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Tuberville Out at Auburn

Wed, 03 Dec 2008 17:46:19 -0500

Much to the universal chagrin of Auburn fans, it broke this afternoon that Tommy Tuberville has been fired at Auburn. Details haven't yet filtered out, but a confirmation was put on AL.com through The Birmingham News Tuberville had meetings with the administration on Monday and again today, when the decision was announced shortly thereafter. I'll update this thread as more reports come in.

There are other reports that unofficial contact has been made by Auburn to TexasTech coach Mike Leach AND Arkansas' Bobby Petrino to gauge their interest in the job. More details to follow.

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Tommy Tuberville out after 10 years on the Plains...

Wed, 03 Dec 2008 17:41:51 -0500

In a somewhat surprising turn of events, ~~Bobby Lowder~~ Powers That Be in the Auburn Administration have fired Tommy Tuberville after a decade as their head coach.

One can only wonder whether this was actually five years coming (Early reports say that Bobby Petrino has been contacted) after JetGate, or whether this was more the ultimate sacrifice on the part of Tuberville. Reports indicate that he refused to "start from the ground up" by cleaning house on assistants.

It's obvious that the palace coup performed on Tony Franklin was perhaps the last straw. If that wasn't, then a shutout loss to Alabama, breaking a string of 6 straight victories in the Iron Bowl, probably broke the camel's back.

I'm almost shocked by this, as my fellow contributor WEA had just e-mailed me Monday saying that ~~Bobby Lowder~~ The Powers That Be at Auburn had met with and issued Tubs a reprieve...Obviously, hotter heads have prevailed.

Entirely too premature talk of a replacement that I've heard includes current 1st year Arkansas Coach Bobby Petrino, and Texas Tech's own Frequent Flyer, Mike Leach.

The SEC...You guys may not like it...but it makes for some good copy this time of year...I mean, what other conference can make two teams playing for a Conference Championship and a spot in the National Title Game take a backseat to a coaching decision from a team that finished below .500 this year?

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Mike Leach flies to Seattle to meet with UDub

Tue, 02 Dec 2008 16:06:56 -0500

Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times passes on this note regarding Mike Leach's recent flight to Seattle.

Texas Tech coach Mike Leach , wearing a baseball hat, T-shirt, and tennis shoes, flew to Seattle yesterday afternoon from Las Vegas on Alaska Flight 601, according to a fellow passenger.
"I'm positive it was him,'' said Dave Christophersen, who said he immediately recognized Leach and had it reinforced when Leach's wife, Sharon, was called to the counter to upgrade to first class. Flight 601 is scheduled to leave each day at 11:20 a.m. and arrive in Seattle at 2:03 p.m.

The implication is that Leach is interviewing with the Huskies, something that Texas Tech will not confirm or deny.

Texas Tech sports information director Chris Cook said he couldn't confirm or deny if Leach flew to Seattle saying he didn't know where Leach was today --- Texas Tech has concluded its regular season.
TT athletic director Gerald Myers could not be reached for comment, and UW officials have said they will not comment on prospective candidates.

As far as rumors go, I'm going to put this at a HIGH PROBABILITY of truthfulness. After all, Dave Christophersen was positive, Leach has expressed his appreciation for the Pacfic Northwest and his stock has never been higher after the Red Raiders amazing ride in 2008.

And... Leach kinda looks like the guy on the guy on the Alaska Airlines planes, no?

Stay tuned, as "they" say.

UPDATE 12/3/08

Did I tell you to trust in Alaska Airline passenger Dave Christophersen? Yeah... I did. Turns out that Leach did interview with Washington over the holiday weekend.

Texas Tech football coach Mike Leach was in Seattle on Tuesday to discuss with University of Washington officials that school's soon-vacant head coaching job, The Avalanche-Journal has confirmed.
"As of now, he hasn’t been offered the job," a source told The A-J on Tuesday night.

The same source said although Washington is 0-11 with one game left, if UW officials decide to zero in on Tech's coach, their potential to hire Leach away shouldn't be underestimated.

"I don't care if they are 0-11," the source said. "They're the state university; he would bring a national flair to the state, and he'd be able to recruit there at a level he's not able to recruit in Texas. He's still the third or fourth level of recruitment in Texas. At Washington, he'll be the first. All that's true, and a man of vision such as Mike Leach considers these things."

...

On Monday, Leach told The Associated Press that he "absolutely" wants to stay at Tech.

"I mean it's an interesting question," he said. "I've been there nine years, which is longer than most marriages or jobs, you know."

...

Myers said he would expect Leach to tell him if he's a legitimate candidate for another job.

"I think he would if he's serious about it," Myers said. "I think he would let me know. So I don't know. He wouldn’t have to tell me, but I haven't heard from anybody, the coaches or anybody else about that."

So... there you have. Mike Leach flew to Seattle and interviewed for the Washington job for one of two reasons:

a) He's working over Leach to get a bigger contract than the $2.65 million he'll earn at Tech next season, or
b) Mike Leach is seriously interested in the Huskies head coaching job.

At this point... I'm going with B and I think Leach and UW get something done within the next seven days. The Huskies have already interviewed Pat Hill and USC OC Steve Sarkisian, which means they want an offensive coach. Of the three, Leach has proven that he can sling the ball around, proven his ability as a head coach at the BCS level, and shown that he can recruit players who can win under his direction.

If Leach wants the job, it's his.

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Dear NCAA: Change the color on color rules

Tue, 02 Dec 2008 09:46:44 -0500

One of the great traditions in college football is about to be restored this weekend - the cardinal of USC versus the the blue of UCLA.

USC Coach Pete Carroll:

"It's something we've been thinking about for a while. From talking to coaches at UCLA over the years and seeing the teams wear their home jerseys growing up, it's something we're going to start up again this weekend.
"This has always been a colorful matchup, and we hope everyone enjoys this recognition of both the past and the present state of the rivalry."

Prior to 1982, all the USC-UCLA games were played with both teams wearing their home uniforms. But that all ended when the NCAA stepped in to mandate away teams to wear white uniforms or face penalties. Under the current NCAA rules, if the away team does not wear white uniforms then they are to be penalized one timeout.

In other words, for honoring the tradition of USC-UCLA, the Trojans will have only two timeouts in the 1st half.

The timeout penalty is an idiotic solution in search of problem and reeks of the NCAA's pompous attitude to dictate the fans experience.

USC & UCLA are right to proceed with the tradition and the NCAA needs to change the rule.

Long live the Cardinal and Blue!

UPDATE

UCLA has agreed to forgo one timeout, in recognition of USC's sacrifice.

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Lane Kiffin hired at Tennessee

Mon, 01 Dec 2008 19:35:29 -0500

This weekend's worst-kept secret has become this week's most debated coaching move: Tennessee hires Lane Kiffin as head coach.

“During our process, Lane Kiffin stood out,” athletic director Mike Hamilton said. “He has great football bloodlines and has been part of a strong football tradition since birth.”
Kiffin remembers being surrounded as a child by chalkboards scrawled with defensive plays and spending weekends in pregame meetings with his dad’s teams.

“The experience has been unbelievable and then to combine that with still being young enough to be able to relate to recruits and be able to manage them and handle them, I think is very valuable,” Kiffin said Monday when he was introduced at Tennessee.

If you didn't catch the multiple references to Kiffin's age, let me dispense with the questions. Kiffin is 33 years old, or exactly the same age as Tennessee legend Gen. Robert Neyland when he was hired.

Kiffin has indicated that he plans to stay at UT for years to come, and is organizing a Kiffin family reunion in Knoxville. Kiffin has hired brother-in-law David Reaves from South Carolina to be recruiting coordinator. Brother Chris will be joining the Vols staff, too. And legendary Tampa Bay Bucs defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin will join the Tennessee staff following the NFL season.

South Carolina head coach Steve Spurrier wasted no time in welcoming Kiffin to the SEC, suggesting that the new Vols coach committed NCAA recruiting violations this weekend by calling recruits.

According to a story published on VolQuest.com, part of the Rivals' network, Kiffin and former Gamecocks recruiting coordinator David Reaves called Tampa running back Jarvis Giles on Sunday and left him voice messages.
The NCAA requires coaches to pass a certification test before they can contact recruits. During his introductory press conference this afternoon, the 33-year-old Kiffin said he had taken the test last week.

"You're supposed to have passed the NCAA test and be on board, I think. But maybe he was just calling him as an interested observer," Spurrier said today, laughing. "I don't know. But technically to be able to recruit you're supposed to pass the NCAA test.

"I know when I was hired, after the press conference I took the test to qualify you to be a recruiter. I hadn't taken it in three or four years. At that time I could start making calls. I don't know if he was permitted to make that call or not. You'll have to ask somebody else."

The reaction to the Kiffin hire? Umm... mixed?

Kiffin has never accomplished anything as a head coach. All his rep comes from his time as Southern Cal's supposed offensive coordinator in 2005 and 2006, but USC didn't win the national titles in those years as it did the previous two seasons.
Also, play-calling was shared with quarterbacks coach Steve Sarkisian, with USC head coach Pete Carroll having veto power.

...

Sticking Kiffin in the SEC's all-star lineup of coaches that includes four coaches who have won national championships (Nick Saban, Steve Spurrier, Les Miles, Urban Meyer) and another with an unbeaten season (Auburn's Tommy Tuberville) would be like tossing a goldfish into a pool of piranhas.

Hamilton's hiring Kiffin would be an admission that Tennessee is a second-rate program, not on par with Alabama and Florida, the SEC's powers du jour.

And that is coming from VolsExtra. Ouch.

HeismanPundit chimes in with a vote of... err... confidence.

Never mind that Lane Kiffin has never been a college football head coach. Never mind that in his only stint as a pro head coach, he went 5-15.

...

Never mind that he has no connections to the SEC, or that the offense he runs is more suited for the pro game than the college game, or that his abrasive personality has made him a much-despised figure wherever he has gone. Never mind that, despite the hype to the contrary, he is a horrible recruiter. Never mind that out of all the bright young minds in the college game, he doesn’t even register as a blip on the radar (hullo? What about Major Applewhite or Gus Malzahn?). Never mind that his prickly personality will not mesh with the warm, gregarious tradition of Southern hospitality. Never mind that he has never had to do the things that head coaches have to do everywhere, but even more so in the South–deal with alumni, relate to boosters, fire up the grass roots and all the other necessary little things in a region where football is a way of life.

Never mind all that. The guy is 33 years old. If you are going to hire a 33-year old as your head coach in the SEC, he’d better be a whiz kid. He’d better not be a guy whose career was borne on the wings of nepotism, family connections and a sense of entitlement. He’d better be a guy who is familiar with the SEC from top to bottom. He’d better be a guy who has an offense that actually works in college, not a clunky pro scheme of the type tried by the Callahans and Hacketts of days gone by. He’d better not be a guy whose main claim to fame was keeping Reggie Bush on the bench during the most critical play of his team’s season.

And Mr. College Football is not convinced.

Every time Lane Kiffin’s name came up with the Tennessee job I only had one question: Why? I wish him well and there is no doubt that the 33-year-old Kiffin will have all the resources he needs to be successful in Knoxville. But the resume looks a little thin to be taking over one of the great franchises of college football in a league that has four coaches who have won national championships. Tennessee’s press release says that he was an assistant coach at Southern Cal (2001-2006) and spent the last two seasons as offensive coordinator. Technically he shared that position and the play calling duties with Steve Sarkisian. Kiffin got the job with the Oakland Raiders only after Sarkisian turned Al Davis down. Kiffin gets credit for the recruiting structure at USC but the fact is the Pete Carroll has always been the Pied Piper who lured talent to that program. This may turn out to be a very good hire, especially if Kiffin’s dad, Monte, signs on as defensive coordinator. But it feels a little like Mike Shula to Alabama.

Even the subtle pundits are chiming in.

"[Kiffin] will either build an SEC powerhouse in the teeth of more experienced men like Saban and Meyer and Richt and yes, even Nutt, or he will be run out of Knoxville with a vengeance that makes Al Davis’ overhead projector seem like a French tickler."

If you're keeping score at home, that's championship or bust - the annual SEC battle cry.

Does Kiffin realize what he's getting in Tennessee? Does Tennessee realize what they're getting in Kiffin?

Of course, some of the Tennessee faithful are exceptionally supportive of the move too, for a number of reasons, I presume. Clay Travis created a "Our Coach's Wife is Hotter than Your Coach's Wife" Facebook group in honor of Layla Kiffin (pic). Oh... and Lane, too, I guess.

Note to Lane: Keep her away from Bruce Pearl. Just sayin'.

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Can Florida catch Texas?

Mon, 01 Dec 2008 17:56:48 -0500

BCS GURU, who I can not touch in ability to prognosticate the BCS, raised this question in this weeks break down.

With #1 playing #4 and #3 sitting idle the NCG comes down to two games. Alabama vs Florida and Oklahoma vs Missouri.

Despite a lower rating Florida is the running favorite, generally running around 3:2 odds.
Oklahoma is more like 20:1 favorites.

If Oklahoma loses it will be Texas vs the SEC Champion.
If Oklahoma and Alabama both win they will play each other.

If Oklahoma and Florida win, the favorite in both games, things get interesting. Oklahoma would be in, but the common thought that they would play Florida could be mistaken. They would still need to jump Texas.

Last week Oklahoma needed 0.0084 BCS points to jump Texas for the BCS Championship. With a win over Oklahoma State and a Texas win over Texas A&M Oklahoma gained 0.0212 BCS points to take a 0.0128 lead and a trip to the Big 12 Championship game.

Florida, with a game against ranked FSU was able to gain 0.0082 BCS points on Texas, but still trails by 0.0372 BCS Points, almost twice the ground Oklahoma covered last week.

Florida plays BCS #1 and Texas is Idle, notoriously bad for losing ground. Teams don't usually lose BCS points during a bye week, they accumulate less than the teams around them from the attrition ahead of them. With Alabama falling there will be points to grab.

BCS GURU points out that the components of the BCS are aligned in a manner that favors Texas. Simply put, the computers strongly favor a Big 12 rematch and the polls favor Florida. Since Florida is already nearly maxed out in the polls the voters don't have much room to elevate them, even if they tried.

Florida could gain 0.02-0.03 of the difference in the computers, but are already ahead of Texas and Oklahoma in the polls. Florida would need to gain a point on Texas by roughly 1/3 of the voters. Since Florida is limited in upward mobility this will require Texas moving down.

Florida needs roughly 1/3 of the voters to move Oklahoma or Alabama over Texas. If one assumes the voters putting Oklahoma over Texas are as close as the points between them, this means convincing 2/3 of the voters who put Texas over Oklahoma that a win over Missouri is enough to change their minds in the matter. These are predominately voters who believe head to head matters most.

Nothing is final, and two games remain to be played. Florida's best odds are with a close game over Alabama and Oklahoma with plenty of style points over Missouri.

[END NOTE]
BCS GURU also indicates the Fiesta Bowl has expressed interest in the concept of facing off undefeated Utah and Boise State in the event of a BIG 12 rematch in the NCG. This would up Boise State's odds significantly.

Then there is also the thought of a Utah vs Florida AP title game... plus a story line.

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Mizzou getting help against OU from 'Horns?

Mon, 01 Dec 2008 16:54:42 -0500

In college football, there are rivalries, Rivalries, RIVALRIES... and then there's Texas-Oklahoma.

Via a Longhorns fan message board (which means this may have no basis in fact, btw), members of the Texas coaching staff will be working with the Missouri coaches to help them gameplan for the Big XII Championship game against Oklahoma.

The poster goes on to say that Texas will turnover its own game film vault from scouting the Sooners as well as plays/playbook against differing OU schemes.

Again, this may have no basis in reality. This may be big-time tin foil hat material and it's extremely doubtful that anyone will ever be able to confirm this from a credible source. Of course, the Area 51'ers may take any denial to be a denial ruse... thus confirming the rumor as FACT!

A-HA! Colonel Mustard with the candlestick!

But... if it's true, the Texas is upping the ante in this rivalry BIG TIME.

HT: She who must not be named

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Clemson hires Dabo Swinney

Sun, 30 Nov 2008 21:08:15 -0500

Clemson University has reached an agreement to name Dabo Swinney as head football coach of the Tigers, according to The Greenville News.

Clemson University reached an agreement in principle Sunday to name Dabo Swinney the 25th head football coach at Clemson University.

An announcement is expected in the next couple of days.
Swinney, 39, was selected after athletic director Terry Don Phillips conducted a national search that began within days of Tommy Bowden's resignation Oct. 13.

Hired by Bowden in 2003 to coach receivers, Swinney was promoted last year to assistant head coach when University of Alabama head coach Nick Saban attempted to bring him back to his alma mater, where he lettered three seasons and served as an assistant.

Swinney was 4-2 during his time as interim head coach, gaining the support of the Tigers players and boosters in the process.

CU AD Terry Don Phillips conducted numerous interviews during the nationwide search, include Oklahoma DC Brent Venables and Virginia Tech DC Bud Foster.

The Greenville News notes that 39-year-old Swinney will be the fifth Alabama alum to coach the Tigers.

No word yet on the terms of the deal, but The State is reporting that Swinney will retain several key members of the Bowden staff, including acting play-caller Billy Napier and offensive line coach Brad Scott.

Hat Tip: @clemsonfootball via Twitter

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BCS Standings - Nov. 30th 2008

Sun, 30 Nov 2008 16:08:53 -0500

The new BCS Standings have been released.

OKLAHOMA PASSED TEXAS AND WILL GO TO THE BIG 12 CHAMPIONSHIP GAME.

BCS top 25
Breaks used to highlight gaps over 0.06 in the standings.

1) 0.9713 Alabama
2) 0.9351 Oklahoma
3) 0.9223 Texas
4) 0.8851 Florida

5) 0.8076 USC
6) 0.7844 Utah
7) 0.7805 Texas Tech
8) 0.7373 Penn State
9) 0.7034 Boise State

10) 0.6340 Ohio State

11) 0.5633 TCU
12) 0.5306 Ball State
13) 0.4831 Cincinnati
14) 0.4276 Oklahoma State
15) 0.4046 Georgia Tech

16) 0.3311 Georgia
17) 0.3202 Boston College
18) 0.3142 BYU
19) 0.3041 Oregon
20) 0.2818 Missouri
21) 0.2550 Michigan State

22) 0.1216 Northwestern
23) 0.1012 Pitt
24) 0.0768 Florida State
25) 0.0573 Virginia Tech

Automatic Qualifications
The automatic qualifications are listed at the official BCS website.

Florida will play Alabama for a likely NCG berth, with the loser going to the Sugar Bowl.
Oklahoma with NCG hopes will play Missouri, who's Fiesta Bowl hopes are on the line.
Texas will go to the NCG if Oklahoma loses, the Fiesta Bowl otherwise.

USC will be in the Rose Bowl if they beat UCLA, otherwise Oregon State will go. Penn State will represent the Big 10.

Utah has earned a BCS berth.

Virginia Tech will play Boston College for an Orange Bowl berth, likely against Big East champion Cincinnati

The following teams have a chance at earning BCS Eligibility:
Ohio State, Boise State, USC with a loss to UCLA, TCU and Ball State with a win over Buffalo would be BCS eligible. Georgia Tech could also garner eligibility. Only one spot would be available.

The bowl committee selection preference for at large can be found here.

Conference Reports
The number of top 25 teams and the rank of the conference champion are two of three components used to determine future automatic qualification, as described in the final section of this page. The data below is for the current year only, rankings reflect the current leader for each conference. The BCS uses a 4 year window.

Big 12: 5, #2
Big 10: 4, #8
ACC: 4, #15
SEC: 3, #1
MWC: 3: #6
PAC 10: 2, #5
Big East: 2, #13
WAC: 1, #9
MAC 1, #12

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Tie Breakers - A Critique

Sun, 30 Nov 2008 14:14:22 -0500

The conference tiebreakers can be found here. That tread was intended to be informative, presenting the rules as they are without commentary. With the discussion about the Big 12 conference championship tiebreakers one could ask, what are good tiebreakers?

Here are my thoughts.

Conference tie breakers used:
Settle it on the field
- Head to head among tied teams
- Results vs opponents within the same division with the best record, repeated through the team with the worse record.

These two are the most consistently used in college football. Head to head chooses to let the dispute be settled on the field at the price of selecting the team that lost to the worst them. These tiebreakers favor an inconsistent team that plays up to a good team and down to a bad team over a team that plays at a consistent level throughout the season. It leans towards the upper end of a teams performance level.

At least with head to head you are using games between the teams. Head to head is also very effective for divisions where every team plays each other, never failing with a tie of an even number of teams and often succeeding when three teams are tied. If head to head fails the decent through the standings reduces to eliminating the team who lost to the best team, leaving the teams that lost to the worst teams. In cases where a group of teams beat all outsiders this method will always fail.

While head to head is here to stay, the decent down the standings should go.

Common Opponents
- Record against teams within the same division
- All common conference opponents

Comparing results vs common opponents is one of the most sound tiebreakers and should not be used more heavily.

A great, seldom used, tiebreaker
- Combined Record of non-division opponents

If head to head and division records are don't break the tie, the difference in cross over games can be used to break a tie. The team that beat the teams with the highest combined conference win loss record is a meaningful tiebreaker that would have a high degree of success.

Ineffective tiebreakers
- Eliminate teams not eligible for post season play
- All non-division opponents
- Results vs all conference opponents with the best record, repeated through the team with the worse record

Teams not eligible for post season play are usually eliminated a priori.

If a tie exists and is not broken by the record in the division, how will the non division opponents not be tied? Here a descent down the standings might make sense, but is inferior to the combined record of non-division opponents.

Interest of the conference
- Best overall W-L Record
- Least number of FCS teams played

These tiebreakers favor teams that benefit the perceived strength of the conference. Also teams have a direct say in controlling the number of FCS teams played.

Parity
- Eliminate the team with the most recent championship appearance

I like this tiebreaker as it gives a slight advantage to the underdog. It is also supported by the rich tradition of the Rose Bowl.

NFL Tiebreakers
- Total Point Head to head
- Total TD's in all games played

College football has a strong allergy to factors that make margin of victory a part of any procedure, as it is perceived as anti-sportsmanship.

Coin Flip
- BCS Standings
- BCS standings, unless top two are within 5 rankings, then head to head of top two in the BCS standings.
- Draw

The BCS standings are slightly better than luck of the draw, and almost guarantee the tie will be broken. The SEC rule is viewed as superior, but it would be even better to use the BCS to eliminate the lowest ranked team and reapply the rules.

Ideal Tie Breaker Procedures
When a group of tied teams is reach the procedures are followed until the tie is broken. The procedure is then repeated from the top.

1) Head to Head record of tied teams.
2) Division record of tied teams.
3) Record of tied teams vs all common conference opponents.
4) Combined conference record of non-division conference opponents.
5) Eliminate the team with the lowest BCS standings.
6) Eliminate team with most recent championship game appearance.
7) Draw lots publicly.

Cases in point
For the Big 12 south this would fall to #5, as the three teams would be tied at #4 at 11-13. #5 would eliminate Texas Tech, then Texas would win the head to head.

For the PAC 10, if USC loses to UCLA, this would fall to #5. #2, #3 and #4 are meaningless in this case. Oregon State would be eliminated, leaving USC as the PAC 10 champion. Currently the tie would be broken by California, the highest team in the PAC 10 standings they did not all beat. Oregon would be eliminated, crowning Oregon State.

These are the only possible ties this year that can't be settled by head to head.

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2008 - Week 14 College Football Polls

Sun, 30 Nov 2008 13:15:05 -0500

The college poll rankings for week 14 (games through November 29th) are now available. For more information on how each pollster voted, check out Pollspeak.com. Gaps added to emphasize gaps 1 and a half times the number of voters.

Associated Press AP College Football Top 25 Poll
1) Alabama (62) 1620

2) Florida (3) 1516
3) Texas 1488
4) Oklahoma 1480

5) Southern California 1355

6) Penn State 1257
7) Utah 1216
8) Texas Tech 1197
9) Boise State 1103
10) Ohio State 1069

11) TCU 885
12) Ball State 834
13) Cincinnati 824
14) Oklahoma State 798
15) Georgia Tech 708
16) Oregon 630

17) Georgia 495
18) Boston College 482
19) Missouri 479
20) Brigham Young 385
21) Michigan State 312
22) Mississippi 280
23) Pittsburgh 241
24) Northwestern 190
25) Oregon State 122

Others Receiving Votes
Iowa 66, Virginia Tech 47, Tulsa 13, Florida State 12, California 7, West Virginia 4, Nebraska 3, Rice 3, Connecticut 3, North Carolina 1

Dropped From Rankings
FSU

USA Today College Football Coaches Poll
1) Alabama (58) 1521

2) Oklahoma (2) 1397
3) Texas 1396
4) Florida (1) 1385

5) Southern California 1298

6) Penn State 1176
7) Utah 1153
8) Texas Tech 1116
9) Boise State 1044
10) Ohio State 999

11) TCU 836
12) Cincinnati 770
13) Ball State 765

14) Oregon 658
15) Oklahoma State 613
16) Georgia Tech 590

17) Missouri 470
18) Brigham Young 461
19) Georgia 440
20) Boston College 435
21) Michigan State 414
22) Northwestern 333

23) Pittsburgh 154
24) Oregon State 127
25) Mississippi 126

Others Receiving Votes
Virginia Tech 41, Iowa 31, Tulsa 21, Florida State 15, Nebraska 11, Kansas 10, North Carolina 5, Rice 5, Connecticut 5, California 4

Dropped From Rankings
FSU, West Virginia

Harris Interactive Poll
Soon means 28 hours after they are released...

1) Alabama (107) 2,815
2) Florida (4) 2,619
3) Texas (1) 2,575
4) Oklahoma 2,569

5) USC 2,378

6) Penn State 2,177
7) Utah (1) 2,111
8) Texas Tech 2,090
9) Boise State 1,937
10) Ohio State 1,856

11) Ball State 1,526
12) TCU 1,502
13) Cincinnati 1,425

14) Oklahoma State 1,217

15) Oregon 1,076
16) Georgia Tech 1,065
17) BYU 990
18) Missouri 896
19) Boston College 834
20) Georgia 833
21) Michigan State 688

22) Northwestern 414
23) Pittsburgh 346
24) Mississippi 239
25) Oregon State 211

Others Receiving Votes
Tulsa 87, Virginia Tech 71, Iowa 60, Florida State 30, Nebraska 20, California 18, Rice 12, North Carolina 9,
West Virginia 9, Kansas 6, Connecticut 5, Western Michigan 4, LSU 3, Maryland 2

Dropped From Rankings
FSU

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Should Boise State be in the BCS?

Sun, 30 Nov 2008 11:30:00 -0500

First of all, there are ten BCS spots so it would seem that the top 10 in the BCS should be in a BCS bowl. Boise State will be in the top 10, so they should be in a BCS Bowl.

The talk last year about teams from conferences like the WAC and MWC needing to soften their schedule to Hawaii like levels to improve their chances of an undefeated season and a BCS berth are silenced. Two undefeated teams, Boise State and Ball State, are likely to miss the BCS this year because a team with a more difficult schedule sits above them.

TCU will become the first team from outside the big 6 to qualify for an at large spot with a loss, and they did it with two losses. They would certainly have been ahead of Ball State with another win, showing even in these conferences differences in schedule can count for more than a single loss in the BCS.

Utah will be higher than Boise State in the BCS and earn the single guaranteed spot. The SEC champion will be in the NCG, and the loser of that game will be in the Sugar Bowl. Either Texas or Oklahoma will play Missouri next week for a chance at the NCG while the other waits to see if they will get an upgrade from the Fiesta Bowl, which would then go to Missouri. Virginia Tech will play Boston College for an Orange Bowl spot where they will play Cincinnati.

With a win over UCLA, USC would earn a Rose Bowl berth against Penn State. With a loss Oregon State would win the tie breaker (Oregon would be eliminated when record vs teams with as many conference wins as California are examined, and Oregon State wins the two way tie with USC), but USC's perception would be greatly tarnished with the loss. For now lets assume they win.

Utah looks set for the Fiesta Bowl. This leaves the Sugar Bowl with a choice between Boise State and Ohio State. A precedent will be set.

Never before had a BCS Bowl been forced to choose to select between a team outside the Big 6 and a lower ranked historical power. Every time a lower ranked team has been selected it has involved a historical tie in for a bowl or Notre Dame. Neither of those would be in play this time, though the assumption has always been that the outsider would draw the short lot. This year the BCS will be forced to make that choice.

Make up your mind. Is the BCS system good enough to use as a conference tie breaker and seed the National Championship game, or is it an arbitrary ranking imposed on college football that should be ignored? If the BCS ignores it in this case, what signal does that send?

Perhaps Boise State did not play the likes of USC. One could argue, neither did Ohio State. I would like to see Penn State vs Oregon.

And before you try to use Hawaii against them, remember Boise State has been here before and won. Boise State sold their tickets to the Fiesta Bowl, and would sell their share again. They travel VERY well, often setting attendance records at opponents stadiums in their conference games. And that is for the regular season. Does anyone question whether the 2007 Fiesta Bowl (after 2006) got higher TV ratings than this years Orange Bowl will get?

Does anyone outside of the Buckeye State want to see Ohio State play a third SEC team in as many years? Isn't it time to let someone else take a shot? Isn't it time Boise State learned what SEC football was like? Or maybe it is time for the East coast to learn what Boise State football is all about.

And if USC loses to UCLA, and it is a three way tie for an at large spot? Does that not diminish both USC and Ohio State? If USC can't beat a team thats not going to a Bowl, do they deserve a spot in a premier bowl? How do you let Oregon State, Cincinnati and Virginia Tech or Boston college in and leave out a top ten undefeated conference champion?

If a conference champion as low as #20 (Pittsbugh in 2004) can get into one of the four premier bowls, certainly a conference champion in the top 10 should get into one of the five premier bowls.

Boise State should be in a BCS bowl this year.

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And the next head coach is...

Sun, 30 Nov 2008 07:15:51 -0500

Here are the latest updates on several college football head coach vacancies:

SYRACUSE: Oregon OC Chip Kelly is on the Orange's radar and will interview for the head coaching position this week. Illinois offensive coordinator Mike Locksley interviewed for the position last week, according to Rivals.com. Other likely candidates are Buffalo coach Turner Gill, East Carolina coach Skip Holtz, Florida assistant head coach Steve Addazio and New Orleans Saints offensive coordinator Doug Marrone.

WASHINGTON: Fresno State head coach Pat Hill took a flight to Washington yesterday. Rumors are swirling that Hill is a candidate for the Huskies coaching job. The Huskies had been wanting Lane Kiffen, but Tennessee has secured his services. Other potential candidates are Dennis Franchione, Texas Tech coach Mike Leach, and Cincinnati's Brian Kelly.

WYOMING: Missouri OC Dave Christensen has interviewed for the head coaching job and is thought to be the #1 candidate. A decision may come very quickly for the Cowboys.

CLEMSON: I'm hearing rumors that Swinney will be interviewed on Monday and may be named the head coach as early as Tuesday. One name that isn't a rumor is former Tennessee head coach Phil Fulmer, who confirmed his interest this week.

MISSISSIPPI STATE: The somewhat shocking resignation of Sly Croom has the Bulldogs looking for a new head coach. MSU will hire a search firm to conduct a national search, however Bulldogs AD Greg Byrne hinted that he would prefer a coach with knowledge of the SEC.

SAN DIEGO STATE: Could former Kansas and Minnesota head coach Glenn Mason be in the mix for the Aztecs? He's available and has a history of turning teams around, even if it is only for a season or two at a time.

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Fanblogs Open Thread

Fri, 28 Nov 2008 09:04:11 -0500

Friday, November 28
12:00 PM ET West Virginia (25) at Pittsburgh (19)
6:00 PM ET Fresno State at Boise State (9)
12:00 PM ET Central Michigan at Eastern Michigan
12:30 PM ET Ohio at Miami (Ohio)
12:30 PM ET Mississippi State at Mississippi
1:00 PM ET Akron at Temple
1:00 PM ET Texas El Paso at East Carolina
2:00 PM ET Kent State at Buffalo
2:30 PM ET Louisiana State at Arkansas
3:30 PM ET Bowling Green at Toledo
3:30 PM ET Colorado at Nebraska
9:30 PM ET UCLA at Arizona State

Saturday, November 29
12:00 PM ET Georgia Tech (23) at Georgia (13)
12:00 PM ET Syracuse at Cincinnati (16)
12:30 PM ET Kansas vs Missouri (11)
3:30 PM ET Florida (3) at Florida State (24)
3:30 PM ET Maryland at Boston College (22)
3:30 PM ET Auburn at Alabama (1)
3:30 PM ET Baylor at Texas Tech (8)
7:00 PM ET Oregon (18) at Oregon State (17)
8:00 PM ET Oklahoma (2) at Oklahoma State (12)
8:00 PM ET Notre Dame at Southern California (5)
12:00 PM ET Miami at North Carolina State
12:00 PM ET South Carolina at Clemson
12:00 PM ET Virginia at Virginia Tech
1:00 PM ET Alabama-Birmingham at Central Florida
2:00 PM ET Arkansas State at North Texas
2:30 PM ET Nevada at Louisiana Tech
3:00 PM ET New Mexico State at Utah State
3:00 PM ET Southern Mississippi at Southern Methodist
3:30 PM ET North Carolina at Duke
3:30 PM ET Houston at Rice
3:30 PM ET Tulane at Memphis
3:30 PM ET Tulsa at Marshall
4:00 PM ET Florida International vs Florida Atlantic
6:30 PM ET Kentucky at Tennessee
7:00 PM ET Vanderbilt at Wake Forest
11:00 PM ET Washington State at Hawaii

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Air Longhorn to buzz OU-Okie State

Thu, 27 Nov 2008 15:52:54 -0500

Oh those resourceful Texas fans....

Texas students and fans have raised around $7,000, part of which has paid for a pilot to fly over Stillwater before the Bedlam game Saturday morning during ESPN College GameDay’s live telecast.
The plane, which will fly out of the Dallas area, will carry a banner with the inscription "45-35,” the score of Texas’ victory over Oklahoma on Oct. 11.

Take that, poll voters!

HT: DJ Wizzie Wiz

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