Welcome to my crap.
Well, before I get started, I guess I should explain myself.
Amos approached me a few weeks ago, and I asked if I would like to contribute to his little shindig here. Evidently, he thinks, though I would disagree, that I happen to know a thing or three about the sporting world. But, as a great philosopher once mused, "I know enough to know I know nothing."
With that in mind, I've accepted (and appreciate) the consideration. So, for now, or whenever I get a moment of inspiration or what-have-you, I will be the sports guy for this thing. I will focus mainly on college and professional football, hockey, along with some college basketball, MLB baseball, and the dreaded NASCAR. However, this does not mean I am limiting myself to those areas. One of the great things about the internet (besides the porn and spyware, of course), is that gives every idiot like myself the chance to rant and rave about something insignificant as sports. Woo hoo!
Catching you up to speed...
I feel as though I probably should have jumped into this a few weeks ago. At that time, the wave of upsets across the Division 1-A College Football world began and have continued up until right now. Since the last week of September, eight of the top-10 ranked teams have lost. These included the USF Bulls knocking off then-number five West Virginia on a Friday night, a precursor to what happened the next day. Six teams in the top-13 lost, as well as then #21 Penn State.
The upset bug spread the following week, when then #1/#2 Southern Cal lost at home to then 1-3 Stanford, 24-23 Statistically, it was the biggest upset in college football history. (Stanford was a 41-point underdog. Interestingly, the biggest upset in terms of point favorites had occurred just two weeks prior, when Syracuse, a 39-point underdog defeated Louisville in Louisville.)
That left LSU, which had beaten Florida in an all-timer, as the undisputed number one, with Cal #2, and Ohio State #3. Well, again the upsets continued this past weekend, almost being to the point of absurdity. When I learned that both LSU and Cal lost, I chuckled. Not because I almost expected it happen, but almost because I had grown used to it, so why the hell not?
So, on the weekend where the first BCS standings were to be announced, both of the top two teams in the country fall. Why not? When Appalachian State can go to the Big House in Ann Arbor, MI and beat Michigan on opening day, it seems fitting. Ironically, Michigan's loss started this unprecedented Year of the Upset. And who benefits most? The hated OSU Buckeyes.
Where we're at now...
Yes, it's the Fighting Tressels who are ranked #1 in the BCS standings, with South Florida (a team that didn't even exist eleven years ago) #2, Boston College #3, LSU only dropping to #4, and Oklahoma #5. WVU is currently #9, which is good enough for an at-large BCS berth. (The top twelve teams ranked in the BCS are guaranteed a BCS game.)
Where WVU fits in....
Most have the Mountaineers slated in the Rose Bowl (you read that right, the Rose Bowl) facing Cal or USC. Not too shabby. All WVU needs to do is win out, and they will finish with no worse than an at-large big money game.
Now, in words of the legendary Winston Wolf, let's not start sucking each other's dicks just yet. We've seen this from the Blue and Gold before, remember? Even after losing at Louisville last year, WVU was still in the top-10 and, provided they win out and a couple breaks for their way, would have ended up with an at-large BCS bid. Well, all the breaks WVU needed panned out exactly to plan, except for the Mountaineers didn't hold up their end of the bargain. A 24-19 home loss to South Florida derailed any chance of a second consecutive trip to the BCS, and WVU went on to lay claim to the entire state of Georgia by knocking off the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets in the Gator Bowl. (At long last, a Gator Bowl win! Hey, even the blind squirrel gets an acorn eventually, right?)
While the buzz this preseason around Morganhole was one of national championship dreams, those were quickly erased by the debacle in Tampa on September 28. The general ambiance around town was somewhere near funeral-ish. But, after a couple of weeks, things are looking up again. I'm not saying to pencil in the 'Eers for a trip to Bourbon Street for the BCS Championship, but if they win out, they will do no worse than the aforementioned at-large. (I still maintain they'll end up in Miami for the Orange Bowl for a contest between former Big East conference rivals Va Tech or Boston College. A match-up like that would make Big East Big Man Mike Tranghese cream himself.)
A glance around the conference, and what may be to come....
WVU stares up the Big East standings to see USF, Cincinnati, and UConn above them. UConn has to come to Morganhole in early December, but UConn will have faded considerably by then. WVU will be seeking a win to clinch at least a share of the Big East crown. USF will lose at least one game before the regular season is over.
The Bulls have to travel to Rutgers to face the Knights in swamps of Jersey, as well as a roadie to Cincy, and host Louisville. Don't be surprised if the Bulls drop one or two of those. While their defense is simply amazing, I'm still not sold on their offense. Their D is only reason they defeated WVU, and even then, the Mountaineers still had the ball with a minute left and a chance to tie. Louisville's defense couldn't stop you, me, your grandpap, and the dog from putting 24 points on the board. But, Brian Brohm is playing like the future top-five NFL draft pick he is, and their offense will simply outscore USF.
South Florida and Cincinnati still have to play, and the loser of that game will be out of the Big East race. The Bearcats dropped yet another game to the Cardinals this past weekend, a 28-24 contest. Cincy has lived by the turnover this season, but couldn't produce one in the loss to the Cardinals, and that probably was the difference. If the Bearcats defeat the Bulls in Nippert Stadium, WVU's trip to the Queen City on November 17 would effectively become the Big East championship game, with the automatic BCS bowl berth along with it.
Pitt still sucks, and in a bad way. A lot of people have asked me if Dave Wannestache will be canned after this season. I say no. The Pittsburgh media is absolutely enamored with this guy. They love him. Even with a third straight embarrassingly bad performance (along with even worse play calling) in the home loss to Navy, there aren't even any questions being asked. Pitt has dropped four in a row now, and sits at 2-4. They are last in the Big East, and seemed to have regressed as the season goes on. Some have argued that injuries have crippled this team. This warrants some credence, but it can't all be chalked up to that. Wanny was supposed be hauling in ultra-mega-hyper-super-fantastic recruiting classes, as well as inheriting a team that former head man Walt Harris took to the Fiesta Bowl. The cupboard wasn't exactly bare; if Wanny was half the coach people think he is, Pitt should be substantially better than the 13-16 record he has posted in his two and a third seasons. The only way Wannstache is out of a job come December is if the new, as-of-yet-undetermined, athletic director comes in and wants to establish a new beginning with their man.
I'm going to rap this up here, not because I'm out of stuff to say, but to do time commitments. Stop by again, and I always welcome comments or questions. Thanks for reading through my meandering bullshit, and stop by again. I'll try to post at least once or twice a week. Be sure to check out the links to the right as well.
Amos approached me a few weeks ago, and I asked if I would like to contribute to his little shindig here. Evidently, he thinks, though I would disagree, that I happen to know a thing or three about the sporting world. But, as a great philosopher once mused, "I know enough to know I know nothing."
With that in mind, I've accepted (and appreciate) the consideration. So, for now, or whenever I get a moment of inspiration or what-have-you, I will be the sports guy for this thing. I will focus mainly on college and professional football, hockey, along with some college basketball, MLB baseball, and the dreaded NASCAR. However, this does not mean I am limiting myself to those areas. One of the great things about the internet (besides the porn and spyware, of course), is that gives every idiot like myself the chance to rant and rave about something insignificant as sports. Woo hoo!
Catching you up to speed...
I feel as though I probably should have jumped into this a few weeks ago. At that time, the wave of upsets across the Division 1-A College Football world began and have continued up until right now. Since the last week of September, eight of the top-10 ranked teams have lost. These included the USF Bulls knocking off then-number five West Virginia on a Friday night, a precursor to what happened the next day. Six teams in the top-13 lost, as well as then #21 Penn State.
The upset bug spread the following week, when then #1/#2 Southern Cal lost at home to then 1-3 Stanford, 24-23 Statistically, it was the biggest upset in college football history. (Stanford was a 41-point underdog. Interestingly, the biggest upset in terms of point favorites had occurred just two weeks prior, when Syracuse, a 39-point underdog defeated Louisville in Louisville.)
That left LSU, which had beaten Florida in an all-timer, as the undisputed number one, with Cal #2, and Ohio State #3. Well, again the upsets continued this past weekend, almost being to the point of absurdity. When I learned that both LSU and Cal lost, I chuckled. Not because I almost expected it happen, but almost because I had grown used to it, so why the hell not?
So, on the weekend where the first BCS standings were to be announced, both of the top two teams in the country fall. Why not? When Appalachian State can go to the Big House in Ann Arbor, MI and beat Michigan on opening day, it seems fitting. Ironically, Michigan's loss started this unprecedented Year of the Upset. And who benefits most? The hated OSU Buckeyes.
Where we're at now...
Yes, it's the Fighting Tressels who are ranked #1 in the BCS standings, with South Florida (a team that didn't even exist eleven years ago) #2, Boston College #3, LSU only dropping to #4, and Oklahoma #5. WVU is currently #9, which is good enough for an at-large BCS berth. (The top twelve teams ranked in the BCS are guaranteed a BCS game.)
Where WVU fits in....
Most have the Mountaineers slated in the Rose Bowl (you read that right, the Rose Bowl) facing Cal or USC. Not too shabby. All WVU needs to do is win out, and they will finish with no worse than an at-large big money game.
Now, in words of the legendary Winston Wolf, let's not start sucking each other's dicks just yet. We've seen this from the Blue and Gold before, remember? Even after losing at Louisville last year, WVU was still in the top-10 and, provided they win out and a couple breaks for their way, would have ended up with an at-large BCS bid. Well, all the breaks WVU needed panned out exactly to plan, except for the Mountaineers didn't hold up their end of the bargain. A 24-19 home loss to South Florida derailed any chance of a second consecutive trip to the BCS, and WVU went on to lay claim to the entire state of Georgia by knocking off the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets in the Gator Bowl. (At long last, a Gator Bowl win! Hey, even the blind squirrel gets an acorn eventually, right?)
While the buzz this preseason around Morganhole was one of national championship dreams, those were quickly erased by the debacle in Tampa on September 28. The general ambiance around town was somewhere near funeral-ish. But, after a couple of weeks, things are looking up again. I'm not saying to pencil in the 'Eers for a trip to Bourbon Street for the BCS Championship, but if they win out, they will do no worse than the aforementioned at-large. (I still maintain they'll end up in Miami for the Orange Bowl for a contest between former Big East conference rivals Va Tech or Boston College. A match-up like that would make Big East Big Man Mike Tranghese cream himself.)
A glance around the conference, and what may be to come....
WVU stares up the Big East standings to see USF, Cincinnati, and UConn above them. UConn has to come to Morganhole in early December, but UConn will have faded considerably by then. WVU will be seeking a win to clinch at least a share of the Big East crown. USF will lose at least one game before the regular season is over.
The Bulls have to travel to Rutgers to face the Knights in swamps of Jersey, as well as a roadie to Cincy, and host Louisville. Don't be surprised if the Bulls drop one or two of those. While their defense is simply amazing, I'm still not sold on their offense. Their D is only reason they defeated WVU, and even then, the Mountaineers still had the ball with a minute left and a chance to tie. Louisville's defense couldn't stop you, me, your grandpap, and the dog from putting 24 points on the board. But, Brian Brohm is playing like the future top-five NFL draft pick he is, and their offense will simply outscore USF.
South Florida and Cincinnati still have to play, and the loser of that game will be out of the Big East race. The Bearcats dropped yet another game to the Cardinals this past weekend, a 28-24 contest. Cincy has lived by the turnover this season, but couldn't produce one in the loss to the Cardinals, and that probably was the difference. If the Bearcats defeat the Bulls in Nippert Stadium, WVU's trip to the Queen City on November 17 would effectively become the Big East championship game, with the automatic BCS bowl berth along with it.
Pitt still sucks, and in a bad way. A lot of people have asked me if Dave Wannestache will be canned after this season. I say no. The Pittsburgh media is absolutely enamored with this guy. They love him. Even with a third straight embarrassingly bad performance (along with even worse play calling) in the home loss to Navy, there aren't even any questions being asked. Pitt has dropped four in a row now, and sits at 2-4. They are last in the Big East, and seemed to have regressed as the season goes on. Some have argued that injuries have crippled this team. This warrants some credence, but it can't all be chalked up to that. Wanny was supposed be hauling in ultra-mega-hyper-super-fantastic recruiting classes, as well as inheriting a team that former head man Walt Harris took to the Fiesta Bowl. The cupboard wasn't exactly bare; if Wanny was half the coach people think he is, Pitt should be substantially better than the 13-16 record he has posted in his two and a third seasons. The only way Wannstache is out of a job come December is if the new, as-of-yet-undetermined, athletic director comes in and wants to establish a new beginning with their man.
I'm going to rap this up here, not because I'm out of stuff to say, but to do time commitments. Stop by again, and I always welcome comments or questions. Thanks for reading through my meandering bullshit, and stop by again. I'll try to post at least once or twice a week. Be sure to check out the links to the right as well.
Labels: Sports
posted by P. Ehland at 4:16 PM
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