Ryder Cup Begins Tomorrow

Tomorrow, the United States team will begin its defense of one of the greatest titles in golf, the Ryder Cup, at Celtic Manor in Wales.  Two years ago, on our home soil at Valhalla, the United States team shocked the Europeans and Captain Sir Nick Faldo to claim the Ryder Cup. Now, the Europeans are playing on home soil and would do anything to acquire the 14.5 points necessary to claim the Ryder Cup back for Europe.  The Ryder Cup is one of the most intense, emotion-filled events in all of golf, and the fans are in for a treat this weekend.

Each team is composed of 12 players:

USA- Captain (Corey Pavin)           Europe- Captain (Colin Montgomerie)

Phil Mickelson                              Martin Kaymer

Hunter Mahan                               Lee Westwood

Tiger Woods                                   Padraig Harrington

Rickie Fowler                                 Luke Donald

Stewart Cink                                   Ross Fisher

Bubba Watson                               Rory McIlroy

Matt Kuchar                                   Graeme McDowell

Jim Furyk                                        Peter Hanson

Steve Stricker                                  Miguel Angel Jimenez

Dustin Johnson                            Ian Poulter

Zach Johnson                                Francesco Molinari

Jeff Overton                                    Eduardo Molinari

The Europeans look to be the favorites, as the European team has combined for more worldwide wins than the USA team has this year, and has more recognizable names on the roster.  However, the Americans are looking to defend the title, and have a lot of up-and-coming players on the roster.

Friday Morning Fourball (Best Ball) pairings (arranged by first tee time):

1. Phil Mickelson/ Dustin Johnson vs. Martin Kaymer/Lee Westwood

2. Stewart Cink/ Matt Kuchar vs. Rory McIlroy/Graeme McDowell

3. Steve Stricker/Tiger Woods vs. Ian Poulter/Ross Fisher

4. Bubba Watson/Jeff Overton vs. Luke Donald/Padraig Harrington

My Predictions: Johnson will carry the Americans in the first group, Mickelson will have a few close chips for birdies, and the Americans will win the 1st group impressively, with Lee Westwood struggling due to his significant time off with his calf injury.

In the second group, the Americans have their work cut out for them in the European Rory McIlroy.  He is one of the most explosive players in golf and will thrive in this type of this environment.  I expect McIlroy to carry the second group for the Europeans.

The third group will be a rout for the Americans.  Ian Poulter and Ross Fisher are two of the weaker links on the European team, and Stricker and Woods are two of the top 5 golfers in the world.

The fourth group is a toss up.  The Americans are led by Bubba Watson, the longest hitter in golf, with relative unknown but consistent performer Jeff Overton also in the group.  Luke Donald has been playing very well, but Padraig Harrington has really been struggling, and was a reach pick by Captain Montgomerie.  I think the Americans will win a close match in the fourth match, and with my above predictions, I think the USA will have 3 points and the Europeans 1 point after the morning session.

My Ryder Cup Winners and Big Performers:

The United States will once again shock the Europeans, this time on their soil, to claim the Ryder Cup for the 2nd straight time.  Big factors for the United States will be Dustin Johnson, arguably the best golfer on Tour in big tournaments this season, Zach Johnson and Steve Stricker, two of the best putters on Tour, Jim Furyk, the most recent winner on Tour, and Tiger Woods, who is looking to avenge a lost season in 2010.

Some USA golfers who I believe will struggle this weekend include: Rickie Fowler, a gutsy captain’s pick with which I did not agree, Stewart Cink, a golfer who simply hasn’t done it in 2010, another shaky captain’s pick, and Matt Kuchar, a golfer who has been very good this year but struggled mightily last weekend when the pressure was put upon him.

Key players for the Europeans will be Martin Kaymer (one of my favorites), who is as consistent as it gets in the game of golf, and who rolls in 15-20 footers like it is nothing, Rory McIlroy, one of the best talents in all of golf, and Luke Donald, a golfer who is often undervalued but who is very consistent and has had a good year in 2010.

Some Europeans that I believe will struggle include: Ian Poulter, a golfer with whom I am simply not confident to perform consistently, Padraig Harrington, a golfer who, like Cink, hasn’t done anything recently, and Lee Westwood, who is still recovering from a calf injury which has sidelined him for months this season.

Podcast: 9/28 Sports Blitz

Title: 9/28 Sports Blitz

Our second Sports Blitz, where Chris and I give our opinions on the hot topics in sports, including Penn State football, Braylon Edwards, and many other topics. With special guest Adam Bittner. Also, our new intro and closing music is unveiled in this episode. Enjoy!

Link: http://bobsportsblog.podomatic.com/entry/2010-09-28T19_22_49-07_00

Furyk Wins Tour Championship, FedEx Cup

With a 2 1/2 foot par putt separating Tour veteran Jim Furyk from a victory at the Tour Championship, and his first FedEx Cup victory, Furyk reversed his Srixon hit to prevent water from dripping from the bill in the rainy conditions, calmly approached the putt, and sank it.  At this point he pumped his fists into the air multiple times before embracing his longtime caddy, “Fluff,” in celebration of a year’s worth of accomplishments.

With the victory Sunday, Jim Furyk accomplished multiple new feats.  The win marked the first season in his career in which he won 3 tournaments.  It also marked his first Tour Championship, and finally, perhaps most importantly, it was Furyk’s first FedEx Cup victory, placing him among the distinguished company of Tiger Woods and Vijay Singh as the only players to have won the FedEx Cup in the 4 year history of the season-long championship.

The win by Furyk was great for the sport of golf.  For a sport in which not all patrons are thrilled about the nature and setup of the FedEx Cup, the drama that it produced and the reaction it garnered from one of the Tour’s most even-keeled players in Furyk tells the whole story.  Furyk’s reaction shows that players care about the FedEx Cup, that it is a fit reward for a year’s worth of accomplishments, not simply a tool to artificially enhance or dramatize the last month of the season as many have been convinced.  It shows that golf fans want to and can get behind this new competitive element of the game, and allows them to follow their favorite players over the course of a full season, not simply 4 days a week in the tournaments.  This new element of golf has been and will continue to be very successful, and it could not have been exemplified any better than the drama and emotion that was delivered at East Lake Golf Club this weekend.

Congratulations to Jim Furyk for a big step forward in his career, and congratulations to the sport of golf for a great success in the FedEx Cup.

Vote in Today’s Poll

Scroll down and on the right side, choose who you would start at quarterback for the Eagles if you were Andy Reid

-Kevin Kolb

or

-Michael Vick

Tour Championship Begins Tomorrow

Tomorrow, at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta, the final event of the PGA season will begin.  The Tour Championship is the tournament that will decide the winner of the 2010 FedEx Cup (golf’s year long championship).  The FedEx points standings and the tournament rules change for this tournament specifically each year, and here are some guidelines on how the tournament will be run this weekend:

The FedEx Cup points standings have been reset for the sport’s final tournament of the season.  After last weekend’s BMW Championship, points leader Matt Kuchar had a 636 point lead on 2nd place Dustin Johnson, a 1,486 point lead on 3rd place Charley Hoffman, and a 3,363 point lead on 30th and final Tour Championship qualifier Bo Van Pelt.  Now, after the points reset, Kuchar has a 250 point lead, a 500 point lead, and a 2,290 point lead over these players, respectively.  Kuchar officially has 2,500 points now (down from 4,935 after the BMW Championship), and the 2nd through 30th players also had their points reset from there in a waterfall style by reducing the golfer’s score ahead of them.

More clearly stated:

Player                          Previous Points                  Reset Points

1. Matt Kuchar                    4,935                                   2,500

2. Dustin Johnson              4,299                                   2,250

3. Charley Hoffman            3,499                                  2,000

4. Steve Stricker                  3,372                                   1,800

5. Paul Casey                        3,015                                   1,600

…………………..                      ………                                   ………

28. Nick Watney                 1,584                                    230

29. Kevin Streelman          1,575                                     220

30. Bo Van Pelt                   1,572                                     210

The reset is done each year regardless of the points standings so that each player has a chance to win the FedEx Cup with a victory at the Tour Championship.  The winner of the Tour Championship will be awarded 2,500 FedEx Cup points.  The reset of the points plus the awarded point total for winning this tournament ensures that, with a victory, each of the top 5 golfers in the points standings are guaranteed the FedEx Cup.  Second place will receive 1,500 points, third will receive 1,000 points, 4th will receive 750 points, 5th will receive 550 points, and the point totals continue to decrease, until 30th (last) will receive only 205 points.

Again, if any player in the top 5 in the points total entering the Tour Championship wins, that player can not be passed in the points standings and will win the FedEx Cup.  If the 6th seed wins (Jason Day), then the only other player who could win the FedEx Cup is the points leader (Matt Kuchar) with a 2nd place finish.  If the 7th seed wins (Luke Donald), then only the 1st and 2nd places in the points could take the FedEx Cup from Donald (with a 2nd place finish).  If the 8th seed wins (Ernie Els), the same applies as with the 7th seed except that the 3rd place player in the points standings could tie with a 2nd place finish.  If the 9th seed wins (Martin Laird), then 1st, 2nd, or 3rd in the points standings could win the FedEx Cup with 2nd place, and 4th in the standings could tie with a 2nd place finish.  If any of the 10th-14th seeds win, then any of the top 4 seeds could win the FedEx Cup, and the 5th seed could tie.  Finally, if any of the 15th-30th seeds win, then any of the top 5 seeds could still win the FedEx Cup, and the 6th seed could tie.

Take a deep breath.  That’s a lot of information.  A good way to think of it is this: Winning the tournament is almost essential to winning the FedEx Cup.  If a player doesn’t win the tournament, he will need to have been very highly seeded, still place in the top 5, and will need a very low seed to win the tournament to have a chance.

Last year (the first season of reset points), Phil Mickelson won the Tour Championship, but lost the FedEx Cup because then points leader Tiger Woods finished 2nd in the tournament.  Tiger still won the FedEx Cup because Mickelson was outside the top 5 in the points standings entering the tournament, and therefore could not make up the points differential.  The points reset makes things much more interesting for golf fans, because the year before, Camilo Villegas won the Tour Championship, but lost the FedEx Cup to Vijay Singh, who finished T22 (out of 30) at +9.  Vijay still won the FedEx Cup solely because of his huge points lead entering the tournament.  The beauty of the new system is that the FedEx Cup winner is guaranteed to finish in the top 5 at East Lake this weekend, and there won’t be any Vijay Singh type scores winning the Cup on Sunday.

My pick:  For the purposes of my prediction I will assume that the winner of the tournament will win the FedEx Cup.  I could be wrong, but I think it is the safest way to predict a winner.  One of the hottest players that no one is talking about is Jason Day, as he has flown under the radar and has been very impressive down the stretch in the regular season and into postseason play.  I’ll take Jason Day as my sleeper pick to win the Tour Championship and the 2010 FedEx Cup.

The Power of the FCS

The Football Championship Subdivision, formerly know as Division 1-AA, is a part of Division 1 along with the Football Bowl Subdivision, formerly known as Division 1-A. The pervasive attitude among the majority of college football fans is that the FBS is significantly better than the FCS at football.  Most think that FBS and FCS are two separate levels of Division 1 football, and that FBS is simply the higher level.

However, three years ago, the proper description of Division 1-AA changed to Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), and Division 1-A became the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS).  This change in terminology was made because the NCAA believed that by categorizing the subdivisions as D1-A and D1-AA, it created an unfounded assertion that D1-A was better than D1-AA.  The NCAA did not want to send that incorrect message, and therefore the terminology was changed.  The FCS includes many talented football teams that are fully capable of competing with and defeating solid, marquee FBS programs.

FCS football is characterized differently than the FBS because of the amount of money that is dedicated to a school’s football program.  Competitive schools in the FBS are funded inordinate amounts of money from the athletic departments, sponsors, and patrons.  These are the schools that often have the 75,000+ seat stadiums.  Schools in the FCS are funded by the athletic department, but often are not the center focus of athletics at the university.  For example, the Villanova Wildcats basketball team is funded much more by the athletic department, sponsors, and patrons than the football team is.  The same relationship exists at other FCS schools like Georgetown and Dayton.

FCS teams often have smaller stadiums that hold anywhere from 10,000-25,000 fans.  In 2006, statistics were recorded about the attendance ratings for college football.  It found that the average attendance for an FBS game was 45,828 fans, while the team who averaged the highest attendance was Michigan with 110,026 fans per game.  FCS average attendance was 8,029 fans per game, and the team with the highest average attendance was Montana with 22,600 fans per game.  Therefore, the separation between FBS and FCS teams is not made because the FBS was thought to be much better than the FCS.  The distinction is made because FBS schools’ football programs receive more funding and more revenue than FCS programs do.

A common argument against the quality of FCS play is that because the FBS schools devote more money to their football programs, those schools consistently get the best recruits, and whoever is left simply falls to FCS schools.  This notion is not true because the high school football talent has been expanding exponentially over the past 15 years.  Many high schools have either begun a football program, reinstated a football program, or drastically improved their football program over the past few decades.  High school football has expanded across the country and has produced many more talented players than ever before.  The quality of the top high school players in the country has not drastically improved, but the number of talented players has increased greatly.  This trend has created a surplus of quality talent across the high school football circuit.

FCS programs have benefited greatly from the rapid expansion of high school football.  These schools can now recruit players that before would not have been interested in the football program.  Consider the decision facing a current high school senior who is being recruited by a solid FBS school and a reputable FCS school.  Should he go to play for an FBS school, face a lot of bench time, and possibly play as a walk on, or should he go to an FCS school and play for all four years and be under scholarship?  Many high school athletes are realizing that the more financially responsible and the more enjoyable option is to go to an FCS school and be a star football player for four years.  In addition, FBS schools no longer have the clear advantage in recruiting because the top high school players are no longer much more talented than those players recruited by FCS schools.  This new trend has leveled the playing field in college football and has allowed FCS schools to keep pace with FBS schools in terms of recruiting.

Another argument attempting to belittle the quality of play in the Football Championship Subdivision is that the top tier FBS schools, such as Florida, Alabama, and Texas, would beat the top FCS schools, and therefore the FBS is so much better than the FCS.  It is definitely true that Florida could beat Villanova, Alabama could beat Richmond, and Texas could beat Montana.  However, in the November 28^th, 2009 BCS rankings, Florida, Alabama, and Texas were the three teams who were ranked far ahead of the rest.  In addition to a numerical ranking system, the BCS uses percentages, which calculates how well teams have played while also considering the difficulty of their schedules.  Florida (.987), Alabama (.951), and Texas (.928), are all rated much higher by percentage than the next rated team (TCU .869).  The 10^th team in the country, Georgia Tech, had a .580 percentage, which shows how quickly the ratings drop after the top teams.  When people argue that the three top teams in the FBS would defeat the top three FCS teams, they are correct, but they also need to realize that these teams would defeat every other FBS team, and often quite handily.  This is also evident when one looks at the top three team’s records.  Neither Florida, Alabama, nor Texas was beaten in the regular season last year, and all three teams play in one of the top two conferences in the country.  Therefore, one can not say that the FBS as a whole is better than the FCS by citing the quality of only the top three teams in the FBS.  One must examine the quality of the majority of teams in both subdivisions before making a statement about which subdivision is better.

There have been numerous games where FCS teams have shown their talent by beating solid, competitive FBS teams.  Many of these games were shown on national or regional television, which increased the viewership.  The most recognizable FCS victory over an FBS school was Appalachian State’s victory over then fifth ranked Michigan on the road in 2007.  This year was not just a down year for Michigan.  The powerhouse Michigan Wolverines still finished the season ranked in the top 15 and defeated Florida in the Capital One Bowl, regarded as the best non-BCS Bowl and the sixth best bowl in the country.  In 2009, the success of the FCS has continued, with many FCS victories over FBS opponents.

On September 3^rd, 2009, the Villanova Wildcats defeated the Temple Owls to capture the inaugural Mayor’s Cup.  The Temple Owls went 9-3 in the regular season last year, with the only other losses coming to number 11 ranked Penn State, and Ohio, the MAC East Champions.  Temple had a 9 game win streak at one point during the season and was nearly ranked in the AP Top 25 Poll.

On September 5^th, 2009, the William and Mary Tribe beat the Virginia Cavaliers, a solid ACC program who went 5-7 last year.  The Tribe played on the road and defeated the Cavs convincingly 26-13.  Also on September 5^th, the Richmond Spiders defeated Duke, from the ACC, by a score of 24-16.  Duke went 5-7 last year and started 5-3 before finishing with a four game losing streak.

Iowa and Northern Iowa also played on September 5^th, 2009.  Northern Iowa lost to Iowa by one point on the road and had two chances to kick a last minute field goal to win the game.  Iowa proceeded to start the season 9-0, finish second in the Big 10 Conference, and be ranked in the BCS top 10.  The Hawkeyes only missed the conference championship because of an overtime loss to number 8 ranked Ohio State.  Northern Iowa gave Iowa a test at home and arguably played better than Iowa.   These same Iowa Hawkeyes earned a BCS Bowl berth and beat Penn State by 11 points on the road.  These games are just a few examples of FCS teams competing well with and often defeating quality FBS teams in 2009.

Early in the 2010 season, things have not changed.  FCS teams have continued to surprise and scare big name FBS teams.  Notable efforts include Jacksonville State (on the road) defeating Ole Miss from the SEC, James Madison (on the road) defeating Virginia Tech from the ACC, who lost to Boise State by only 3 points in Week 1 and beat perennial mid-major standout East Carolina by 22 points in Week 3.  Finally, just this past weekend, Massachusetts, a solid but not stellar program from the FCS, played undefeated and much-heralded Michigan close, and lost by only 5 points on the road.  The Minutemen scored 37 points on a team that gave up 10 points to Connecticut and 24 to Notre Dame.  These are only a few examples of FCS victories over FBS marquee programs over just the past 2 years.

Jeff Sagarin is a USA Today journalist who has provided a unique college football ranking system since 1985.  He has produced the most well-renowned college football rankings that include both FBS and FCS teams.  In the November 28^th, 2009 rankings, the top ranked FCS team was Villanova at 40.  William and Mary and Richmond were ranked 55 and 56 respectively.  Notable FBS teams ranked lower than 40^th included Florida State, UCLA, Wisconsin, Missouri, and Notre Dame.   Some FBS teams that were ranked lower than 56 include: Texas A&M, Wake Forest, Michigan State, Temple, and Minnesota.  These top FCS teams were ranked higher than many traditional college football powerhouses.

When fans are watching college football on a fall Saturday, they need to realize the talent and strength of FCS football as a whole.  FCS football does not get the respect it deserves for the talent it produces and the success it has against the FBS.  For years the quality of the FCS has been neglected by the public, but this ignorance is beginning to fade.  The many FCS victories over FBS opponents are no longer upsets, they will become more prevalent as the playing field becomes even more level.  It has been proven that FCS programs have caught up to many FBS football programs in terms of recruiting and success.  It has been shown that many FCS teams have played well against and defeated quality FBS teams in 2009 and 2010.  Fans will be reluctant to accept the fact that the FCS is in fact extremely competitive, but given the rapid increase in the quality of play, people need to begin to give it more respect.

Why Donovan McNabb was NOT Mistreated in Philadelphia

Last night, I found myself watching Rick Reilly’s show “Homecoming.”  In this particular episode, Donovan McNabb was featured.  I fully expected Reilly to reference the fact that McNabb was “mistreated” during his time in Philadelphia, as he has multiple times in his columns and on ESPN.  True to form, he brought up the fact that Donovan was booed when he was drafted, and Donovan played right along as he always does, saying, “I still to this day have no idea why they did that.”  To Rick Reilly, Donovan McNabb, and every other national pundit, here is why Donovan McNabb was NOT mistreated in Philadelphia:

Lets start with draft day, 1999.  The Eagles had the 2nd pick in the draft, and after the Browns selected future bust Tim Couch, the Eagles were expected to pick Ricky Williams, the top collegiate running back in the draft.  The Eagles needed to fill a void at running back, and Ricky seemed to be a sure thing.  Therefore, when Donovan McNabb was drafted, the fans started to boo.  And so the legend began.  Donovan and the media began portraying the Philadelphia fans as “mistreating” Donovan McNabb, and this label stuck for the entirety of McNabb’s career in Philadelphia, and remains today.  However, the fans weren’t booing Donovan McNabb, they were booing the Eagles organization.  They weren’t angry at McNabb, they were mad at the Eagles organization.  Some of the fans probably didn’t even know who McNabb was at the time, all they wanted was Ricky.  But everyone overreacted and presented the situation as if the Philadelphia fans didn’t appreciate Donovan McNabb.

Then, over the course of his career, pundits accused Eagles fans of mistreating and not appreciating McNabb by citing his multiple NFC Championship appearances and his one Super Bowl appearance.  The pundits are correct in that the fans have, over the course of McNabb’s career, questioned his consistent passing ability, his leadership, and his inability to win the big game.  When the Eagles were favorites in 4 of 5 NFC Championship games, and only advanced to the Super Bowl once (in a very soft NFC), maybe the fans had a case against McNabb.  And when McNabb consistently performed poorly in big games, throwing interceptions, throwing balls into the ground, and throwing behind receivers on easy plays, then maybe the fans have a case.  When McNabb throws his wide receivers and younger players under the bus in the postgame press conference, when the “youth” wasn’t exactly throwing balls into the ground, or throwing balls to the other team, maybe the fans have a case against McNabb.

Finally, McNabb has been paid a combined $100+ million during his time in Philadelphia, and the fan base paid through taxes a large portion of the amount needed to take McNabb off the knee-killing and concussion-forcing Veterans Stadium turf.  The fans paid to put up a state-of-the-art Lincoln Financial Field for the quarterback’s remaining 5 years as an Eagle.

It isn’t that the Eagles fans don’t care, it is that the Eagles fans like players with whom they can connect.  They can’t connect with a player that doesn’t have accountability, and holds grudges.  The fact that McNabb blamed problems on his teammates and others, and the fact that he brought up his treatment by the fans at every opportunity doesn’t exactly endear him to the fan base.  At that point, many fans decided to pile on McNabb.  If McNabb had acted like an adult, and realized that the Eagles fans were booing the organization on draft day, McNabb would have been considerably happier and better treated during his time in Philadelphia.  However, while his performance was for the most part very good while in Philadelphia, his poor performance in nearly every big game, his lack of accountability, and his inability to let small things go led to his treatment in Philadelphia.  However, it is completely unfair to Eagles fans and the city of Philadelphia to say that McNabb was mistreated.

Podcast: Sports Blitz

Title: Sports Blitz (9/13)

The first “Sports Blitz” in which Chris Pierangeli and I analyze the big sports issues that caught our eye the past week.

Big points: Villanova Moving to the FBS, Trent Richardson, the Calvin Johnson “no-catch”, Kolb vs. Vick, Boise State deserving of the National Championship Game?, and the power (or lackthereof) in the ACC.

Download Link: http://bobsportsblog.podomatic.com/entry/2010-09-13T20_44_48-07_00

Nova to the Big East in Football?

The Villanova Wildcats football program is the defending Division 1 Football Champion.  The Cats won the Football Championship Subdivision last December and captured the school’s first National Championship in football.  Given the recent success of the program, and the questions that exist in terms of conference structure in collegiate athletics right now, there has been speculation from fans for months about the potential move for Villanova football from FCS to FBS football.  However, recently the speculation rose to a new level, as Big East commissioner John Marinatto visited the Villanova campus before the Temple game to inform the school of the conference’s interest in adding Villanova as a football school.  As of now, Villanova participates as a Big East school in all sports except football, as the program is in a different subdivision of football than the Big East.

Just today, Villanova President Father Donohue sent an email to all Villanova alumni informing them of the opportunity presented, and stated that the Board of Trustees was beginning a thorough analysis of the situation, and that a formal decision will not be made until this analysis is complete.

To Father Donohue, I’ll complete your decision making process in under 2,000 words:

The possible move of Villanova football from the FCS to the FBS is an idea that could be detrimental to the football program.  Not only that, but the decision could have more far-reaching effects, such as to many other varsity sports that could be sized down or even removed due to budget and other constraints.

Lets focus on the adverse effects the move would have on the football program itself:

Villanova now is a great power in the FCS.  The players, coaches, fans, and administration love where the program is right now and love the excitement it has brought to the university.  The football program is also in the right spot in that it is extremely competitive in the division in which it plays, but isn’t so big that it draws attention away from the rest of the school.

Here are the problems, therefore, with the potential move:

1) Nova football does not have enough fans- I am a diehard Nova football fan (one of the few), and I can say with supreme confidence that the team does not and will not have enough fans to support the move to the FBS.  Last year (when the team won the National Championship), Nova wasn’t in the top 20 for attendance averages for the FCS, and DIDN’T SELL OUT A HOME GAME.  Many argue that the fans will follow when the team moves to the FBS.  My question: Why? How?  Why and how will more fans follow when they already aren’t supporting a championship caliber team.  I don’t know of any person that says, “O, the team is losing about half its games now, and some by double digits,  as opposed to last year when the team won 10 games in the regular season and won the National Championship?  Where is the box office, I have to get in on this action!”  That isn’t the way it works.  College football hasn’t and won’t work in the city of Philadelphia.  Temple was a member of the Big East conference for football from 1991-2004, but was forced out partially due to the fact that no fans came to the games.  So will the fans really follow, especially when Nova won’t be nearly as competitive as it is now?  Doubtful, and certainly not something at which to throw your blind hope.

2) Nova doesn’t have a facility that is FBS suitable- Villanova stadium, where the Wildcats play their home games, holds about 12,000 fans.  FBS standards require at least 15,000 seats, and any FBS stadium with only 15,000 seats is a laughingstock.  To resolve the seating problem, Villanova has a few options.  The first option is to add seating to Villanova Stadium, most likely to complete the seating structure around the backs of the endzones.  This would cause severe financial strain on the university and athletics department.  Another option is to lease a larger stadium, such as Lincoln Financial Field, where Temple plays, PPL Park, where the Philadelphia Union (soccer) plays, or even Franklin Field, where the Penn Quakers play.  The constant among these options is that they ALL COST MONEY.  Any move to another location for 6 games a year will cost the university a lot of money that it isn’t spending now.

…which leads to the next issue.

3) Lack of endowments- Villanova is a small, private, Catholic institution.  All the money for athletics comes from the athletic department and donations of wealthy alumni.  At this point, most of those donations go to the thriving basketball program.  Therefore, if Nova moved to the FBS, a lot more money would be needed to finance the transition itself, the needed improved facilities on campus, the scholarships, the increased marketing for the program, and many other factors.  It takes a lot of money to finance all these prospects, and Nova simply doesn’t have it and can’t generate it.  Think about it.  How many small, private, Catholic football programs exist and thrive at the FBS level?  I think of 2.  Notre Dame, which is simply an outlier in the fact that their alumni support is unmatched by private schools in the country.  Boston College, which has been an established football program for a long time.  Boston College is the only comparable school to Villanova which has succeeded with a football program at the FBS level.  However, there are problems with this comparison as well.  BC has always had a larger endowment than Villanova, and the university and local areas support the program more so than Villanova.  BC has a 44,000 seat stadium on campus (Alumni Stadium), a project which would NEVER pass in the Villanova-Radnor community.  Therefore, there is only one example of a school comparable to Villanova that has succeeded at the FBS level, and this school has numerous advantages over Nova that allowed them to do so, not limited to the financial advantages.

4) Competition- All the above points are valid and are very important, but how about the fact that Villanova has to compete year in and year out at the FBS level in a BCS conference.  Granted, Nova has been very impressive in the past 2 years.  A 3 loss season 2 years ago (including a trip to the FCS quarterfinals), and a National Championship season last year.  And believe me, I have loved every minute of it and think that (right now) Nova can compete with Big East teams.  However, I did say that Nova could compete “right now.”  How about next year, or the year after that?  Nova’s roster is losing the following players for next season: Starting QB Chris Whitney, Starting WR, KR, Reigning FCS Championship MVP, and Walter Payton Award Nominee Matt Szczur (best player at Villanova since Brian Westbrook, if not of all time), the top 3 running backs on the team (Aaron Ball, Angelo Babbaro, Louis Adeyemi), 3 starting linebackers (Terence Thomas, Marquis Kirkland, Jacob Wade), and 3 defensive backs (Fred Maldonado, John Dempsey, Martel Moody).  This is the year where the team is at its peak.  The team came into its own last year by winning the National Championship, and is just as strong this season.  But what about next season?  Are there really players just as talented that are ready to fill the shoes of these graduating players as Nova is about to enter a BCS conference?  Before the 2008 season, when the players that are leading the team now began to play well and led the team to the playoffs, Nova hadn’t made the FCS playoffs since 2002.  2002! In a 16 team playoff! In the FCS! And now people want this team to move up to a BCS conference for the remaining life of the program with all new players and an unclear direction.  I must not have the intelligence to understand such a thought process.

5) Recruiting- Nova has thrived upon recruiting Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, and other relatively local players that would have been sitting the bench for programs such as Rutgers, Syracuse, Pittsburgh, etc.  However, now that Nova is in the same league as these teams, and has to compete squarely with the teams, there is no way that Nova will succeed without completely changing its recruiting philosophy.  And the next question is, will a stand up coach like Andy Talley be able to compete in the recruiting game at the FBS level while continuing his ethical practices that have endeared fans to both him and the football program?  And if he fails, then what?  Will the university be forced to fire the coach that built the program so that it could ascend to the FBS level in the first place?

6) Basketball won’t be affected!!!- Much of the speculation has been propelled by the basketball fans who care only about the basketball program and don’t care about the quality of other big-name sports at Villanova (namely football).  They believe that the “landscape in college athletics is changing” (Man, if I had a nickel for every time I read or heard that).  To those people, I need to ask why the basketball program will be so adversely affected if the football program moves to the FBS.  The collegiate landscape at the present moment is not changing, and contrary to popular belief, I don’t see it changing any time soon.  Which conference will steal all the Big East teams and dissolve the Big East?  The Big Ten?? The conference added Nebraska, spent months designing a new conference alignment with the 2 divisions, and has now created the Big Ten football schedule for the next 4 years.  The Pac-10?? The Pac 10 may not be done expansion, but will not reach 3,000 miles across the country to take multiple Big East schools.  Colorado was about as far as they would go.  The ACC?? Why, when the conference has the option to take multiple SEC schools, which are miles ahead of the Big East schools in the much more lucrative sport of college football.  Therefore, I don’t see any power conference as a viable threat to take over the Big East football schools at this point.

AND EVEN IF FOR SOME REASON THAT DOES HAPPEN, WHO CARES!! Last I checked there were 8 schools in the Big East for basketball (half of the total conference) that don’t play football in the Big East.  Notre Dame remains independent and shows no inclination to change anytime soon.  Villanova, Georgetown, Depaul, Seton Hall, St. Johns, Marquette, and Providence either play at the FCS level or don’t have football programs.  So tell me, even if the conference raid begins again and the Big East football schools are all shipped to different conferences, what is the problem with having an 8 team basketball-only conference?  Villanova and Georgetown are 2 traditional powerhouses near the top of the college basketball spectrum right now, Marquette and Notre Dame are locks for the NCAA tournament nearly every season, and are very exciting teams, Seton Hall almost made it to the tournament last year, and St. Johns is on the way back up with Steve Lavin now at the helm.  Providence and Depaul aren’t great teams, but Providence especially is always a solid program, and is one of the original Big East schools, back when it was a basketball only conference.  Therefore, even if the absolute worst happens, and the Big East football conference ceases to be, Nova will be just fine (if not in a more stable spot) if the Big East football schools are haphazardly distributed to new conferences.

So, Father, here is why the program should not move up:

1) Not enough fans

2) Not a suitable facility

3) Lack of Endowments

4) Competition

5) Recruiting

6) Basketball will be just fine without the switch

If the program does switch, someone better have a darn convincing argument as to why.

Podcast: 2010 NFL Predictions (NFC)

Title: 2010 NFL Predictions (NFC)

In this podcast Chris Pierangeli and I make our predictions for the NFC, including division winners, wild card winners, and the Super Bowl Champion.

Download Link: http://bobsportsblog.podomatic.com/entry/2010-09-09T17_44_19-07_00