A Wonderful Time of Year

On Saturday, there was plenty of college football.

On Sunday, the Patriots and the Colts managed to make their game really interesting in the final minutes.

On Monday, more football, even though it wasn’t that interesting.

On Tuesday, ESPN did their 24 hours of college basketball.  I forgot how much fun college basketball is.  And both #1 and #2 in the nation found themselves in tight games as the clock wound down. 

On Wednesday, I took a break — I’m not that in to the NBA.

On Thursday (tonight) I was able to switch between college basketball and college football.  After watching Colorado return a kickoff for a TD, I saw Ohio State cut a 19-point deficit to 2 points in the final seconds against North Carolina.

Gotta love the variety.  And that’s why, despite the colder temperatures, earlier sunsets and biting wind, this is a wonderful time of year. 

What’s Bill Lynch Done to Deserve This?

(Disclaimer: I am not, nor will I ever be, a Hoosier.  I can, however, appreciate it when guys get shafted.)

Bill Lynch is a nice guy.  He’s a quality college head coach.  He’s committed to his team, his staff, his program, his state. 

And he doesn’t deserve all that he’s had to deal with this season.

But let’s back up.  Bill Lynch took over as head coach for the Indiana Hoosiers football team after the death of head coach Terry Hoeppner from complications related to a brain tumor.  Coach Hoeppner passed away in June, and just a few months later, Lynch coached the Hoosiers to one of the best seasons they had experienced in more than 20 years.  Not an easy thing to do given all the circumstances.

Lynch has Indiana improving.  And this year they’ve really shown that improvement.  Or they would if the officials would get over whatever it is they have against Lynch.

Indiana opened their 2009 Big Ten season at the Big House.  And they led Michigan as the game was winding down.  But a poor call led to a Michigan score.  The Hoosiers saw a slim lead disappear.  A theme for the season. 

Leading Northwestern in Evanston, the Hoosiers saw a 20+ point lead slip away in the second half.  Then this week, the Hoosiers took an improbably 21-7 lead over the #4 Hawkeyes into the pink locker room in Iowa City.  And came out to allow Iowa QB Ricky Stanzi rack up the stats — by throwing them 4 interceptions in just 1 quarter.  But a few questionable calls overturned by the review booth and a freak pinball interception for a TD pushed all momentum to the Hawkeyes, who went on to win by 18 points, a deceptively wide margin.

So, what’s Bill done to the refs or the system to deserve such treatment?  Nothing, as far as I can see.  Granted, I’m not following the Hoosiers closely.  But really.  Give the guy a break.

Great Minds Think Alike?

That’s what “they” often say, and I hope it’s true.

This morning I was enjoying a fall Saturday morning of College GameDay.  I saw a promo for a segment and said (outloud to myself), “That’s ____ team.” 

And when I watched the segment a few minutes later, I was right. 

Not sure how I feel about being on the same wavelength with the producers at the world-wide leader…

That’s What Friends Are For

The last couple Saturdays, I’ve had the opportunity to celebrate the marriages of good friends.  The parties have been fun.  I love quality time with friends.

But it’s fall.  And Saturday is college football day.  So while I’ve appreciated the invitations (and the nice meals), I’ve been a bit torn.  It’s a bit of a challenge getting ready for a wedding and leaving on time when distracted by a game or two.  Take the Michigan State overtime win over Michigan — I’m glad I got to watch it, but it didn’t help get left in good time.  And yes, my Illini haven’t looked good all season, but I still want to watch the game.

That’s where good friends come in.  I haven’t invested in a data package for my cell phone.  But I know who has.  And I am thankful for friends who know what I’m looking for when I say “Can I get an update?” while waiting for the bride and groom to appear for their sendoff.  A couple weeks ago, one friend graciously served as my personal scoreboard updater, and the Pennsylvania native didn’t even rub in the lopsided Illini-Penn State score too badly.  That’s a good friend.

This past weekend was a bit more of a challenge.  My first option for scoreboard updater was also serving as the wedding photographer, so availability was a bit of an issue.  But I had the opportunity to make new friends (and enemies — I am a product of a heated Illini-Hawkeye rivalry).  One friend’s date graciously took on the scoreboard updater role.

Ongoing score updates at wedding receptions.  Isn’t that what friends are for?

Opening Night

The 2009 college football season is underway.  And I am thankful.  (The inability to score at home against the Chi Sox…no comment.)

South Carolina at NC State.  Oregon at Boise State.  Cheesy college commercials and College Gameday clips.  Passionate players and fans.  And a whole season of rivalries, big plays, big hits and big games to look forward to.  What more could I ask for, other than an obscure reference to my favorite college team?

Wait — I did hear the commentators compliment the work of Gamecocks new offensive line coach Eric Wolford.  Wolford’s last two O-lines were part of a conference-leading offense.  Yes, he was with the Illini. 

(Sports) Life is good. 

Above #1

Is it possible to start the season ranked higher than #1?  It seems that this year’s pre-season #1 team, Florida, certainly is. 

Something like 98.2934897% of voters put the Gators in the top spot for 2009.  And it was a national news story when an SEC coach failed to rate senior-Heisman-trophy-winner-national-champion Tim Tebow the best QB in the conference. 

Might as well make your plans to travel to Pasadena, Gator fans.  Why even bother to play this season?  Surely the Gators will glide through the SCE undefeated… 

No doubt the Gators are talented, and they’ve earned the acclaim, but they are also being set up for a fall.  The SEC isn’t exactly an easy conference, especially on the road.  Oh, and I think Tebow sat out a practice or two to make sure he stays healthy. 

Now, as much as I hate to admit it, I do appreciate Tim Tebow.  The kid has a good head on his shoulders, a compassionate heart, a warrior spirit, a tireless work ethic and the ability to laugh at himself.  He could very well lead his team to another national championship.  But he’s not the second coming.  He actually has lost a game before.  Really.  And it could happen again.  That’s not to say the Gators won’t lose and still make the BCS Championship Bowl.  But given the headlines, the casual observer might think Florida has it all tied up. 

What about Texas and Oklahoma?  Ranked 2 and 3, they also play in a competitive conference (at least offensively) and have plenty of returning experience.

Or maybe this will finally be the year for USC to make it all the way to…Pasadena.  After all, they know the way.  But I’m sure they would be happy to play on January 7 instead of January 1.

The Crimson Tide rounds out the top 5 in the preseason polls, and they could roll through the season, as well…

And while pre-season rankings give die-hards (myself included) something to talk about before the season, recent NCAA D1 football history has constantly suprised us with the unexpected.  Exciting upsets.  Close games.  Great entertainment on beautiful fall Saturdays.  And I expect no less in 2009.

Let the season begin!

Bowling

Not the variety with pins and funky shoes — the holiday college football type.  It’s been a surprising bowl season so far. 

Some less noted bowls have been great games.  The Alamo bowl, for example, where Mizzou came from behind to beat Northwestern in overtime.  Or the Liberty Bowl, which required umpteen booth reviews to determine any number of plays as Kentucky managed to hold on against East Carolina. 

Some big-name bowls have not been as intersting as hoped.  Iowa dominated in the Outback Bowl, and USC did the same in the Rose Bowl. 

And others have been complete shockers.  In this category, see Ole’ Miss BIG over Texas Tech in the Cotton Bowl and Utah over ‘Bama in the Sugar Bowl.

All this goes to say you never know what will happen.  That’s why you play the games.

And for those who want Pete Carroll to have a chance to prove his Trojans can beat anyone in the country, I would like to point out that he had his chance to do just that.  And failed.  If the Trojans can beat anyone in the country, they needed to take care of their business against Oregon State.  They didn’t, so they don’t get to play Texas or Oklahoma or Florida.  Think of the entire college football season as a kind of round-robin playoff. 

For those who argue that Utah should get a chance to prove themselves against the big names, you’ve got a better arguement.  They played everyone on their schedule and won.  Should they get to play again?  Actually, I’m quite satisfied with the amazing show they put on in the Sugar Bowl.  I don’t know if they could repeat that kind of performance against a Florida or not.

Oh, and looking ahead to the BCS Championship Bowl (I hesistate to call it the National Championship this year, but it is the BCS Championship), I would say Florida has the edge.  After all, the Big 12 South defenses have struggled so far…

Happy Holidays

Christmas means many different things to people.  And while I’ve been overdosing on Christmas music and lights and shopping and wrapping and parties and more, Christmas also means sports.  The holiday season also includes New Year’s Day, a time to make resolutions that you probably won’t keep, and enjoy more sports…

• College football bowl games now start even before Christmas, and the Day itself means we have just a week to go before the really good bowls start.
• Just before Christmas, one of the best non-conference college basketball rivalry games takes place in St. Louis.  Illinois v. Mizzou.  Fans split the arena down the middle.  And I try to have a Braggin’ Rights party to watch.  Good times.
• Apparently some NBA teams play on Christmas.  But since MJ retired (the first time), I have a hard time caring.  Want to see his son play?  See the bullet above. 
• This year, Chicago has a special holiday treat.  The Blackhawks will play an outdoor game at Wrigley a week after Christmas.  And I’ll have to pay a bit of attention. 
• Oh, and just on the heels of the BCS bowl games and the New Year comes conference play in college basketball.
• And TheSassyOne can tell you how many days until pitchers and catchers report…

So, with all that in mind, happy holidays!

Rankings v. Good Games

Yes, I realize BCS rankings drive everyone crazy.  They aren’t perfect, I freely admit.  This year, the national championship game will be played between teams who entered their conference chamionship games as #2 and #4 in the BCS. 

There’s lots of frustration with this system, and many (including our president-elect) have called for a playoff system.  At one time, I kinda agreed.  But not anymore.  I don’t really care who ends the season at #1. 

I just want to see really good games over the holidays.  But the traditions and conference ties add lots to the Bowl season, too.  The thing is, I don’t remember who played for #1 the year Boise State upset Oklahoma, but I that was a great game.  Maybe it was the same year Vince Young single-handedly beat USC.  That was a great game, too. 

So I’m ok with the Bowl system, as long as they have potentially good games to entertain me. 

I think  Oklahoma and Florida should be a good game.  And I hope that Penn State and UCS deliver a great Rose Bowl game.  I’m a bit leary of Texas against Ohio State — I would rather have watched Texas and Alabama.  The Tide v. Utah just isn’t as exciting.  And Cinci v. VaTech isn’t that eye-catching, either.  But at least lots of fans get to go fun places to cheer on their team.  And they have a good couple weeks to make travel plans…

Yes, everyone wants to be #1, but if you win your Bowl game, you can pretend you are, no matter what.  Lots more people can be excited.  Just my two cents…

That Was Close

College football this weekend was indeed close.  From the last-second TD in Lubbock that lifted Texas Tech over Texas to the Northwestern interception returned for a TD against Minnesota, games were close.  Down to the wire.  And so fun to watch.

Michigan State beat Wisconsin on a last-second field goal, winning 25 to 24.  Illinois beat Iowa on a late field goal, and sealed it with an interception with seconds left.  A 4th quarter TD lifted Miami over Virginia.   Purdue beat Michigan by just 6 points.  And just one field goal lifted Pitt over Notre Dame, Missouri over Baylor, Georgia Tech over Florida State, Utah over New Mexico, and more.  Arkansas and Texas A&M beat Tulsa and Colorado respectively by just a TD.  Kentucky held on over Mississippi State by just 1 point.

Yep, lots of close games.  Fun stuff.  Wish I could have seen more of them…