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Well the spring games are wrapping up and everyone is hyped about their teams.  “This is our year!” can be heard in Coral Gables all the way up to South Bend.  Everyone thinks that they know what is going to happen with this guy and that guy.  Basically it’s the long wait until the fall.

There is one thing that everyone can agree on it seems, the BCS sucks.  Well maybe that’s harsh, but I don’t know of anyone who thinks that it’s perfect.  Even though it’s benefited the Gators in recent years, I still think that a plus-1 scenario is the most logical.  The format is set, everything is already there and everyone still gets paid.

I know that the BCS is everyone’s favorite punching bag, but what can you do? The power players of College Football are running things and that’s how it is.  Ivan Maisel wrote a column today about how the BCS needs a better PR machine.  Personally I feel that it doesn’t matter who is “defending” it, anything short of admitting that it’s just a money grab is disingenuous.  Whatever

So where does that leave us?  Right back to where we started.  You better win, and you better be impressive and at the end of the day you still might not get a shot at the big time.  Well that’s assuming that you are not ND or a member of the 6 power conferences.  Sorry Utah et al.

How many more months to kickoff?

Words can not do this video justice, poor Jacksonville having to be represented by Corrine Brown.

National Signing Day (NSD) is upon us.  Wednesday, the 4th of February, highschool seniors across the nation will sign a piece of paper telling some lucky college that they are going to go play ball for them. For the power house colleges this is like USA vs USSR at the height of the Cold War.  The Soviets, being every other college out there and you (your favorite school here) basically want to have more nukes than the other guy, but instead of making the nukes yourself you have to convince these “weapons” that they will like living in your country better.

NSD is one of my favorite days of the year, because the kids have fun with it and keep all of us crazy fans on the edge of our seats, even though some of these kids will never pan out.

Last year my country, The “U”, loaded up with weapons and it was widely consider the #1 class in the nation. Thank goodness for that, we needed it. This year Miami is projected to have another good class, especially with the #1 RB in the nation, Bryce Brown.  The usual suspects are loading up with talent too; USC, Florida, LSU, and Alabama  all look to be putting together killer classes. 

Here are a couple names you should pay attention to this year.  Many of  these guys will more than likely determine the #1 recruiting class this go around.

1. Bryce Brown - Leaning Miami - Considered by some as the best RB coming out of highschool in the last 5 years.
2. Rueben Randle- Leaning LSU - See  Julio Jones from last year for the type of player this one is, game changer, he is also considering Alabama… could you imaging those two on the field at the same time…disgusting.
3. Manti Te’o - Leaning USC - Stud linebacker, could be the next  Rey Maualuga, he will anchor someones defense for a couple years.

Vinny; who loves ya baby?!

I wish nothing more than for these kids to be pressure free and have fun picking the university they are going to go to.  For the coaching staffs though this is the final hour, the USSR is fueling up their missles and it is going to be over before you know it, it is time to go balls to the wall and lock these kids up. This is the new cold war, it’s all about recruiting!

I always loved Beano Cook.  Normally he is slobbering about Knute Rockne and God’s favorite team, Notre Dame.  Although I do think he is loosing it a bit in the middle of this, he does finish in true Beano fashion.

Enjoy!

I pace, I mutter to myself, I’m a little shaky, my palms are sweating, I pace some more.  My mind races.  My stomach churns.  I’m so far out on the edge I’m about to plummet!

No, I’m not describing the first time I called a girl, although that description isn’t too far off.  I’m describing my current state as the Pitt faithful frantically awaits LeSean McCoy’s decision on whether or not to go pro.

Our hearts have been toyed with over the past month and a half.  Before the Thanksgiving weekend West Virginia game, the sophomore running back said he’d be back, that he “loved being a college student and had so much left to prove”.  Then, during the Sun Bowl (the most boring football game ever to be on national TV), Tony Dorsett felt that McCoy would be back and that he advised him to do so.  Then…a few days after the New Year, all seemed to be right in the world.  In the middle of a hardcore elliptical session at the gym, I saw 8 words scroll by on the ESPN ticker that set my heart all aflutter: “LeSean McCoy to return to Pitt next season”.  All was right in the world.

Or was it?

Last Friday, I made my daily visit to the Pittsburgh Post Gazette’s website and saw a headline saying “McCoy now likely to go to NFL”.  I could not believe it.  Anger and rage set in, then confusion, then fear.  This must be what days 2-7 feel like in rehab.

I’m not going to get too into the reasons why McCoy should stay just yet, I’m going to wait until after his final decision, which has to come by Thursday at the latest as that’s the deadline for underclassman to declare for the draft.  He was supposed to announce his plans yesterday but apparently called Coach Wannstedt to say how conflicted he is and needed more time.  I do take some sort of solace in knowing how difficult of a decision it is for him and that he’s obviously not rushing it. 

However, this quote from a Post-Gazette article today really aggravates me:

“According to a source close to the situation, McCoy is struggling with his decision because he is being pulled in a lot of different directions by many different people with conflicting agendas.”

That sums up so many problems with how today’s young athletes are treated and influenced by others…but that’s a whole ‘nother topic.

He needs to stay, he will make a big mistake if he leaves right now.  Not only for himself, but for the entire Pitt football program. 

I beg of you LeSean, we need you!!

Well that was something last night.  The BLE’s mom was calling for a draw so that her house divided could live in peace.  She and my brother went to OU so they are pretty high on the Sooners.  Truth be told, she is happy that Florida won, if for nothing else OU played hard and that’s all you can ask for.  You got to love a mother’s simple truth.

The actual truth is that the game was there for the taking.  OU had Tebow on the ropes a couple of times early and was at the doorstep of the end zone twice in the first half with ZERO points to show for it.  I understand the first attempt.  You want to score a TD and just punch it in.  OU ran it all over the place on that drive and it stood to reason that they would be able to run it in and take a 14-7 lead.  Didn’t happen.

Ok, no problem.  You got 10 seconds left in the half and no time outs.  You have really just one play to throw it into the end zone.  If you make it great, if not you can kick a field goal.  Problem is Bradford threw short of the goal line and the ball was batted around and eventually turned over.  Zero Points.

You just had the feeling that at that moment the game was lost.  There was still an entire half to go sure, but to have to trips to inside the 5 yard line and to come up with nothing was crushing.  The blocked field goal and interception later was only additional pain because you just knew that Tebow would eventually wear down the surprisingly stingy OU D.

Hats off to both D’s last night.  I knew that Florida would bring a great game, but could have never envisioned keeping that offense, the most prolific in college football history, to 14 points.  That was HUGE.  Bradford was running for his life more last night than at any time during the season.  The rhythm of the entire offense was off for most of the night, and the pressure was a major factor.

It just proved once again that there has to be something to the notion that some of the best college football is being played in the SEC year in and year out, even in an admittedly down year for the conference.

It is most certainly great to be a Florida Gator today!  

The ACC Bowls a Strike!

A Breakdown of the ACC’s 2008-09 Postseason Play

How do you measure a conference’s strength? Is it by their non conference record? Is it by the number of teams ranked in the top 25? How does one claim the SEC is better than the PAC 10? I’m not saying that this isn’t true. I’m just curious on how this is measured. Being a product of ACC country, football will always come in second behind the hardwood due six of the 12 teams having Final Four experience. But, the fact that 10 of 12 ACC schools made a bowl this year has made some heads begin to turn.

Over the last several years, the Atlantic Coast Conference has been the laughing stock of BCS football. No team has been a threat to the national crown for almost ten years. Miami and FSU have recently fallen on some hard times. Virginia Tech is playing mediocre football while three or four other teams have flashes in the pan. So what made this year different? Is it the fresh coaching blood? Is it the “off year” that our neighbors to the South had?+  In my opinion, the six major football conferences are like the economy; its one big huge cycle. When Nebraska and Florida State were making all the headlines in the early to mid ’90s, USC and most of the SEC was rarely heard from. When Michigan and Notre Dame were bumping and bruising, Texas was completely insignificant. This is not saying that the SEC is on the down slope. Not at all. They still have representation in the national title and probably will for at least several years to come. But the middle ground teams that make up the ranks of 7-25 seem to never be stagnant. When the final polls come out after the national championship, I expect to see three to four ACC teams in the top 25. Is this a preview of next year’s numbers? Time will only tell. I would, however, put money on at least four making the 2009 preseason top 25. This would be a huge step in the right direction for the conference.

Below are my predictions for next year in the ACC. I truly think it will be the Tarheels’ conference to lose. Their schedule is weak other than a home match up with the Seminoles and a trip to Atlanta to take on GT. I see Georgia Tech handling the Tarheels at home but stumbling twice versus other teams to give them their 10-2 finish.

Atlantic

• 1. Florida State [16] (9-3)
• 2. Boston College (8-4)
• 3. Wake Forest (8-4)
• 4. Clemson (7-5)
• 5. NC State (7-5)
• 6. Maryland (7-5)

Coastal

• 1. North Carolina [8] (11-1)
• 2. Georgia Tech [11] (10-2)
• 3. Miami [21](9-3)
• 4. Virginia Tech (7-5)
• 5. Duke (7-5)
• 6. Virginia (5-7)

*Brackets equal national rank entering 2009 bowl season.

The biggest surprise in the conference will definitely be Duke. Their four wins this year matches their total for the last three seasons. Cutcliffe has the boys in Durham on the right path. Everyone else will perform as predicted by the experts.

Enjoy the bowl season. It should be a good one. Go ACC!