams that played a much more difficult schedule, such as Oklahoma, Texas, Florida, Penn State, or USC, that should take the place of that automatic bid.  No one in the country will argue that the five abovementioned teams are not better than the ACC or Big East conference champ this year.

USC Trojans

So what should be done?  Well first off, get rid of automatic bids all together.  The only reason they exist is so each conference will get MONEY.  A university receives a ridiculous amount of money for going to a BCS bowl, and this corrupts the game with greed.   

And I know, I know, lots of people like the major conferences facing off in a BCS bowl to determine which conference is better.  But it’s obvious this year.  The ACC and Big East are down.  There is nothing wrong with that.  Every conference goes through it.  But let’s not punish the truly good and deserving teams because of an old and outdated rule.

Texas Longhorns

Second, take the top ten teams in the BCS and match them up against each other.  If that means three teams from one conference go to a BCS bowl, then that’s what should happen.  Those teams earned it. 

I realize that changing this rule would infuriate many people around the country, but it must be done to reward those teams that truly deserve to go to a BCS bowl game.

 

C’mon America, let’s fix this ridiculously outdated rule, because if this hasn’t already happened to your favorite team, it will, and probably sooner rather than later.

Does the BCS Ranking System need to be changed?