Podcast: BCS and National Championship Preview

Title: BCS and National Championship Preview

A full, in-depth look at the scenarios that can affect the National Championship picture in college football.  I’ll clarify the chaos that exists in the BCS and college football right now.

Link: http://bobsportsblog.podomatic.com/entry/2010-11-17T16_03_28-08_00

Rick Reilly, Have a Clue about Boise

Rick Reilly is a columnist for ESPN.com, and he makes periodic appearances on ESPN.  He thrives upon composing humorous and entertainment based sports stories that don’t always hit the main issues themselves.  I have been a strong critic of Reilly’s style for a very long time.  He is a national pundit in every sense of the word; he focuses far too much on general stereotypes and often says things without processing them and the consequences of his statements.

For example, in one ESPN feature, Reilly inadvertently disrespected every US soccer player by speculating about how good the national team would be if players such as LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Chris Paul, Ryan Miller, and other star athletes played soccer instead of their own sports.  He sent the message that our current players weren’t the best the country could produce, and I took major offense to that belief and subsequent statement on national television.

In another feature, Reilly degraded the entire Philadelphia fanbase by arguing that Donovan McNabb was mistreated in Philly.  He stated that the fans should be apologizing to McNabb, and that nothing makes them happy. Of course, as with most pundits, one of his major points was that the fans threw snowballs at Santa Claus.  Hey Rick, that happened in the 1960s, get over it.  The fact that he simply stated that Philadelphia fans are not classy was unfounded and unprofessional.

So what must he have done this time to perturb me enough to write a blog entry?  This entry is a response to Rick Reilly’s article on ESPN.com, “Broncos Can’t Buck this Trend” (http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/news/story?id=5725597).  I recommend reading it, but if you would rather not, here is a general summary.  Reilly believes that Boise State should be ranked above Auburn and Oregon, and should claim the top spot in the BCS rankings.  He feels that the Broncos are consistently disrespected, and argues that the resume of the Broncos trumps that of any other college football team.  If he wants to make that argument, that is fine, but my problem is with the lack of logic and intelligence with which he did so.

First, Reilly argues that Boise should be ranked above Auburn, and gives the stat that Auburn has 13 less wins in the last 5 seasons than Boise.  I have 3 problems with this statement.  First, and most obvious, the rankings are not based upon past years, the rankings are solely based upon what has happened this year.  Second, Auburn plays in the SEC, and doesn’t play Louisiana Tech and Idaho on a yearly basis.  Instead, the Tigers play LSU, Alabama, Florida, and Arkansas on a yearly basis.  Just a hunch, but I feel that playing Idaho and Louisiana Tech each year might lend itself to a few more wins per season than a team playing in the SEC.  So explain the thought process behind that stat, Rick.  Finally, the personnel is completely different at Auburn from even 2 years ago.  Head coach Gene Chizik was hired in 2009 after Tommy Tuberville was fired, and Heisman contender Cam Newton is a first year starter at Auburn.  But clearly, Rick Reilly thought all that through when he decided that the basis for his Boise State over Auburn argument was a difference of 13 wins in the last 5 years.

Second, Reilly defends the Broncos by arguing that they beat Oregon 19-8 last season at home, and that the Ducks undeservingly sit ahead of Boise.  Hey Rick, who was the starting quarterback for Oregon last year?  That’s right, it was Jeremiah Masoli, now the quarterback of Ole Miss.  Rick, meet Darren Thomas, the 2010 starter for the Ducks, who is tearing up the Pac 10 and everyone else right now.  When you make an argument about a head to head matchup, and the starting quarterback isn’t the same for the losing team in a previous season, that is stupid and inane, and has no bearing on anything whatsoever.

Third, Rick Reilly argues that Boise State plays and beats whoever is throw at them.  He states that Boise State beat San Jose State 48-0, and Wisconsin, who beat Ohio State and Iowa, only beat San Jose State by 13.  Compelling argument Rick, but I have a question, where are Wisconsin, Ohio State, and Iowa ranked in the BCS?  10, 11, and 18, respectively.  How about Boise? Number 3.  What exactly are you arguing, Rick?  That Boise should be ranked higher than Wisconsin? Done.  Higher than Ohio State? They already are.  Higher than Iowa?  They have been all year.  How your stat makes an argument that Boise State should be ranked above Auburn and Oregon is beyond me.

Fourth, Reilly argues that since Boise crushed Wyoming 51-6, who almost beat Air Force, who almost beat Oklahoma, Boise could absolutely beat Oklahoma.  Again, my question to Rick is, where is Oklahoma ranked?  That’s right, 9th, 6 spots behind Boise.  Is it me, Rick, or are your arguments becoming less and less relevant as your article continues?

If you didn’t think it could get worse, it did.  He then stated, with regards to Boise State beating Oklahoma, “Oh wait, it already did [happen].”  Rick, that was January 1st, 2007.  Jared Zabransky and Ian Johnson are not playing for the Broncos anymore, and Paul Thompson and Adrian Peterson are not playing for the Sooners anymore.  A comparison to a game 4 years ago is completely ridiculous, and is embarrassing to you as a journalist, Rick.

Finally, Reilly argues that Boise would “carve up” the ACC because the Broncos “whipped” Virginia Tech on the road (I have a hard time calling a 33-30 game a “whipping,” and it technically was not a home game for Tech, either).  But Rick, tell me, what team in the ACC is ranked higher than Boise State, thus in your mind disrespecting the Broncos?  None.  Get your facts and logic straight, and then come back to me.

Pardon the point-by-point analysis, but I found nearly everything included in this article to be completely ridiculous and unprofessional in nature.  There was no logic involved, it was simply a biased opinion based upon readily available and popular facts that were thrown together in a way that made no sense whatsoever and negated every one of the points he tried to make.

The fact is that Boise is lucky to be ranked #3.  Missouri is undefeated with more quality wins than Boise State, and Alabama I have ranked ahead of Boise because of 3 quality wins that trump Boise’s top win over Virginia Tech.  So please, Rick Reilly, and all other national pundits who want to make an argument about Boise State, you can make the argument, but before doing so, please, have a clue.

Most Intimidating Big Ten Stadiums

Lets have some fun with this Friday feature.  I am going to list the toughest Big Ten Football Stadiums for opponents to come into and win.  The criteria combines attendance numbers, loudness, fan support, and past history of opponents in the stadium.

1. Iowa’s Kinnick Stadium- A bit of a surprise pick at number 1 for some, Kinnick Stadium has it all in terms of intimidation.  While 70,000 fans is smaller than, say, Beaver Stadium or Michigan Stadium, Kinnick can get just as loud as any stadium in the country.  In addition, the Iowa fans are fanatical.  For most fans, Iowa football is what they live to see, and the gameday atmosphere at Kinnick is absolutely unbelievable.  Combine the atmosphere with the fact that the team has been unbelievable at home recently (Northwestern is the only team to beat Iowa at home in 3 seasons [in 2009 Ricky Stanzi was not playing]), and Kinnick Stadium provides a very intimidating atmosphere on gameday.

If the atmosphere only ended on the field at Kinnick for opponents.  However, the intimidation extends to the locker room, as Kinnick has an all pink visitor’s locker room.  Everything is painted pink in the locker room, and this is both an intimidation tactic and a tactic to disrupt the focus of the opposition.  Kinnick Stadium is the most intimidating football stadium in the Big Ten.

2. Penn State’s Beaver Stadium- Known as one of the loudest venues in the country, Beaver Stadium falls at number 2 in the Big Ten.  Beaver Stadium is the 2nd largest stadium in college football, and officially holds just over 107,000 fans, although 109,000 fans isn’t surprising for a big game.  Beaver Stadium is known for its whiteouts, when the students all dress in white in a show of solidarity and intimidation.  The waving of the white pom-poms for a night whiteout game is one of the most intimidating sights in college football.  Whitehouses also occur once per year, where the whole stadium wears only white.  ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit stated in 2005 that Penn State had the best student section in the country.  Undoubtedly, the support has waned recently in Happy Valley, which is the reason why Beaver Stadium is not first in the list, but it is nonetheless still one of the iconic venues in college football and a very intimidating stadium.

3. Ohio State’s Ohio Stadium- Known to many as “The Horseshoe,” Ohio Stadium is one of the loudest, biggest, and most recognizable venues in college football.  The Horseshoe seats just over 101,000 fans, and is a difficult place to play based on both the deafening volume of the stadium and the consistent quality of the Buckeye teams playing inside it.  Just as Iowa and Penn State are the primary football option for people living in those areas, Ohio State is the main attraction for Ohio State fans (Cincinnati and Cleveland are in the bottom and top of the state, respectively, while Columbus is right in the middle).  Therefore, the Ohio State fans are diehard fans and very loyal to the team, and aren’t afraid to make noise on gameday at the Horseshoe.

4. Wisconsin’s Camp Randall Stadium-  Some might argue that this venue is being shortchanged in this list.  I have heard more than one person report that Camp Randall Stadium can be the loudest venue in the Big Ten, bar none.  Number 4 on this list, in this conference, is not a knock, however.  Wisconsin has only lost 4 times at Camp Randall Stadium since 2003, including 3 of these losses to teams in the top 15.  The Badgers’ dominance at Camp Randall is extremely impressive, as is the fan support.  At just over 80,000 fans, Camp Randall can provide the same atmosphere at Beaver Stadium or The Horseshoe, and as is the case with all the schools and stadiums mentioned above, Wisconsin fans are fanatical about their Badgers.

>>> Nebraska’s Memorial Stadium

5. Michigan’s Michigan Stadium- Known to many as “The Big House,” Michigan Stadium is currently the largest college football stadium in the country.  Created in the classic “bowl” design, Michigan Stadium extends straight back from the field itself with no second or third levels.  The atmosphere of playing inside this type of stadium is very intimidating for players.  However, the Big House does not get as loud as any of the above 4 stadiums simply because of the design.  Because there are no second levels (like Beaver Stadium and Ohio Stadium), and the seating extends straight back at a low angle in the bowl shape (instead of more upright at a higher angle like Kinnick Stadium), the sound has a tendency to go straight up, and some of it never reaches the field.  In addition, Michigan has struggled even at home recently, in the midst of its downturn.  Michigan has lost by double digits 6 times in the past 3 years at Michigan Stadium.  The Big House is still one of college football’s most iconic and recognizable venues, but it falls at 5th on this list.

Stadiums 6-11:

6. Michigan State’s Spartan Stadium- Capacity: 75,000

7. Purdue’s Ross Ade Stadium- Capacity: 62,500

8. Illinois’ Memorial Stadium- Capacity: 62,800

9. Indiana’s Memorial Stadium “The Rock”- Capacity: 53,500

10. Northwestern’s Ryan Field- Capacity: 49,250

11. *Minnesota’s TCF Bank Field- Capacity: 50,300

* This is the first season that the Minnesota Golden Gophers are playing at TCF Bank Field.  Previously, the Gophers shared the Metrodome with the Twins and Vikings.  To this point, the Gophers are 0-4 in their new home.

>>> Nebraska will join the Big Ten in 2011.  Memorial Stadium, in Lincoln, seats over 81,000 fans and is a deafening, intimidating college football stadium.  Memorial Stadium will fit right in with the other iconic Big Ten venues.  If the Huskers were in the Big Ten today I would put Memorial Stadium between Wisconsin’s Camp Randall Stadium and Michigan’s “Big House.”

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

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.

Big Ten Splits into 2 Divisions

The addition of Nebraska to the Big Ten for the 2011 season excited many because of the opportunity for the conference to have a long-awaited conference championship game.  With the addition of the 12th team, however, the conference was forced to split into 2 divisions.  The two divisions are not named at this point (I recommend East and West).  The divisions are split as follows:

1st Division (West)                            2nd Division (East)

Michigan                                            Ohio State

Michigan State                                   Penn State

Nebraska                                           Purdue

Iowa                                                  Wisconsin

Northwestern                                     Indiana

Minnesota                                          Illinois

The scheduling of the 2 divisions will work as follows:

-Teams will play each of the other 5 teams in its division every year

-There will be 3 inter-division games for each team each year

-These 3 inter-division games will be split into 2 categories

1) Rotating Crossover-meaning that 2 inter-division teams will play a proverbial home and home, then the teams will play different inter-division teams in future years.  (ie. Penn State will host Iowa in 2011, will travel to Iowa in 2012, then the teams will face different inter-division teams the following 2 years).  Each team has 2 rotating crossover games per year.

2) Protected Crossover-meaning that the inter-division teams will play each other every single year, regardless of the year.  (ie.  Ohio State and Michigan will play each other every year).  Each team has 1 protected crossover game that will last indefinitely.  The protected crossover game is a big rivalry game for most Big Ten teams.

-The winner of each division will play one another in a Big Ten Championship Game the weekend after the conclusion of the regular season.  If there is a tie for 1st in a division, the head-to-head tiebreaker will be utilized to decide the winner.

PROTECTED CROSSOVER MATCHUPS

(EAST) vs. (WEST)

Ohio State vs. Michigan (It was priority A for the Big Ten committee to make sure these teams play every year)

Penn State vs. Nebraska (I am very excited about this new rivalry)

Indiana vs. Michigan State (Michigan State, more than any team, got snubbed of a big rivalry game with the new format)

Wisconsin vs. Minnesota (The Battle for Paul Bunyan’s Axe, and the longest rivalry in Division 1-A Football)

Purdue vs. Iowa (Will always be a good game and will become a good rivalry)

Illinois vs. Northwestern (The only 2 Illinois schools at the Big Ten, and the teams will play at Wrigley Field this season)

MY THOUGHTS:

I think the divisions were split equally and in a very entertaining way.  The (West) has perennial powerhouses Nebraska, Iowa, and although not recently, Michigan.  The (East) has perennial powerhouses Ohio State, Penn State, and Wisconsin.  I also think the Big Ten did a great job with the inter-conference scheduling.  With 3 inter-division games available per year, and some big rivalry games on opposite side of the division line, the decision to include 1 protected crossover game gives the Big Ten the ability to protect important rivalries such as Ohio State Michigan and Wisconsin Minnesota.  The decision to include 2 rotating crossover games gives the conference the ability to be flexible with its scheduling from year to year, so that the same teams don’t all play each other each year.  This will prevent scheduling from becoming too stale.

In terms of Penn State specifically, as a diehard fan myself I am thrilled with the way the division split worked.  Penn State will play Ohio State and Wisconsin inside the division every year.  In addition, the protected crossover game will be Penn State vs. Nebraska.  This is very important because Penn State, since its inclusion in the Big Ten in 1990, has lacked a true rival.  As an elite program in the Big Ten, Penn State’s biggest games were against Michigan and Ohio State.  However, neither of these teams called Penn State a true “rival” because of the rivalry already shared by Michigan and Ohio State.  Therefore, when Nebraska entered the Big Ten, I saw this as a perfect opportunity for Penn State to create a true rivalry.  It makes perfect sense.  Both programs are elite programs nearly every year.  Both teams are the furthest teams from “Big Ten Country,” if you will.  Finally, Nebraska and Penn State are the last 2 teams to enter the conference.

My biggest fear was that Nebraska would be too far West to become an arch-rival of Penn State.  However, the protected crossover aspect of Big Ten scheduling made such a rivalry possible, because now each team will play each other every year.  I am really looking forward to the rivalry that will be created between Nebraska and Penn State.  I am really looking forward to seeing the new Big Ten format in action.  Finally, and most importantly, I am excited to see a Big Ten Championship Game in 2011.  Big Ten fans have been waiting for a conference championship game for countless years, and come November next year, we will all finally see the plan come to fruition.  A major step forward for a conference that really needed one.

ON THE CLOCK Draft Analysis: Buffalo Bills

Today, I will conclude my ON THE CLOCK Draft Analysis series with my favorite team, the Buffalo Bills.

NEEDS ENTERING THE DRAFT: DE, DT, OL, OG, QB, WR

STRENGTHS ENTERING THE DRAFT: Special Teams, RB, S

BUFFALO BILLS DRAFT PICKS:

1st Round: CJ Spiller- RB Clemson

2nd Round: Torell Troup- DT Central Florida

3rd Round: Alex Carrington- DE Arkansas State

4th Round: Marcus Easley- WR Connecticut

5th Round: Ed Wang- OT Virginia Tech

6th Round: Arthur Moats- DE James Madison

6th Round: Danny Batten- DE South Dakota State

7th Round: Levi Brown- QB Troy

7th Round: Kyle Calloway- OT Iowa

Entering the Draft, the Bills had a lot of problems.  Most of these problems stemmed from the lines.  The Bills defensive line could not get pressure on the opposing quarterback, and the offensive line could not protect the quarterback, whether it be Trent Edwards or Ryan Fitzpatrick.  Therefore, these were the most pressing needs for the Bills entering the Draft.

The Bills took steps to address these needs, as 6 of the 9 draft picks were either offensive linemen or defensive linemen.  The team was hoping to draft an OT in the 1st Round with the 9th pick, but since the top two OTs on the board had been picked in the top 8 picks (Trent Williams and Russell Okung), the Bills did not want to reach at pick 9 for the 3rd best OT on the board.  Instead, since the team could not fill its top need at that pick, it picked the best player on the board in CJ Spiller (RB Clemson).  Although the Bills are strongest at Running Back, this pick could provide a very effective 3 back running offense, and Spiller gives the Bills another effective kick returner.  However, in order to make the Spiller pick worthwhile, the O-Line needed to be strengthened so that Spiller has some holes through which to run.

On the offensive line, the Bills picked Ed Wang from Virginia Tech (5th Round), and Kyle Calloway from Iowa (7th Round).  Not exactly world beating offensive tackles, but the Bills instead focused more on strengthening the defensive line.  The Bills picked 4 defensive linemen, and 2 in the first 3 rounds.

Here is my problem with the Bills draft.  There were not nearly enough big school players picked.  Many of my readers know that I am the biggest FCS/small school proponent, as I am a Villanova fan (Villanova who won the Division 1 Football Championship this past season).  However, the Bills picked far too many players from these small/FCS schools.  There were 5 players picked from small football schools, and 2 of these players were from FCS schools (formerly D1-AA).  As much talent as I think exists at that level, the fact is that the majority of elite talent goes to FBS schools.  Of course, there are players like Brian Westbrook (Villanova) who go to FCS schools and become elite at the NFL level, but it is not too common.  Not common enough for a team to take over half of its draft picks from small schools.  When a team such as the Bills has so many needs and so much room to grow, it is always better in my opinion to take players who have proven themselves at the highest level of collegiate football.  The Bills missed out on that in this year’s draft.

MY GRADE:  C-   The Bills didn’t address the Offensive Line nearly enough, the Quarterback situation wasn’t addressed in a big way, and there were far too many picks (even in the first few rounds) from small schools.  Not a great draft by the Bills, as the highlight was the pick of CJ Spiller, but the team did not take enough steps to build an offensive line around him.

NCAA Coaching Update

It has been a busy day and past week in the college basketball coaching realm.

First, Al Skinner was fired from Boston College today, after interviewing for the St. John’s coaching vacancy.  However, Athletic Director Gene DeFilippo asserted that the interview with St. John’s was not the reason for the firing, as it was for former Boston College head football coach Jeff Jagodzinski prior to last year’s season.

Regarding the St. John’s head coaching vacancy, ESPN analyst and former UCLA head coach Steve Lavin will become the next Red Storm head coach.

Oregon has gone after 2 Big 10 coaches in Tom Izzo of Michigan State and Tubby Smith of Minnesota.  Neither coach has commented on the possibility of coaching at Oregon, but Izzo has denied communication with Oregon.

UTEP hired former USC head coach Tim Floyd to fill the program’s coaching vacancy.  Tim Floyd incurred several NCAA regulations violations for USC before his resignation, which was likely due to the punishments facing him as well as the USC program.

Last week, Iowa has hired former Siena head coach Fran McCaffrey (graduate of La Salle College High School) to be the next Hawkeye head coach, and he will replace former Iowa head coach Todd Lickliter, who was the Butler head coach before leaving for Iowa.

Big 10 Power Rankings

Last week, I provided my Big XII Power Rankings.  The week before, I did my Big East Power Rankings.  Today, I will do my Big 10 Power Rankings.

1. Michigan State- The Spartans are 18-3, 8-0 in Big 10 play, and currently are on a 9 game winning streak.  Michigan State is ranked 6th in my Top 25 and is 2.5 games ahead of 2nd place Wisconsin in the Big 10.  Led by coach Tom Izzo, guard Raymar Morgan, and Kalin Lucas, the Spartans, while not being extremely impressive, have a stranglehold on the Big 10 with just over 1 month until conference tournaments start.  Michigan State’s 3 losses were to Florida, North Carolina, and Texas, ranked 9th in my Top 25.

2. Purdue- Although the Boilermakers do trail Wisconsin by .5 games in Big 10 play, Purdue beat Wisconsin last night in a thriller at Mackey Arena (the season series is a 1-1 tie).  The game was back and forth all night, with both teams appearing to take control of the game at multiple points.  However, the game came down to the final seconds, with the Badgers trailing by 1, when a floater off the glass just would not fall for Trevon Hughes.  Purdue won by 3.  Purdue is 5-3 in conference but is perfect out of conference, with a 17-3 record.  Led by Robbie Hummel and E’twaun Moore, Purdue is a team that, while it is just coming off a 3 game losing streak in a 7 day stretch 2 weeks ago, is very explosive and can play with a lot of teams.  I think that Purdue is a Sweet 16 team at this point, but no more, although that differs from the opinions of many pundits nationally.

3. Wisconsin- The Badgers are that team that no one likes to play.  Bo Ryan has built an unbelievable program at Wisconsin.  Wisconsin has made the tournament each of Ryan’s 8 years coaching, and has never finished worse than 4th in the Big 10 under Ryan.  The Bo Ryan system is based upon defense, taking time off the clock, and spreading the ball around the floor.  This system is very difficult to defend against and to prepare for, and for this reason Wisconsin has consistently given teams trouble that may be more talented.  The Badgers are in 2nd place in the Big 10 by .5 games, and have a 16-5 record.  However, my concern with the Badgers is the fact that they haven’t had recent success in the NCAA tournament under the Bo Ryan system.  In 8 consecutive seasons under Bo Ryan, the Badgers have made the NCAA tournament each year, but have only advanced to the Elite 8 once, and have never advanced past it.

4. Ohio State- Two weeks ago, the Buckeyes would have been much lower in this list of power rankings.  Prior to January 12th, Ohio State was 11-5 and had lost every game played against a decent team.  The best win prior to 1/12 was over Florida State.  The Buckeyes had fallen from the rankings and looked to be a potential bubble team down the stretch.  However, on January 12th, Ohio State defeated Purdue on the road, amidst Robbie Hummel’s best game of his career when he posted 35 points, and E’Twaun Moore posted 19.  Then, on January 16th, Ohio State beat Wisconsin 60-51, and these wins propelled the Buckeyes back into most rankings, although they are not ranked in my Top 25.  The Bucks mounted this streak due in part to Evan Turner’s speedy return to the court after what was a serious injury earlier in the season.  If Turner can continue to pick up the Ohio State play over the course of the year, the team could be a strong contender to go to the Elite 8 in the NCAA tournament.

5. Northwestern- I know, Minnesota has a better record in conference, and Minnesota just beat Northwestern, but hear me out.  Northwestern has a better overall record than Minnesota (14-6 vs. 13-7), and Northwestern has much more respectable losses than Minnesota.  Other than losses to Minnesota and Illinois, Northwestern has lost its games to all ranked teams.  In addition, Northwestern has wins over Notre Dame, Iowa State, Purdue, and NC State.  Therefore, Northwestern is a team that has had an up and down season, but has a chance with a good month stretch to make the NCAA tournament.  I will analyze both Illinois and Minnesota’s schedule strength of schedule and resume after I rank them.

6. Illinois- At this point it gets really difficult to rank these teams.  Each of these teams have had very inconsistent seasons and few if any impressive wins.  However, Illinois is the next best team behind Northwestern.  Illinois is 13-8 and 5-3 in Big 10 play.  The Illini has lost a few bad games, such as Bradford and Utah, but most of the losses have come against solid (not great) teams.  Illinois’ best wins were against Clemson and against Vanderbilt.

7. Minnesota- The Golden Gophers are 13-7 and 4-4 in Big 10 play.  However, Minnesota has been one of the most inconsistent and streakiest teams in college basketball.  After starting 4-0, the team went 0-3 in its next 3 games against decent, not great, competition (Portland, Texas A&M, Miami).  Then the Gophers reeled off 7 straight, although without a true big win in that stretch.  The Gophers have been on a 2-4 streak since and remain in the middle of the pack in the Big 10, with an outside chance of making the NCAA tournament.  Led by head coach Tubby Smith, Minnesota relies on its defense and timely offense to win games in the defense heavy Big 10 conference.

8. Michigan- The Wolverines are a team that has potential to beat great teams on any given night, but also has a chance to drop a game against the Little Sisters of the Poor.  The team lives and dies by the 3 point shoot under coach John Beilein, who has yet to successfully implement the system that worked so effectively for him at West Virginia.  Led by All-American candidate Manny Harris, Michigan has had a very rocky season at 10-10 and 3-5 in conference play.  Michigan has beaten teams such as UConn and Ohio State, but has also lost to teams such as Indiana and Utah.  Michigan is quite simply an inconsistent team with talent that hasn’t put it all together yet.

9. Iowa- I know what most are thinking right now.  How could Iowa be above Indiana in my power rankings? Indiana may be down, but nonetheless can not be worse than Iowa.  Well, the fact is that while Indiana may have a slightly better record, Iowa is the better team right now.  Although the Hawkeyes’ record is 8-13, 9 of these losses came to quality teams, and the Hawkeyes beat Indiana on the road by 15 points.  Quite simply, Iowa is a better team right now.

10. Indiana- It is not Indiana’s year.  Tom Crean is still trying to get the program off the ground, and the Hoosiers post a 9-10 record.  The Hoosiers’ lone solid win was against Pittsburgh, although this game was played before Pittsburgh got its injured players back in the lineup which led to the team’s recent hot streak.

11. Penn State- My beloved Nittany Lions have simply had everything go wrong this year.  After the departure of Stanley Pringle and Jamelle Cornley after last year’s NIT victory, the Lions have not been the same.  The team now lacks an inside presence or a consistent second scorer to support All American candidate Talor Battle.  Chris Babb has stepped up recently to try to fill the void.  The Lions are the only current winless Big 10 team at 0-8, two games behind 2nd to last placed Iowa.  However, the Lions have a young crop of talent, as the team will not graduate anyone this year, and will return the entire roster unless Talor Battle decides to leave for the NBA.

Daryl Clark

Penn State beat the favored LSU Tigers in the Capital One Bowl, held in Orlando, Florida, on January 1^st.  The field conditions were brutal, as it had poured the entire day before the game, and the Champs Sports Bowl was played there only 3 days earlier.  The poor field conditions were assumed to be beneficial to Penn State, whose defense hoped to slow the explosiveness and speed of LSU.

This game was a messy, muddy battle for first downs and field position, as the explosive plays were limited.  The one true explosive play was the first score of the game, when Daryl Clark hit WR Derrick Moye for a 37 yard touchdown pass.  The Nittany Lions took this 7-0 lead into the second quarter, and added two field goals by Collin Wagner in the second quarter to take a 13-3 lead into half.  LSU began to find its offensive firepower in the second half, as LSU scored two consecutive touchdowns after a Penn State Wagner field goal, and took the lead 17-16 past the midway point of the 4^th quarter.

Daryl Clark had an opportunity, with 6:54 left in the game, to leave his mark on his Penn State career.  To prove his doubters wrong.  To finally win “a big game.”  There were many people who believed, and I was one of them, that Daryl Clark could not win a big game, and that his numbers in these games indicated that he choked in such opportunities.  Last year against Iowa, he went 9-23 for 86 yards with 1 INT in Penn State’s single regular season loss.  In addition, he went 12-20 for 121 yards against Ohio State in 2008, but looked so bad that he was pulled in favor of Pat Devlin, from whom Clark won the starting job in the preseason.  After Clark was pulled, the Lions scored 10 straight points to overcome a 6-3 deficit and win 13-3.  Finally, the Nittany Lions were thoroughly beaten by USC in the 2009 Rose Bowl to close the season. This year, it was much of the same story.  Clark won the games he had to, but performed poorly and lost to Ohio State and Iowa, the two biggest games of the year, and both games at home. 

At this point many fans were considering whether the coaching staff had made the right decision by naming Clark as the starter over Devlin the year prior.  Devlin had since transferred to Delaware.  These fans cited as their reasoning both the fact that Daryl had not won a big game in his career, and that Devlin brought the Lions back to win in the Ohio State game in 2008, in his only appearance.  However, as my friend intelligently stated, Devlin did not throw one pass in his appearance against Ohio State.  Penn State relied on Evan Royster to carry the load, and Devlin performed a QB sneak to score Penn State’s only touchdown in that game.  Devlin had done nothing to show that he was more deserving of the starting role than Clark.  Couple that with the fact that the coaches saw each quarterback perform every day in practice and chose Clark, and one must realize that Clark was by all accounts the best option at quarterback for the Nittany Lions.

Clark had all this pressure on his shoulders.  He knew that he hadn’t performed well enough in big games, and took it personally.  In the Capital One bowl he came out relaxed.  He didn’t seem to put too much pressure on himself, which appeared to be his problem in the past.  He made some good passes, and although some were dropped, he looked on the whole relaxed and accurate.  He managed the game very effectively and kept his team in the game. 

He managed the game to a 17-16 deficit with 6:54 remaining in the game, Penn State ball.  He had everything that was stated above on his shoulders.  He led the team on a 12 play, 65 yard drive that ate 5:57 of game time and left only 57 seconds on the clock.  Clark went 3-3 for 33 yards and 44 total yards in a drive that would define Clark’s career at Penn State.  It was a drive that was defined by leadership, poise, accuracy, and athleticism.  Wagner added the field goal, and LSU could not drive down the field in such little time.  Penn State won the game 19-17.

In simple terms, Daryl deserved this game.  He has been an ambassador for Penn State and the game of college football.  He has had a great career at Penn State, compiling a 21-4 record.  He has simply been plagued in a few games, and has been criticized for it.  However, by winning this game against a traditional SEC powerhouse, the 13^th ranked team in the nation, he dispelled many of his doubters, and earned his place in the long and rich history of Penn State football.