The Voice of Reason

Recently I had an experience that I would like to forget happened, but I know that it was something that I had to go through and seek the reasoning and learn from it so I can grow as I plunge forward into more experiences. During the winter months, a local mountain with cross country skiing access has a group of adults that organize a wonderful program that helps young children learn how to cross country ski, called Nordic Kids. It is well organized and well attended each Saturday for a couple months with strictly volunteers helping the success of the program to where it is common to see 12 year-olds skate-skiing up slopes as quickly as it takes me to go down those same slopes.

As I said, this program functions off of volunteers who instruct or coach the children in small groups to teach them basic skills of cross country skiing or Nordic skiing. As a child, I had the privilege to learn to do such things with my father and my older brother many years ago. Since being married, my wife and I have taken the common interest and I took my early years of learning to get her started. Now with children and wanting them to come to enjoy it, too, we have enrolled them, as they approach 5 or 6 years of age, in this Nordic Kids group to have these very experienced volunteers professionally teach our kids how to get down the trails and back and giving them the skills to do it gracefully and somewhat pain free. Well, this year went a little differently when my wonderful wife decided to take action when she found out that our 6 year-old son did not have a designated instructor for each week. So, based on the volunteer policy, she volunteered me to be his coach along with the other 8 or 9 children of approximately the same age as our son. I've never taught anything about skiing before. Let's say that I felt a little overwhelmed with the task.

The first week as the "official" instructor was abound and I was sure to try to prepare myself by getting a little orientation from the guy who organizes the Nordic Kids program about an hour before my first lesson. I was quickly relieved to find out that another gentleman, Mike, was going to be with me for the day, who happens to have much more experience at this stuff than I. For the first part of the two hour class, Mike took over and got the kids doing little exercises and activities to help them improve their skills. It was fun! It was the last hour that things turned sour. Mike sent me up a trail a ways to place some little flags in the middle of the trail to work on turning by making a slalom-type of activity while he stayed in the junction area to feed the kids some M&M's. So, I finished and headed back down the trail to meet up with the group at the junction to see if I could get M&M's too, but they were all gone by the time I got back. I met some of the kids coming up the trail while I was on my way down and I told them to head up to the cones and stop. Then a couple more kids went by and then finally I reached Mike. I tried to tally all the kids and make sure we had them all when I asked Mike where this particular boy was. Mike thought he headed up the trail with some of the other kids. I didn't recall this boy passing by me to go to the cones. We looked around and didn't see any stragglers, so we headed up the trail to find one child missing at the cones. Dang! My first day of teaching these young kids and I lose one! I was shocked, in a sense, that I lost a kid, but not so much that it was this certain boy that happened to be missing. The whole time, he was not really a part of the group and wandering off here and there as if he thought that the group was not advanced enough for him. He knew his stuff because when asked to do the activities, he could do them with skill and ease. Maybe his advanced level of skiing put his head in the clouds and got him a little distracted and wasn't able to hear the other instructor give him instructions to follow the right path. The boy was eventually found when he skied into a group where his parents were. They were concerned that he wasn't with his group and didn't know where to send him back to, so he stayed with them the rest of the time. The boy's father made him apologize to both Mike and myself for not following instructions and staying with the group. He was just too distracted and didn't listen to instructions and missed the voice of reason. I'll never forget my first day teaching ski class when I lost a kid.

It's a couple weeks out past the National Letter of Intent (NLI) day of February 2nd, and I can say that the Pac-12 had a pretty good year, overall. I would like to congratulate USC for bringing in a top 5 class - even with all the sanctions and other disciplinary distractions around the football program. Of course, the Southeastern Conference (SEC) dominated again for the 374th time in a row, so congratulations to that conference. I have been focused on the top 300 athletes according to Scout.com for the past year and have noticed common trends and realized that there seem to be many informed high school seniors out there that have had some guidance and direction to help them out with this very huge decision, and there seems to be a few high school kids that just don't get it and don't seem to be paying attention to what is going on out there in the world of NCAA football. Maybe they lack or missed the voice of reason by someone who may have been there trying to tell them all along. I will touch on a few individuals in both categories and explain why I feel they belong there.

I will first start off with those who I don't feel they put much time and effort into selecting the proper university to follow their dreams of becoming a great football player as someone who is deemed as a very special player that stands out above the rest throughout the entire country. The first name that comes to mind is the 4-star quarterback (QB), Jacoby Brissett, who seemed pretty smart waiting a few days after NLI day, until he made his decision to enroll at Florida where the top, 5-star QB, Jeff Driskel, has already committed for next year. All I need to say is, Tim Tebow and Cam Newton. Where was Newton his first year or so? A little mop-up duty and practice field behind Tebow. If that's Brissett's highest goal in life, to be the backup to the guy who is winning the national title, by all means, you made an excellent choice. However, as the #9 QB in the nation of thousands of QB's, maybe you should get your transfer papers ready right away. He should have listened to his disappointed mother who wanted him to attend another school (I believe it was Miami). Like my little lost skier, he didn't heed the voice of reason.

The next name that I feel that should have chosen differently is the #10 defensive end (DE), Stephon Tuitt. This 5-star commit to Notre Dame came two days after the Irish received three of the five DE commitments in four days; including the #2 DE, 5-star commit, Aaron Lynch and #4 DE, 5-star commit, Ishaq Williams. How many defensive ends are allowed on the field at one time? How many defensive ends rotate in and out throughout the games? How many classes of players are allowed to play college football? I have no doubt that Mr. Tuitt is a very special player; however, the questions posed are legitimate and I am concerned how Coach Brian Kelly addressed those concerns to be able to get another 5-star DE commit. Stephon would be a very smart kid if Notre Dame football only played freshman in games and rotated 10 defensive ends every other play and had five DE's on the field at one time during each play, but I know a little more about football than that to know that it wasn't very smart - especially from a kid that is coming from Georgia!

Two more names, to conclude the "lost" children that believe their talents are better than the people around them who get distracted and the voice of reason fades, belong to the two 4-star talents, #12 tight end (TE), Dillon van der Wal and #38 wide receiver (WR), Lafonte Thourogood. I mention these two names strictly because both committed to Vanderbilt and lost all sense of working real hard to have your efforts pay off to get you places that ordinary people can't get to. Vanderbilt? Really? Why play football at a place that all the other teams in the same conference will call you "bye week" and treat you like a practice squad that has the actual scoreboard lit up to show you exactly how horrible your team is. No matter how easy the four non-conference games are for Vandy, they struggle every year to win two conference games to make them bowl eligible (if they actually win all four non-conference games). Does Dillon and Lafonte realize that Jay Cutler has been in the NFL for a few years now? Quarterbacks at Vanderbilt are not exactly the Heisman front runners every year. Plus, if Vandy had a decent QB, they would be on their backs too quickly to get a throw off due to the offensive line that has to go up against some really good defensive lines throughout the season. All I have to say about those two fellas is, some coach at Vanderbilt really knows how to recruit (two guys) - I can't imagine what was promised to the parents on those visits! If it's academics, I know of a school that has excellent academics and actually played in a bowl game in January - well, it was actually a BCS bowl game that they happened to dominate to end the season with one loss (for those who didn't quite pay attention this last season, it's Stanford). Vanderbilt? Hmmm.

Now, I would love to change gears and focus on those kids who actually thought things through and had the right people around them to guide them properly to find the right fit for their talents and be able to make a positive impact to their future team and university. There were some schools that came out very successful at the end of the day on February 2nd who deserve great athletes because of the excellent facilities, coaches, and programs that play great games each year. Some of the teams that won big this year were; Florida State (obviously with the #1 recruiting class this year), Georgia, Clemson, and Oregon. Both Georgia and Clemson had down years, but finished strong with great recruiting classes to help out their young teams next year. Florida State got just about anybody they tried for. Oregon rarely gets a top 15 recruiting class, but with an appearance in the BCS Championship game in January, it may have helped a little with some TV time and lots of viewers. I'm actually a little shocked that Oregon didn't do a little better due to the exposure they received this year. The #3 defensive tackle (DT), Delvon Simmons may have made a mistake by not going with the Ducks to bolster up a defensive line that needs some size. The choice Simmons made to attend North Carolina may be a little scary after what the Tar Heels went through during this last season and losing some quality defensive players. Can you say, "red flag"? Should have stuck with Oregon, Delvon!

Speaking of Oregon commits, DeAnthony Thomas, the #1 corner back (CB) in the nation took his 5-star talent to Eugene after committing to USC for a long time when he changed his mind and showed up on NLI day in a Ducks shirt that read, "12-0" on the front. Smart kid! DeAnthony doesn't necessarily need to play defense (although that would bolster the defensive backfield nicely with Cliff Harris at the opposite side) because he may be even a better running back. I'm sure Thomas did his research and concluded (maybe with some help) that he would probably get a little lost amongst so many blue-chippers at USC and not get to play as much if he went to the young Ducks team that just went undefeated in regular season and lost by a last second field goal to the national champs in the final game with Chip Kelly who took his first year as a head coach to a Rose Bowl birth and to the national title his second year. With DeAnthony and other superstars that Oregon hasn't been able to recruit consistently over the years like... say... Auburn, may turn Oregon into a powerhouse year-in and year-out. Oh, did you catch that minor slam on Auburn from the last sentence? Figuratively speaking, Auburn, with its ability to recruit much better than "measly" little Oregon, should have lit up the scoreboard so high and blown the young Ducks team away. The size and talent that the Tigers bring in, year-in and year-out recruiting, should drive any non-SEC school back to the 80's to make them sing, "Don't Dream, It's Over" every game - including the championship game.

I can't believe how enormous recruiting is for a program and how dominant one conference can be each year and never exploit it on the field, but consider only words being enough to satisfy the college football fanatics. How disappointing it must be to live in the Southeast and be a huge fan of some SEC school or two and never see their team play legitimate competition every week prior to conference games! There are four chances each year where the SEC schools have to show off their dominant recruiting skills and put those premiere athletes on the field against powerhouses from other automatic qualifying (AQ) conferences and squish them into the turf to prove to the nation the major prowess that the SEC has a reputation for. Instead, they justify the conference slate as so difficult that they need to take on opponents such as: Utah State, Florida Atlantic, Samford (Auburn); Kent State, North Texas, Georgia Southern (Alabama); Florida Atlantic, Alabama-Birmingham, Furman (Florida); Missouri State, New Mexico, Troy (Arkansas); Memphis, Louisiana Tech, Alabama-Birmingham, Tennessee-Martin (Mississippi State); East Carolina, The Citadel (South Carolina); Western Kentucky, Central Michigan, Jacksonville State (Kentucky) - to name a few. Can I just say that the expansion of the Pacific 10 (Pac-10) to the Pac-12 has not made them "sell-out" by stopping the nine conference games like the other 12-team conferences. Instead, they set the bar high, again, and keep the nine conference games and the competitive, three non-conference games. Why don't the other conferences take note? Are they afraid that they won't actually get 80% of their conference bowl eligible every year? Pity!

Back to the smart athletes that were recruited this year, I have to mention Cyrus Kouandjio, the #1 offensive (OT) player overall and #2 overall. Even initially, when he chose Auburn, he would have surrounded himself with a bunch of other freshman talent with 5-star OG, Christian Westerman, 4-star OG, Greg Robinson, and 4-star center, Reese Dismukes. Now that's a solid future that could have taken Auburn really far for a long time. However, the decision to commit to Auburn and not FAX in the letter of intent immediately was very commendable. I'm impressed with that - especially with the end result. It took some serious... uh... "guts" to change from Auburn to their hated rival, Alabama. Cyrus eventually went with his heart and hopefully no regrets.

The same can go with the #1 talent in the nation, DE, Jadeveon Clowney, who took nearly a full two weeks after the NLI day to announce on Valentine's Day - and his birthday, which school he finally selected. Choosing the South Carolina Gamecocks was a wise choice for Jadeveon and his family. The campus is only 30 miles from his home so his family and friends won't need to travel far to watch him play - and he WILL play. He is nearly guaranteed to make an instant impact on Coach Spurrier's defensive line. I'm excited to watch South Carolina finally grow under Spurrier. The only thing that would have made me happier about Jadeveon's decision is if he would have selected a Pac-12 school instead (like USC, Oregon, Oregon State, or Washington), but that wouldn't make much sense for a kid from South Carolina.

So, with Cyrus and Jadeveon heading to SEC schools, according to Scout.com, that gives that conference 26 of the top 100 athletes in the nation and 61 of the top 200 and 94 of the top 300 athletes. Those are huge percentages, especially considering those 26 athletes are split amongst nine of the 12 schools - Kentucky, Mississippi State, and Vanderbilt did not get any of the top 100 athletes this year. As I said earlier, those twelve schools who recruited such great athletes, should display all that talent on the field against weightier opponents. Even with the weightier opponents, those twelve teams should demolish anybody in non-conference play; and I am shocked that the SEC commissioner has not learned from the new Pac-12 commissioner how to bolster up a non-conference slate and requiring more competition at a higher level of play during that part of the season to prove to the nation what it already knows - how dominant the SEC is at football, or at least recruiting.

As they say in betting, "put your money where your mouth is". I want to see better non-conference games from the NCAA's most admired conference. I want to see the SEC drop a non-conference game to add an additional conference match-up like the 2011 fall schedule of the Pac-12 has. I want the SEC to drop those games against Kent State, Georgia Southern, Missouri State, Troy, Samford, Northwestern State, Western Kentucky, Tennessee Martin, Southern Illinois, Furman, Coastal Carolina, Jacksonville State, The Citadel, Buffalo, Elon, and any former Division II (Football Championship Subdivision - FCS) games that are or will be scheduled. You recruit almost 1/3 of the entire top 300 athletes in the country every year! The nation deserves better games from you! You are the SEC! Prove it on the field, not by the jabbering of your jaw! Post season bowl games should not be merely gifts given freely to those who won 2 or 3 conference games, but earned by hard work on and off the field against the better teams out there to prove that you are one of those elite programs that can handle the "big boys". Until you do, you are just a hypocrite who is too afraid to play a full season of football and risk not going to one of the superfluous bowls that have flooded the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS - former Division I) where over half of the entire FBS is invited to play in a post season game (way to really point out the losers) - there's no feeling of success and accomplishment in that.

The talent in this year's recruiting class won't be completely fulfilled for another two or three years and we all shall see whether the voice of reason was heeded or ignored while the promises from the coaches to the players will be exposed for the country to see on the big stages of the BCS bowl games. We will see if the athletes were focused on improvement and getting to a better place and following their correct path, or if they were focused on how good they thought their talent was and how they didn't belong amongst the inferior players around them to cloud their perception of where they should be and eventually get lost - like my little skier. I hope that all the top athletes made the best decisions they could and really took the time to make such an important decision. I also hope that the SEC commissioner will listen to the voice of reason, too, in expecting more from each of the conference's universities in regards to their football schedules. To toot your own horn over five games the past five seasons is merely a reflection of the annual dominance in recruiting; however, to really appear impressive and worthy to be called the number one conference, you have to step up to the plate at some point and really challenge yourself or you will never stretch your limits and grow. You will remain at that particular level of play while the rest of the world is getting better and improving themselves each year and will eventually surpass you and your sub-par standards of scheduling.

Bashing the Polls - Again

You know exactly why I love this time of year, and it's not because of the beautiful oranges and yellows that appear on the leaves of trees that drop onto the green lawns with the cool, brisk air whipping through your hair as you stake out the high profile homes that will be bombarded by trick-or-treaters. Even though those are wonderful things, nothing can compare to college football and the tradition, competition, and opposition; however, there is something that always spoils football every other year - the campaigning of political figures that pollute the airways, highways, and mail. I don't know what makes me more disgusted, the filth I learn about a person on a commercial or knowing that the opponent has paid to say those things about someone else. The attack-ads have become the norm and I find it a complete turn off - as in, turn off the TV. They are horrible! You can always tell, without the volume on, if the commercial is favorable of the person who has their picture on the television or not by how heinous the photos are. If the ad is an attack-ad, the person it is attacking has pictures that look like they were caught at the grocery store checking out labels on the back of a soup can. You know that look. Don't say you've never seen that look before! Of course, the favorable ads have professionally taken photos and nice props and little children being loved and stuff. It's repulsive! Why can't they just state their opinions and their stand on the topics and hope that the American people can be smart enough to vote for who they think is best suited for that particular position? I guess it's because we can't trust the majority of Americans to do the proper investigation into their own beliefs and the beliefs of the candidates and weigh out each one with full knowledge of the topics that are important to the individual and exercise their right to vote. We are just too busy! Too busy with college football, right? So, what do you believe? The attack-ads? The people who make them? How do you sort out the garbage from people that try to make someone else look bad? Both candidates attack each other, so who is the least trashy? Frankly, I don't really know. I need to do a better job, as an American, to exercise my right to dig into the stands for all of the candidates for each political position and vote my conscious. I love people and I always try to find the good in each one I encounter and I wish that the political candidates would show me the good they have in themselves to help me know. I don't want to know the bad - I have enough bad things about myself that I need to worry about, let alone each political figure. Politicians need to help things make sense for people to understand so we don't go to the polls and vote as a confused American with no reason for our decisions on the ballots.

Speaking of voting and being an informed voter, not only Americans who determine the leadership of this state or nation should perform their American duties, but the voters who participate in the leadership of rankings in college football should vote as an informed pollster with all the information available by digging into the subject matter to help make sense for the fans who scour the polls for justice of their successful team. As many "fanatics" of college football, debates break out all the time to legitimize certain rankings and try to justify, with their own particular biases, why certain teams are located conveniently where they are. Sometimes, like myself, "fanatics" are very critical and skeptical of who is ranked where and start to formulate theories of why the order of the top 25 teams is such as it is. So, much like an earlier topic, "Harris Poll Bias", I have found the current poll to be unchanging from its erroneous course since its inception.

I still don't understand how a poll can start near mid-season and determine a top 25 list that is always near-identical to the AP and Coaches' polls when the Harris poll confidently states that there is not a bias in its voting. Well, if there is not a bias, then they should be trying to explain their votes each week so the fans can understand the rankings and not start the week confused over and over again. Now the BCS is just another animal and nobody will ever be able to understand the computer aspect of that, but the two-thirds of the overall outcome of the BCS is human and should try much harder to get their votes correct and accurate.

Let me explain a little of my frustration by giving one example: my particular belief, when two teams have the same record and they played each other, the team that wins the head-to-head should be the team ranked higher - with Arizona at 4-1 and Iowa at 4-1 in the Harris poll's first week of votes, the voters put Iowa at #15 and Arizona at #21 while Iowa's only loss was to Arizona. I am trying to figure out the logic to an "unbiased" voting panel that proves to me that certain laws of nature aren't really laws... or... nature? So, the team that lost the head-to-head match-up is actually the better team - is what I get from the "unbiased" voting panel. It makes total sense, right? This explains why the Harris poll voters had Texas (3-2) receiving 30 points after losing two straight games to unranked UCLA and top 10 Oklahoma (5-0); however, that UCLA team that beat Texas in Austin that had the same 3-2 record did not receive a single point from the Harris poll voters. Please inform me of the logic in this one. I don't know how to twist this one. Shouldn't Texas' loss to UCLA at home look worse than a UCLA home loss to a ranked, undefeated team? Who knows?

So far, after eight weeks, we have seen some changes at the top, starting with the #1 ranked Alabama losing to South Carolina. The very next week, the #1 ranked Ohio State lost to Wisconsin. The very next week, the BCS #1 ranked Oklahoma lost to Missouri. Now, the new BCS #1 ranked team is Auburn who doesn't play anybody in the next two games (Ole Miss and Chattanooga), so I predict that there won't be any more changes of #1 until Auburn actually plays a real opponent with a home game against Georgia November 13th and then the Iron Bowl at Alabama on November 26th. Can I just mention something? Of course I can - it's my flippin' blog! When Alabama was #1 before losing, Oregon and Boise State were #'s 3 and 4, respectively. So, Ohio State moves in from #2 after 'Bama loses and Oregon and BSU bump up as well; however, the BCS starts up after Ohio State loses and there's not glimpse of Oregon or Boise State at the top. Hmmm. That's okay because Oklahoma loses to start another bump toward the top, right? Wrong! Oregon and Boise stay in place and an SEC team sneaks right in there. Have we seen this before? Either a Big XII or SEC school rises out of nowhere and grabs a #1 spot when the voters don't even have them at #1 OR #2 in the AP, Coaches, or Harris polls. Now if you are following my blog, you know that I'm not a fan of the Harris poll due to its obscure ranking techniques by making sure half of the SEC and Big XII are represented each week, no matter who they've lost to or who they have actually beaten on the field. That one (flawed) poll gives 1/3 of the information needed in the BCS formula in determining who plays for the coveted national title. One-third! These people who cannot vote as an individual with only one week in mind of who the teams have just played and their record of the previous games and who those opponents were and where they were played at. The failure of the BCS begins right there - without a playoff! A playoff is the only solution to resolve the mistake-prone BCS formula.

There is only one group that trumps the worthlessness of the Harris poll voters - the PEOPLE who plug in the decisive information into the computers that helps calculate another 1/3 of the BCS formula. Most of these calculations, I would presume, come from a strength of schedule and how many ranked teams are played and what the record of their opponents are, etc. Opponents' records are important, especially with non-conference competition; however, there should be other factors to take into consideration with conference competition - for example, the Apple Cup between Washington and Washington State and all the awful years of the Cougars football program and how they base their success of the entire season on that one game (whether a coach should stay or go), even if it's their only win; to beat a good Husky squad is great for the Washington State program, but terrible for the good Washington program - the point being, this has happened over and over again and is very common for rivals who loath one another to go back and forth with the underdog winning most match-ups. Another factor is what I keep saying and I'll continue saying it until my last breath on this beautiful planet, that there are a couple conferences, as a whole, that get so much love from the voters and the media to assure those particular conferences great rankings throughout the entire conferences which bolsters up the "appearance" of their "difficult" strength of schedule. This is a serious issue that is NEVER addressed which spins the world around the axis of the Southeastern part of the country. It is ridiculous! Now, if I'm a Southeasterner and a huge fan of... say... the Gators, I would not understand anything I just said because the media and voters have given my team and my conference so much love and I've partaken of this super-conference "Kool-Ade" that it has left my thirst more-than quenched. I've gotten my pockets stuffed and overflowing with the fact that the SEC can't be touched by any other conference when it comes to talent, quickness, speed, strength, and down-right dominance; and anything spoken of or even thought of that might mysteriously reach the lips (or fingers) of another soul are out-right profanities, blasphemous, and against all Holy writ of God, Himself. How is it that every year the SEC is the top conference in "everyone's" eye? Even on a down year, they still reign supreme without any doubt - meaning, top to bottom, the most complete and perfect of any conference existing or imaginable. It is absurd! They have their heads so far up their... well, I have to be careful here... way up in the clouds so far, that they actually think that eight conference games in the SEC are so difficult that each school HAS TO schedule much easier competition for the non-conference portion of the season. Really?!? So, cupcake city has to exist amongst the nation's elite? Shouldn't the elite be out there trying to exploit their dominance and overwhelming power over all the nation? Or, is the Strawberry Shortcake University scheduling a secret way of telling the nation that they fear taking on real challenges from real, legitimate teams from other automatic qualifying conferences? My personal feeling is the latter - they are afraid to come to terms with reality because reality is hard to deal with when you're a teenager and young adult with tender feelings. It's better to believe you are much better than anybody at any cost. Let's take a look at some of competition that boosts the strength of schedule for these powerhouses. Might as well start at the top of the BCS with Auburn because I'm sure they are proud to display their non-conference foes with pride and a feeling of accomplishment. The mighty Auburn Tigers have to take on four non-conference teams this year (like all years - except when there were only 11 games allowed to play each year). Those teams are: Arkansas State 3-5 (who, arguably played better than the then #12-ranked Arkansas when ASU gave up only 52 points to the Tigers while the Razorbacks gave up 65 to Auburn - sad, because Arkansas was ranked so high? or because Arkansas State is not?), Clemson 4-3 (who hasn't beat a ranked team out of two tries), Louisiana-Monroe 3-4 (who still gets to play LSU in November - plus, another team to give up less points than Arkansas with 52), and coming up, Chattanooga 5-2 (who will be 6-2 when they come to Jordan-Hare Stadium as a team that's not even Division I - FCS school that has a 0-20 record against Auburn). Good thing the computers will recognize the 6-2 record of Chattanooga or maybe that home game for Auburn might not look so good, otherwise. (sarcasm) Let's look at Florida: Miami, OH 4-4, South Florida 4-3 (who hails from the conference that nobody gives any credit to and finally won their first conference game on 10/23), Appalachian State 7-0 (again, we see another FCS school with a great record that will boost the strength of schedule for the SEC, but Appy State is NOT a Division I - there's a HUGE gap in talent and amount of scholarships), and then Florida State 6-1 (which will finally be a competitive game for the first time in 5-6 years, but FSU is in the "down" conference of the ACC, so may be misleading competition). Let's look at South Carolina: Southern Miss 5-2 (Conference USA that has one real win over Kansas 2-5), Furman 4-3 (yet, another FCS school - crazy!), Troy 4-2 (Sun Belt powerhouse (sarcasm)), and ending the season with a huge rivalry game against Clemson 4-3 (Pac-10 would call this game a "conference" game - but the Gamecocks have the luxury, like Florida/Florida State, to have an in-state rival in a different conference and call it a "non-conference" opponent). Finally, the one-loss team that the media is itching to put in the national title game two years straight, Alabama and their amazing non-conference slate: San Jose State 1-7 (that home game must have taken the Tide 4 hours minimum to prepare for this massive battle (sarcasm)), Penn State 4-3 (ranked #18 at the time of play, but since hasn't faired too well with a loss to Illinois and only one win so far in conference to Minnesota 1-7 and finds itself way outside the top 25 - not much of an Alabama win now), Duke 1-6 (they even lost to Army - and it wasn't even close), and finally Georgia State 5-3 (another FCS school that doesn't have a chance). This non-conference schedule has a win total of 11 games between the four team. Isn't Alabama the defending national champion? These games were not scheduled after the fact it won the title, right? If you are a team that recruits better than anyone else in the nation and plays in a conference better than anyone else in the nation and has a head coach getting paid more than anyone else in the nation and has assistant coaches getting paid more than anyone else in the nation and touts the Heisman trophy winner from last year and probably a couple more in the near future, this schedule is the best you can do? Really? Penn State is the only respectable opponent on the list and that turned out to be a dud in the end. Duke? That's the best you can shoot for in the ACC? The bottom feeder of the conference over the last 2-3 DECADES? Really? Do you really have to play an FCS school? Can't you stand up to the plate like a big boy and prove your worth by now? Can't you play legitimate teams from legitimate conferences by now? Can't you prove your #1 status GIVEN to you by playing competition that helps measure what kind of team you have on the field? Or are you afraid? Are you one of those politicians that sits in a corner and points out the flaws and make fun of the mistakes of the other teams in the nation while you make yourself look really good smearing the guts of unworthy competition all over the turf like a professional photo shoot with deliberate props? Anyway, these are the teams that are getting the kudos from the PEOPLE who plug in information into computers to tell the computers to adjust the calculations in such a way to make these teams look extraordinary in terms of greatness and athleticism and dominance in NCAA Division I football.

The PEOPLE who vote in the polls and the PEOPLE who insert information into computers have not seen what Boise State fans see, or what Pac-10 fans see, or what Mountain West fans see, or even what the Big East fans see in terms of individual accomplishment and a season as a whole and not just key wins at convenient places at convenient times. Too many times has the Pac-10 taken a back seat to inferior competition so a "more popular" team can take the crown. Now Boise State is feeling it way too much with the longest win streak in the nation, currently at 21 after the win against Louisiana Tech, and is already getting slighted by voters and computers and the #3 ranking will likely be as close as they get to playing for the national title because they will probably get passed over by a one-loss Alabama team who beat Duke, Georgia State, and San Jose State (by less than Boise State, by the way).

Experiencing the Palouse

Have you ever used a public toilet that has the automatic flushing capability and the thin paper lining for the seat? If not, you're in luck because this will help you in your future struggles. If you have, then you know exactly what I'm talking about when I say that the experience can be slightly awkward and a bit frustrating but ultimately feeling good. If you are anything like me, you try to avoid using public toilets for as long as bearably possible, so when you finally have to take the plunge, it's relatively urgent. Swiftly, you enter the restroom and find a clear stall to plant your buds for the next few minutes. After wiping the seat of random piddle, while leaning forward, you get your lining from the back wall and tear out the center piece leaving the tongue-shaped part hanging, and precisely place it over the seat carefully covering the entire seat (not leaving a bit of it exposed - for those fellow germaphobes). Just dealing with the liner makes things a little awkward because it's always nice to "sit and go", like at home. As you raise back up to undo your pants, the flush begins and the swirling water grabs your paper hanging tongue to drag your lining away into the abyss of sewage. Ugh! This is where the frustration begins and has potential to climax at a very high level. At that point you either give up on the lining, if urgency is an issue; or you have to get creative to find a way to outsmart the "eye of the toilet" - you know, that motion detector that tells the water to flow because the squatter has left the seat, so don't delay. Well, here is my advice that has worked for me: act like a four year-old boy and pull your pants all the way down to your ankles before getting the lining from the back wall, then as soon as you have the lining placed, it is easy to spin around with your hiney to sit quickly enough that just in case the detector is especially sensitive, you will already be sitting on the liner to secure it from flushing down. Then you may proceed. If you don't outsmart the toilet quickly, the thing could flush about three to four times by the time you have safely sat on a liner-covered toilet seat. How does that conserve water? At least the toilet is not getting clogged, I suppose. No matter the outcome with the liner, you will always feel relieved and good that it's over.

So, the feelings of slight awkwardness, frustration, and ultimate relief describe my recent trip to Pullman, WA, for the Washington State Cougars football game against Montana State. First, I must clarify that I traveled with and kept company among three upstanding, wonderful gentlemen who are alums and huge supporters of the university. This is where part of the slight awkward feelings initiate, for I am not a huge supporter of the Cougars of the Palouse but a huge fan of Pac-10 football. These three, kind men took me under their wings (especially one in particular who had the extra ticket for me to go) and had me join them for the luncheon before the game, which is only for those who financially give back to the school (no small sum, I assume). This luncheon is put on by the president of the university. So, the second part of slight awkwardness was felt walking into a large room filled with crimson covered tables and delightful food in the back awaiting the elite members of this particular society. A huge honor it was, not only to be in the presence of these three fine gentlemen, but to join them in this banquet to show support of the university and its athletics. I was ever so humbled of the environment in which I found myself, then more so shaking hands with President Floyd, who knew the people in my party. Like trying to perfect the toilet liner in a public bathroom, I almost felt like I didn't belong in the crowd and would have felt more comfortable in my own living room watching the game on television.

President Elson Floyd spoke for a few moments recognizing certain people in the audience (including one person in my company), finally leading up to the introduction of the new athletic director, Bill Moos. I understand that certain people at the University of Oregon are glad to be done with Bill Moos for dumping the wrestling program while other academically gifted people may not enjoy the effects of what Bill brought to the university with the influx of financial resources; however, he helped bring the Oregon football and basketball programs to the national stage in recognition with the football program becoming one of the most consistent and successful teams in the nation with recruitment seen from all corners of the country. Mr. Moos, a fellow alum of WSU, began by admitting that he thought that he was going to retire from Oregon when President Floyd offered him his dream job, AD at Washington State University. He continued talking about the area he lived in years ago and how he has come back home. His words of hope and a bright future were articulated in a way that made me feel like I was an alum, too, and knew that the football team was well on its way to 10-win seasons again. Once he was done, part of the marching band and the mascot and the cheerleaders all came into the large room and played and danced to a few songs - including the fight song, of course. Shortly after they were finished, my good friend wanted to introduce me to Bill Moos. I met him and shook his hand and was humbled again because of my great love of college football and seeing "behind the scenes" of where it all starts - with a man that has ideas. My slight awkwardness was gone after getting so pumped up and I was ready to get to the game.

The game itself didn't go as well as the luncheon because the thoughts of grandeur were left behind when the players had to go out and bring the ideas of success to fruition on the field. They were getting outplayed in most aspects of the game. All in attendance were getting frustrated with the lack of execution of the plays offensively and defensively. I noticed Cougar fans getting frustrated with each other yelling and fights almost breaking out. Frustration was expressed toward the coaching staff and of course, the refs. The first three quarters were so long. I wasn't sure if the game was ever going to end. Like the automatic flushing toilet dragging liner after liner into the sewer, the Cougars seemed destined to lose this game. WSU trailed 22-7 starting the 4th and final quarter. With time slowly taking the Cougars out of the game, the defense came up big a couple times to help the offense get some needed points, making it 23-22 to take the lead. The defense needed one more stop to maintain the lead for good. They did it by getting another turn-over with just over a minute remaining in the game. The Cougar offense got in victory formation and downed the ball - but Montana State still had two timeouts left and ended up using them. Because WSU took a knee in three consecutive plays, they did not get a first down and the clock did not run out, so they had to punt and put the defense back on the field. Ugh! Who managed that clock? Yet, more frustration. So, Montana State had 20-some seconds left to take the ball 70-plus yards for the touchdown and much fewer yards to get close enough for a field goal. Finally, with one, maybe two plays remaining, on their own 30 yard line, Montana State looked as though they were done; however, the look of the defense may have give them hope with the defensive backs all the way back to the goal line and 10-yard line for a "Hail Mary" pass. I guess they must have thought that the freshman quarterback for Montana State could toss the ball 80 yards. Luckily for the Cougars, a timeout was called and Coach Wulff had a teaching moment with the defense to get the defensive backs marched up to the 40-yard line instead. The defense was able to hold on and time expired and the Cougars won the game. As the final seconds ticked away from the game clock, a huge, overwhelming sigh of relief came across the majority of the crowd; like the good feeling and relief you get after leaving the anxious trip to the restroom. Phew!

Overall, the experience I had traveling into Palouse country to go to a Washington State football game in the early fall, was amazing! I had a great day with a great friend, who treated me like a king and spoiled me rotten. I came home with a feeling of great humility and a intriguing feeling of whether to attend a football game again because everything else will never compare to the wonderful time I had that day on the Palouse!

Boise State Versus the Nation

This is the title of a post that I was thinking about back in May of this year and forgot that I had wanted to start it - and now I find it in the "draft" phase of my list of posts.

An adventure I recommend all should take, is one that my wife and I took with a good friend in search of hidden treasures and trinkets, which is world-wide known as "geocaching". If you've never heard of the term, it is where you need a GPS (Global Positioning System) to help you find the exact latitude and longitude coordinates of where a small container has been hidden that may contain many little obscure things or just a piece of paper to write down your geocaching "code" name. Once discovered, you check the contents of the container and may "swap" an item for something left behind and write your name on the log, and then place the container back to its exact location in the same manner as you found it. There are people who actually maintain these containers that could be located anywhere in the world in cities, parks, rural sites, and many public areas of towns that are common place where most non-geocaching people would not even know of the existence of such things. All the information can be found online at geocaching.com for a free membership, so it is available as you travel for work or vacation or for sporting events.

A few things I learned from my friend while geocaching that may help you in your first time at going: 1) you never know what kind of container you will find and how it will be hidden, 2) you can never assume the type of booty that will be left behind in larger containers, 3) you have to have actual positional sense when finding your location and shifting positions, 4) an accurate GPS is the most valuable tool you could have with you for accuracy, and 5) nothing appears as it seems until you look closely to the details of the overall picture. I hope that you either have fun continuing in your cache hunting, or finally go out and try it with these helpful hints, or have learned something new to try and plan an outing. It's fun!

Something I speculated back in May, months before the 2010 season began, regarding Boise State and their uphill climb for perfection and a BCS (Bowl Championship Series) National Championship bowl game bid was confirmed by a recent article written by the well known, ex-Sports Illustrated writer, Rick Reilly titled, "Broncos Can't Buck This Trend". It all started at the end of the '08 season when Boise State lost a tight game to TCU (Texas Christian University) in the Poinsettia Bowl by 1 point. This would be, as of today and for a few more days (at least), the last time that the Broncos would lose. They began their '09 campaign beating an Oregon Ducks team that would end up winning the Pacific-10 (Pac-10) Conference and earning a berth to the Rose Bowl. Boise State would go on the rest of the season undefeated and deserving a shot for the national title, but was left out because two automatic qualifying teams went undefeated, as well (Alabama and Texas). So as a consolation prize and getting to play in a BCS bowl, they were paired up with TCU, again. To me, that was a huge slap in the face - not to downplay the strength of a very good TCU squad (who got the slap too), but in reference to these two non-automatic qualifying teams that went undefeated to earn a BCS bowl bid never got the shot at playing one of the "big boys" in the nation. It's like the BCS didn't want any problems, so they simply "swept" these two teams under the rug by pinning them together for the second time in one year. Lame! The BCS is lame! So, Boise beats TCU by seven to end a perfect season.

Before the start of the 2010 season, media writers gave Boise State a lot of love and had them ranked in the top 10, all the way up to #3 by some. Given huge expectations and the SI curse by being on the cover and tons of national attention and scrutiny, the Broncos have done nothing but prove to the country who they are and where they want to be - they are undefeated and want to play for the national title. Boise is #2 in all the polls except the BCS - which, unfortunately, is the one that counts at the end of the season - where they find themselves at #3, currently. In order to get to #1 or #2, they need some help from other teams while they dominate and win out the rest of the year. Currently, it is Auburn and Oregon at #1 and #2, respectively, and there is no guarantee that either of those two will win out (especially Oregon with the toughest stretch of their schedule ahead of them starting with their visit to USC). Auburn is favored by the computers while being #3 in all the other polls. The good thing about the computers for Boise State is that they love the Broncos more than Oregon. Unless the computers begin to like Oregon some time soon, Boise may maintain this particular lead and hope that Oregon and Auburn lose a game or two apiece, along with Missouri, TCU, and Michigan State in order to keep them from sneaking up from behind on BSU. If those teams lose and Boise State wins out, that might bring them up to the #2 ranking in the BCS, which is good enough to play for the title in Glendale, AZ, on January 10th.

So, Rick Reilly brings up some really good points on the legitimacy of the Boise State program and the consistency it plays with week in and week out with its 21 game win streak (longest in the nation). Mr. Reilly mentions that the head coach, Chris Peterson, is 56-4 at Boise. His program, under his direction, has lost only FOUR games! Are you kidding me? However, we have this wonderful system called the BCS that tells Boise that they are at the zenith of their BCS progression and can't go any further and will not play for the national championship until they join the Southeastern Conference (SEC) and go undefeated there - then, and only then, will Boise get their day in the sun to prove to the whole country that they belong. Well, Boise should never try to join the Pac-10 because they never get the respect they deserve and wouldn't change Boise's predicament, so they may consider making a run to the Big XII Conference and continue beating Oklahoma each year... then maybe... Anyway, some comparisons with opponents of Boise State this year that Mr. Reilly states in his article were: 1) the Broncos smashed San Jose State 48-0, and the Spartans have lost a lot of games, but one was to Wisconsin, in Madison, where the Badgers beat them by only 13 points - the same Wisconsin that beat #1 Ohio State and #15 Iowa; 2) the Broncos pounded Wyoming 51-6, and Wyoming nearly beat Air Force who nearly beat Oklahoma who we know Boise State CAN beat; and 3) the Broncos beat Virginia Tech on the road, who is currently undefeated in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), so why wouldn't Boise State perform just as well in that conference? Interesting, no? Rick Reilly, who writes for ESPN.com now, says that "the BCS computers TKO Boise State. Why keep punching when it's not a fair fight?"

Preseason Football Predictions

Way back in time, during those crazy years in college in Southern Oregon, there was a time of year that many students longed for and got so excited about and made huge plans to celebrate the Memorial Day weekend. It's nearing us as I write, so it has brought to mind some of the mysteries and energy that the mere thought would bring to me long, long ago. Along the Interstate 5 (I-5), about 10 miles north of the California border lays a small college in Ashland, Oregon, named Southern Oregon University. In my days of attendance, it was Southern Oregon State College, known for the Shakespearean Festival, liberally-minded free spirits, the rugby club, criminal justice program, the Mt. Ashland ski swap, and many parties. For Memorial Day weekends, it was a time to go out in the nice weather and pack up for a road trip to Lake Shasta, California. For many, large groups got together and rented house boats for the weekend to float around the lake during the day and dock on the banks at night. For others, in smaller, more intimate groups, people would get a hotel or maybe use a tent and camp somewhere along the lake's shores. No matter how you stayed there, there would always be more skin and alcohol anyone would ever need to see in a whole lifetime. I recall getting so excited each year after that initial visit to Lake Shasta with most universities within 2-3 states away were represented. It was an opportunity to meet so many people from all over, and I do recommend carrying a small puppy, if you like girls stopping you to pet your dog - (borrow one if you have to).

One particular year, I was depressed thinking about how I wouldn't be able to make it to Shasta. However, a friend of mine from the rugby team, Kai, decided to just go and not really plan - and fly by the seat of our pants (shorts). So, we did. I got so excited to think about Lake Shasta and meeting new people and spending time with a good friend along the way. We didn't have a tent or arrangements for a house boat, so we decided to just sleep in the car the three nights. Great plan! (Just kidding.) To make a long story short, we happened upon other "car travelers" from our school that we knew and decided to try to find out together where all the house boats were going to dock for the night so we could hang out with tons of people and listen to the band that usually plays on top of one of the boats. Then we met up with "the car". It was a small car full of three California girls. Kai and I didn't get to talk to them initially, but the other guy from our school stopped them to convince them to look for boats with us. We couldn't find the boats, so we decided to take a break and cool off in the water a bit. I'm so glad we did because I was able to witness the most amazing sight of my life - to that point. One of those three girls was a blonde-haired, blue-eyed, indescribable thing that I couldn't even find in my dreams. Everything about her was perfect! I was never very outgoing or confident with the ladies, so this one was so intimidating that I couldn't look at her while she was appearing to look in my direction at all. I'm sure I seemed like a shy, bashful school boy surrounded by teasing girls. While I was out in the water and she was sunbathing on the sand, I could get a glimpse of her elegant form when she was talking with one of her friends (looking away, of course). Then, she noticed my badly burned back from the day before and kindly offered to put lotion on my skin. Oh my! She spoke to me! Sigh! And sigh again! What a sweet, sweet angel! Then I got even more nervous because all I could think about was whether or not the red skin would hide the zits on my back. I panicked! Would she talk to me again if she sees my zits? Will she stop rubbing the lotion? I can't bare the thought of the embarrassment! So, I clumsily declined the offer and almost immediately began kicking myself in the head and haven't stopped since for blatantly denying myself the simple pleasure of the most beautiful girl rubbing lotion on MY back. Later, when we were all parting and saying goodbye, I tried to muster up the courage to look at her and ask if I could call on her, even though we lived so far apart. I failed again. I watched that little car drive off as the most dejected, lonely person on earth. I was a loser! My excitement for Lake Shasta would never be the same. The kinks in my neck after sleeping across the front seats of Kai's car were that much worse than they would have been with a small bit of lotion absorbing into my back. The extremes of feelings about those few hours left such an impression that till this day, I am still affected by those emotions. I was too consumed with my vanity of a few zits rather than being confident and taking a chance of a really hot girl actually liking me. I'll never know because I didn't seize the opportunity. Ah, Memorial Day weekends!

So, my enthusiasm for Memorial Day is about the same these days as it was when I was a young buck. Being married and with small children doesn't get me excited about house boats and meeting interesting sorority girls; however, it is that time of year that allows college football sports writers ample time, after spring practices have wrapped up, to put down some predictions of the fall and the upcoming college football season and blessing us with those wonderful preseason annuals. I get so giddy and anxious! May seems to be the longest month of the whole year. Once the bowl games are finished in January, the next day is Cinco de Mayo and spring is blooming in the air, then the next day is... May 6th! Then the 7th! Then the 8th! Does it really have to go by so slowly? How can I buy a preseason college football annual if it is still May? C'mon!

The magazines are a bit expensive, but I feel I get my money's worth by how much I go through them before the first ball is kicked off in August. I've been buying the Athlon college football annual since 1997 and love it every year! It is usually the first one in the stores. Now days with the Internet, I get a little glimpse of what the annuals are going to talk about and what the top 25 looks like. It's like eating one Salt and Vinegar potato chip (my favorite) - that tangy vinegar hits the taste buds and it's all over trying to resist additional chips. That's where I find myself on the Athlon web site, waiting one day at a time to count down the top 25. I read the current day's team and need to read more. Today it is Oregon at #9. Well, who rounds off the rest of the top 10? Is Alabama going to be anything other than #1? How many Pac-10 teams will be in the top 10? I just gotta know! I get so excited wanting to know! But I have to wait until June. Sigh! And sigh again!

As of today, with 10 more days left in the month of May, I was able to scrounge up three websites that give me a little bit of information before I buy their annuals. I mentioned Athlon Sports with their daily countdown (not weekends) to the top 25, having 25 to 9 now. The Sporting News has their preseason annual on sale now with the many regional covers being offered online, with a small little part giving their top five. Phil Steele has a great website, but he likes his daily top 33 and has only the first four or so teams, so hasn't even touched the top 25 yet. Then there is Lindy's who just put out the entire list of their preseason top 25. I love it! Most of them will predict the top 5 teams or so nearly the same; for instance, Lindy's and Sporting News have Alabama at number one, then they each have Boise State and Ohio State at 2 and 3, 3 and 2, respectively. Then they each have Florida placed at #5, while #4 for each is completely different. Lindy's has Texas at #4 and Sporting News has Miami at the four position. Miami at number four seems pretty generous right now because Lindy's has that same team ranked at 20 and Athlon has the 'Canes at 14.

I can't stand the anticipation of having those magazines in my hands, and writing this piece on it makes it worse for me! I'm thrilled about the thought of placing each magazine in its own plastic cover, like the ones you see at a doctor's office. The protective cover makes them last so much longer because they would get pretty wrinkled up in my back pack, otherwise. I use the annuals to gather information and collect my own thoughts to derive my own top 25 theories for the season. Some magazines tend to put more emphasis on a particular conference or two and a lot less on the others, which is where some of the bias of strength of schedule begins to factor in the whole season. I'm looking at the Athlon preseason rankings, for instance. We don't know who they will put in from 1-8 yet, but they already have four teams from the Southeastern Conference (LSU (24), Auburn (22), Arkansas (17), and Georgia (15)). Nobody in their right mind and knows even a little bit of current college football will not have Florida and Alabama on their top 10 list, so that will make a whopping 6 teams from the SEC in a preseason ranking from Athlon. Half of the conference makes the list! Wow! That must mean that it is an excellent conference! (Sarcasm!) They haven't even played a game yet and the computers will look at those rankings and say that all the teams within that conference must all play really tough schedules because half of the conference is found within the top twenty-five. On the other hand, the computers will notice that the Pac-10 is not represented in the top 25 very well, unless USC and another school can sneak in the top eight teams together, and those computers will say that any team in the Pac-10 has a weak schedule due to this list of rankings.

What if I were one of those infamous writers and decided to put all the Big East teams at the top and nobody from the SEC in my top 25 teams? Then it would appear that if Pitt loses only one game during the season, they would be playing for the national title. I'm not saying that Pitt would be far off this year if they qualified to play for the title, but because their whole conference would be ranked boosting the strength of schedule. How would that role reversal affect the nation? A question from my thoughts: Do the writers rank so many SEC schools in the preseason purposely to boost the strength of schedule because they know that the non-conference strength of schedule for nearly all the teams in the SEC are ridiculously terrible? Yes, you have Florida vs. Florida State or Georgia vs. Georgia Tech or South Carolina vs. Clemson every year, but in the Pac-10 they would call that a conference game - every year.

Memorial Day is approaching - slowly - and my excitement can hardly be contained. I feel like I'm anticipating a Lake Shasta visit that can't get here fast enough. So, I leave with a bit of advice: 1) Formulate your own top 25 by combining all the information available from the preseason annuals that will come out soon, and 2) Be confident and don't lose out on your moments in life, but don't get carried away because either extreme will cause regrets.

Does Conference Comparisons Equal Individual Performance?

I was in the middle of those Saturday "Honey-Do's" when I came across an old article from my local paper's sports page from over a year ago. Don't ask me how putting away food in the hallway got me into my shop, cleaning up a few things there. So, I read this article again, and it makes just as little sense this time around as it did last time. I don't know who wrote it because it doesn't say; however, it is short enough that I can just type the whole thing here so you understand what I'm talking about:

It just doesn't add up
"College bowl game results suggest the Big Ten has inferior talent. NFL teams say differently.
"A Chicago Tribune study revealed the talent in the Big Ten, in NFL terms, is superior to the talent in the Pac-10 and Big 12. The only conferences with advantages over the Big Ten are the Southeastern Conference and the Atlantic Coast Conference.
"In the last five drafts, 166 Big Ten players were chosen, third highest among conferences. The SEC led the way with 192 players, followed by the ACC with 176. The Pac-10 had 157 while the Big 12 had 143.
"If you break it down to first rounders, the Big Ten also fared well. The conference has had 28 such players in the last five drafts.
"That makes it difficult to explain a 1-6 Big Ten record in bowl games this year (losses to three teams from the Big 12, and one each from the SEC, Pac-10 and ACC), and a 9-20 mark over the last five years."

That was in the Spokesman Review on January 11, 2009 when I cut it out of my paper in Spokane, WA. I'm wondering where the real connection between how awful the Big Ten did in bowl games after the 2008 season involving 7 teams versus the amount of individuals selected in the NFL draft. Sounds like a stretch that I would attempt, if I haven't already. However, I had to pick out the flaw in the Chicago Tribune's "study" by recognizing the different amount of teams that are in each of the aforementioned conferences in football. According to the numbers (straight up), they are absolutely accurate; however, with the author of this article neglecting other factual points that should be made, I will oblige by tweaking it myself.

So, if we are to base the strength of conferences on the amount of players selected in the last five years (when the article was written 1/09), the only consistency I found was that the SEC was still the top (barely), the Big Ten was still in the middle, and the Big 12 was still the bottom (by a lot). Instead of using only the amount of individuals being drafted, to be accurate on accounts of "as a conference", one must use and average system to find the true order of how strong or good a conference as a whole looks. With that said, I have the SEC with 192 players drafted and divided by the 12 teams within the conference, you get an average of 16 players per team over the five year span that the author is referencing. According to the article, the ACC had 176 players with 12 teams in its conference, meaning an average of 14.67 players per team over five years. Now, the Big Ten was mistakenly proclaimed that it was inferior to the ACC, but with my statistics it is not. The Big Ten had 166 players but only 11 teams, beating the ACC with an average of 15.09 players per team over the five years. Of course, those who know me will know exactly what I'm going to say because of my love of the Pac-10. So, the article says that the Pac-10 had drafted 157 players over that same five year span, however, the Pac-10 has only a mere 10 teams, meaning that the average is just under the super powers of the SEC (sorry about the sarcasm) with an average score of 15.7 players per team. Oh, and the Big 12 ended up with the lowly average of 11.92 players per team.

I think it a little sad that the Chicago Tribune can't even make their conference look better than that if they are going to actually call it a "study" and actually publish the results and can't even say that it is better than the ACC when it should. So, is it just me, or is the article a little bazaar? I like the article a bit because it shows me that people all over try to make the Pac-10 out to be an inferior conference in whatever way they can, but if someone looks through all the mumbo-jumbo, they actually see that the Pac-10 is, indeed, at least, second best in the nation. I can take that - if the facts prove so - which they obviously did.

National Recruiting

Here I am. I am back from the damp, mirky cave of shame after the Pac-10 did so horribly in the bowl games. I was encouraged by a couple friends that I needed to let people know I'm still alive and to update my blog. There has been plenty to write about recently, but my confidence in my outlook of the sport of college football has been tweaked slightly. That's okay. It happens every year for me. Just when I think I know where a season is headed and I feel like I can give a good estimate on how the post season will pan out, it gets all blurry and I begin feeling dizzy and nausia starts to settle in and then it all goes black. It drives me crazy! Where was the team that I kept track of all year? Why did they play like THAT against THIS team? All these questions run through my mind and it takes several weeks for my head to function properly again. I'm still trying to figure out how Colt McCoy was injured so early in the title game and yet, it wasn't a total blowout - maybe Coach Saban was being really nice - naw, that doesn't sound like him.

It was the National Letter of Intent Day that helped clear some perspective from my post-BCS eyes. According to Scout.com, the Pac-10 finished with two teams in the top 10 and four in the top 13. I never expect the Pac-10 to do any better than the SEC, especially when each school from the SEC recruits 8-12 commitments more than USC, consistently, to compete with the Trojans' annual rankings. USC picked up the top overall pick, according to Scout.com, Seantrell Henderson. This would be the fourth time that USC picks up the top recruit from Scout.com since 2004. Only the 2006, 2008, and 2009 years were there someone else picking up the top prize recruit. Ohio State took the first two with Beanie Wells and Terrelle Pryor, respectively, and Tennessee landed Bryce Brown in 2009, who may end up going to USC afterall to follow his freshman year's coach, Lane Kiffin (that would give USC the top two athletes from 2009 as Matt Barkley was #2).

While talking about recruiting and amount of commitments, I'd like to take note that USC rarely holds that maximium 85 scholarship players on its roster any given year. In fact, the last four years they have recruited 75 commitments. I don't believe USC keeps all its players for over 4 years. Then there are some teams that can somehow get good athletes to come to their school without a scholarship or maybe a partial scholarship, like the SEC schools. For example, not checking into all the SEC schools and looking at many of the biggest programs nation-wide, Auburn has recruited 117 players in the last four years! Not five years, because that would be an additional 25 kids, but four years. In case you are not wondering the same thing I am, I will tell you that there are a maximum of 85 scholarships allowed for each Division I (D-I) university. Most players stay an average of 4 years at the university for football and studies. So, how does Auburn keep 117 kids when only 85 of them are on scholarship? Are there some donated from the women's volleyball team or something? That is 32 kids playing on a team and paying for their own education when they could go somewhere else and get real playing time AND a scholarship. Auburn is not the only SEC school putting up triple digits in the last four years of recruiting: Ol' Miss with 115, Mississippi State with 112, Alabama with 112, South Carolina with 106, and LSU with 103. Florida and Tennessee are in the 90's from the last four years. Hmmm... USC is at 75!?! How could USC ever compete on the field with the likes of those recruiting numbers? I guess it all boils down to quality. You know that Alabama's 112 recruits are full of quality; and Florida and LSU, too. Does this tie in directly with why the SEC has been "chosen" to play for the national title the last four years (and doesn't appear to let up any decade soon)? Just a pondering point, I suppose. I noticed that quality is something USC strives for each year having 6 of the last 7 years at the top of the average star rating of recruits on Scouts.com. The year they weren't first, was a third highest average in the nation in 2008. Plus, having a top 10 overall finish the last 8 years helps the quality issue.

With all the gaudy numbers of recruits from the SEC, my mind wanders back to the light breeze of thought about the question that I ask every year after the National Letter of Intent day has come and gone and put a sledgehammer in the back of my head: "Why don't the teams in the SEC dominate everyone outside their conference from start to finish every quarter, every game, and every season?" The super talents are all gathered in one conference each year with all the best coaches in the business coaching the skilled athletes to play hard and win. So why do they occasionally lose? Why? WHY? There is literally no reason, that the major media and Southeastern Conference homers have given, that would point out why any of the 12 blessed schools should ever lose a non-conference football game. Do the Vanderbilt players go all-star academic and take up more classes instead? Does Kentucky play all their basketball stars in place of the football players? Why did Georgia lose to Oklahoma State? Why did LSU lose to Penn State? Why did South Carolina lose to Connecticut? Why did Tennesse lose to UCLA? I don't know the answers, but if I am to believe what I'm told every day by the major media, and Scouts.com, and SEC homers, those losses should never have happened. There shouldn't be any parity at this level of the sport as long as nobody messes with the structure of the Southeastern Conference, which continues to dominate the BCS title game every year.

Everyone: I am back. I will have more to give once spring camps come to a close. I await the pre-season magazines that I purchase every summer. I look forward to another season of college football! I will continue to strive to be unbiased and use the statistics and facts that are added after each Saturday of autumn.

The Battle Between the SEC and the Pac-10: Part 2

Here's the update on this article 3 months later to show some post season statistical information for those who like to base their opinions and knowledge on cold hard facts, like myself. So, with the Heisman Trophy handed out now in the closest race for the huge statue ever. It went to a sophomore running back named Mark Ingram from Alabama. This makes the 3rd consecutive sophomore to receive the award and the very first Heisman to go to an Alabama player. Toby Gerhart was a very close runner-up from Stanford as a senior. First, I want to congratulate Mr. Ingram for his outstanding year. Just keeping his starting spot was amazing because the true freshman, Trent Richardson, is a superstar in the making, but Mark was able to prove each week that he deserved to be on the field (with exception to the Auburn game). Mark rushed for an SEC high 1542 yards in 13 games. Wow! I also want to give serious props to Toby Gerhart for his amazing achievements. Toby rushed for 1736 yards in just 12 games. Honestly, in terms of the Heisman, I picked him to win it because first, he's a senior (and Mark has at least two more years to prove himself), and second, he rushed for almost 200 more yards with one less game than Mark Ingram. Plus, I felt that the SEC had a down year and the Pac-10 had an above par year with a very solid conference with exception to only Washington State.

Next, the head-to-head match-ups between the two conferences will end at 1-2 with the Pac-10's only win being UCLA beating Tennessee. There will be no "redemption" or "prove it" games in the post season due to the SEC/Pac-10 not playing each other at all. So, this will give the Pac-10 an 11-9 lead since 1998 over the SEC. I must mention, however, that this season is skewed significantly in the favor of the SEC. Let me explain: The three SEC schools to play Pac-10 teams ended up being #2 in their particular divisions (LSU 2nd to #1 Alabama and Tennessee and Georgia tied for 2nd under Florida), meaning that they are all bowl eligible. Now their 3 opponents from the Pac-10 had much different outcomes throughout their seasons and made those two wins look pretty miserable for the SEC "powerhouses". Those three Pac-10 schools are all 6-6 or worse. UCLA who got the win over Tennessee is the only team bowl eligible of the 3 teams. Funny how UCLA was able to beat an SEC team and then struggled so much against opponents within their own conference. Are you thinking what I'm thinking? Maybe. Let me elaborate, in case you're lost right now. UCLA is #6 or #7 in the Pac-10 and yet played an away game in a very loud and hostile environment in the SEC and brought back a win. The team they beat is from "the best conference in the nation" (according to many major media writers and SEC homers) who ended up being #2 in their division, or #4 overall in the "mighty" conference of "dominating defenses" (like the LSU defense that couldn't keep a win less Washington team under 450 total yards by the #3 team in the SEC). Mathematically, this doesn't add up to "the SEC is a better conference" this year. This is why the numbers are skewed. Now if the #3, #4, or #5 team of the SEC would actually play the #3, #4, or #5 team of the Pac-10, this would give the 11-9 Pac-10 record against the SEC more accuracy and meaning - but it doesn't and it helps all those major media writers and SEC homers dreaming of their mansions in the sky next to Alabama, Florida, LSU, Tennessee, Auburn, Ole Miss, etc.

Ivan Maisel and his buddy, Mark, from ESPN posted their rankings of the conferences after the season ended. They both, shockingly, agreed that the best conferences were the Pac-10 and SEC, respectively. They actually put the Pac-10 at the top! What?! Have they been reading this blog or something? Very cool! Even though the whole SEC is bowl-bound (except Vandy and Miss State), doesn't equate to a more solid and competitive conference. I think Ivan and Mark both looked at the whole picture, including strength of schedule, the final BCS top 25, and overall competitiveness in the Pac-10 vs. the SEC, to determine who had the better conference. They went out on a limb (to many writers) and I believe they got it right!

So, maybe in the coming years, the most dominating teams in the SEC will actually play the upper half of the Pac-10 teams. Will the coaches read and accept my challenges to prove themselves on the field and not just on paper? We'll see.

What Does the BCS Poll Really Mean?

I'm not any expert at love, by any means, and I never claim to think that I have any pertinent advice to give anyone who is searching for love; however, there are certain things about finding a potential significant other that clearly needs to be defined. Each person has their own rating system or way to determine if someone is "hot or not" to find that immediate attraction that everyone desires in a relationship. The rating system I use, or suggest others to use, is the 5-D test. It used to be 3-D, but I've gotten wiser with years. Heck, maybe some of you would have a 9-D or more. Let me explain the 5-D's: each "D" represents something that would interfere with your judgement of beauty and the more "D's" you have in your situation, the more confident I am that you should stop what you are doing before you get morning regrets (unless you are out to have a "no pride night" but that's an entirely different article). So, obviously, the first "D" represents Drunkeness. When alcohol is consumed, impairment of judgement is increased and inhabitions are lost. The second "D" represents Darkness. The dimmer the lighting, the less features you see clearly on someone's face, which may hide a thing or two. The third "D" is Distance. The further away someone is from you, you lose proportions and clarity of features in their face (and body). The fourth "D" is Driving. Someone in a car can always look better because you can't see everything they are wearing (including the not-so-obvious pear-shape they may be sporting), they may have a tinted sun roof to make them look tan, and sunglasses hides whether their eyes are worth gazing into or not. The fifth "D" represents Desperation. If you are desperate to go out and gotta have someone tonight, then you tend to "settle" on whoever gives you a second glance and shows a little interest (this may lead into the saying where she is a "2 at 10 and a 10 at 2" - meaning, at 10pm you see her as a 2 on a scale of 1-10, but Desperation comes into full effect when it is 2am and still girl-less and you find that 2 again, but looking like a 10 now). These 5 "D's" are the premiere "D's" to look out for. As you mold your own system, you may want to add others like; Dating (if you are currently dating someone, others suddenly find you attractive), or Distractions (if you are at a carnival or huge gathering of people around you, the distractions may confuse you and make you lose focus on your ideals of beauty), or Disabilities (hopefully these come much later in life for you, but this does not mean you need to "settle"), or Drugs (depending on the drug, this could seriously impair judgement for beauty - and everything else for that matters), or for those more focused on things like hair - Dryness (sometimes you gotta get the hair wet to see how nice it really is without all the gels, sprays, and mousses). So, remember, the more "D's" you have in your situation, you really need to think about what you really want because most likely you will not find anything meaningful in a relationship when it is in 5-D. You must eliminate as many of those "D's" as possible to assure yourself better odds at making a love connection worth while.

I realize that this is a weird way to start out a college football blog, but in thought of what the BCS poll is trying to say to the nation makes me think of what is defined by the BCS poll and what we're suppose to get out of it - like love, how do you judge it and how do you define it. Like love, the BCS has different meanings to different people; so I'll quit talking about that crap and get into some football rants. This is the light I see in the BCS eyes: Pac-10 conference is clearly the best conference from top to bottom in the country and the BCS Poll put out before the bowl games begin December 19, 2009, is there to prove it in black and white. Now you have to realize that I see polls as lovers of the SEC, ACC, and the Big XII because they have lots of great teams, they each have 12 schools, and they have a championship game each season. The polls love them so much that the voters are willing to place as many of the schools represented by each of those 3 conferences in the preseason top 25 as possible. For example, in the preseason AP poll this year there were 5 SEC schools in the top 25 - I'm a little disappointed because I usually will see 6 SEC teams there. Same with the Big XII - at least 5 for good measure. The Big East, Big Ten, and Pac-10, on the other hand, will find much fewer schools amongst those elite powerhouses of the SEC and Big XII conferences (some slight sarcasm).

Now, I'm not going to get on my Pac-10 high horse just yet because there are other conferences out there that can complain as much and have legitimate arguements. I would like to speak to those Big East lovers. I feel for you. Looking at the preseason AP poll of 2009, I don't see a single Big East team in the top 25! In fact, the highest ranked team was Pitt at 28. Does the media want to hate the Big East or what?! Now let's look at the pre-bowl BCS top 25 standings. I see an undefeated Cincinnati playing in a BCS bowl playing against arguably the #2 team in the nation, Florida Gators. I also see two more teams from the Big East. There are only 8 teams in the Big East. (Time to get out your calculators.) I calculate that as about 37% of the conference. That's pretty dang good, if you ask me - especially, considering the top 3 power conferences with 12 teams each. The ACC, Big XII, and the SEC each have 3 teams finding their way in the BCS top 25 at the end of the regular season. Just as many as the Big East, but (calculators please) only a mere 25% of their conferences. Does that say that the SEC is the strongest from top to bottom? I don't see it that way. Another conference that has 3 teams in the BCS top 25 on December 6th is the Mountain West Conference. Wow! Shocker, I know! Just because not everyone in the nation is versed with MWC statistics, there is one that I DO know - it is a conference made up of 9 teams. That's 3 less than the SEC. My calculator tells me that 33% of the MWC is in the BCS top 25. Last I checked, 33% is better than 25%, right? So, if a conference is going to go on and boldly claim its superiority to the nation, then why doesn't it show up in the polls that generally favor them to begin with? Does this mean that the MWC is equal to or better than the SEC? No, of course not. That's not what I'm saying at all. However, the MWC has at least 3 really good teams this year - the same amount as the SEC and Big XII who are representing this year's national title game in the BCS National Championship game in Pasadena - and yet, the MWC remains to be a conference without an automatic bid into a BCS bowl game. Essentially, to get the big bucks from the big bowls, the MWC teams need to go undefeated the whole year (which they've had a team do 3 of the last 6 years). Now, you know I have to do this; the Pac-10, obviously with 10 teams that make up the conference, have a whopping 5 teams ranked in the BCS top 25! Can you believe that!? Hopefully you're smart enough to know what percentage 5 of 10 is and I don't have to spell it out to you. I will anyway - 50% of the Pac-10 is in the top 25 of the BCS poll before going into the 2009 bowl season? Are you kidding me? This is the same conference that had only 3 teams in the AP preseason poll top 25 in August! Incredible! Are they all over rated or does the conference just have a lot of depth? Just to feed the fire a little, the two Pac-10 teams that played and lost close ones to SEC teams are not even bowl eligible; and the team that traveled to the east and beat an SEC team is merely 6-6 (which should not be bowl eligible in my eyes - .500 record does not mean a successful season that needs to be rewarded with post season play). All those SEC schools that played the Pac-10? They are all eligible for bowl games. How could the SEC use this same information as a bragging point? They can't because it would just mean that they do, in fact, play some of the weakest schedules in the country - especially their 4 non-conference match-ups. In fact, all but two teams (Vanderbilt and Mississippi State) are not bowl eligible. Does this say something about their scheduling? If you say you are the best, then it wouldn't be asking much to go out seeking the best of other parts of the country to play them, right?

Enough of that. I want to rant a little more about the bowls and their affiliations. I can't stand having the second best team from the Pac-10 conference playing on December 30th each year! Is that really an award? I think there are too many bowls these days, to begin with. I feel, also, that the best bowls that mean the most should be played on January 1st and after. Everything else before that is just an appetizer. Of the six major conferences, only one is treated as well as the C-USA and MAC conferences by allowing only one team to play in the month of January: that's the Pac-10. Lucky for them, they get an automatic BCS bowl bid, or else... who knows? The ACC gets two of their 3 BCS ranked teams in the new year, but the Pac-10 gets only 1 of their 5 BCS ranked teams playing in the first month of 2010. Wow! Now the SEC takes its 25% and plays that and then some into January to play in a bowl game. Actually, the tally is 7 teams from the SEC will play after the beginning of the year this season. Well, the Big Ten gets 5 teams into January! Now this is where the Big East gets its love back by having 4, or half their conference, into the lights of January bowls. Crazy! Where is the new Pac-10 commissioner on this? This is an outrage and must change immediately! Why do all the January bowls affiliate with the SEC? Why can't one or two of them go to the Pac-10? They've won a championship or two in the last decade, right? Who makes these decisions? So, the conference that puts in 50% of its teams into the top 25 BCS poll will reward only one team?! Where is the logic in that? Am I the only one who seriously thinks this is an issue with regretable terms of why the Pacific 10 conference is looked upon with eyes of inferiority? I think the Pac-10 needs to shed some of these "5-D's" so it can be seen for what it really is - the conference of champions.

Top Conference: The SEC?

I recall my rugby days at Southern Oregon University (formerly known as Southern Oregon State College, when I attended), when I felt that our little club of about 20 men could take on or compete with anybody. The games we played at home were dominated by us with our massive Samoans in the scrum and our head-strong white guys flanking out as the backs who could run north/south pretty well. My first game, our coaches words echoing in my head "follow the ball", helped me communicate to a co-captain who was ahead of everyone but the three defenders who he was dragging with him to toss the ball to the outside, so when he turned to back his way into the defenders, I was right there for relief and snagging the perfect toss, I ran the remaining 15 yards or so to score my first "try". Yes, I "Zulued" that day. What an awesome feeling! One game, I actually scored twice, the first was on a 70 yard bolt down the sideline - and I was the rookie. We traveled to Eugene, Oregon to play their 'A' squad, for they had three separate squads at the University of Oregon. The 'B' and 'C' squads were equivalent to JV and freshman squads, I suppose. We barely lost to the Ducks by 3 points. We were just a little club, they were a huge program with 3 squads! We nearly took them with a limited traveling team that had to fork over money from their own pockets for the trip. We had the best team around. We beat Bend and OIT, Reed College and many others. As rugby goes, there is always the celebrations afterward that last late into the night that includes both teams. The sportsmanship between the two teams was like it is when I see two men bow at and hug each other after a brutal MMA match. There is respect and love of the sport that binds the two teams or individuals together. I love rugby! The Southern Oregon Fighting Cocks were the toughest team to beat with the reputation to prove it.

My feelings about my old rugby team in the early '90's reminds me of a recent article written in the October 19, 2009, issue of Sports Illustrated, by John Ed Bradley, speaking of his team that he played for in the late '70's and the conference that it participates in now. Mr. Bradley celebrates the recent accomplishments of his alma mater, LSU, and looks back at his playing days with tender fondness. He is definitely proud to be a Bengal Tiger who currently resides in Louisiana to this day. He's still tucked into the heart of the SEC, who Mr. Bradley boldly claims to be the best conference top to bottom with depth all over. That's great and gives me some warm fuzzies and all; however, I don't see any respect of other teams portrayed in this article that would show any sportsmanship and admit to the love of the game; even as the SI cover suggests, "SEC Football: Nobody Does It Better, The Nation's Toughest Conference". So, when my buddy, Shannon, handed me this Tim Tebow clad SI, he knew from his Florida State devotion that this would cause a rise in my Pac-10-minded ideals. He was absolutely correct in his assumptions and caused me to write this blog the very next day.

I think the mentality of the SEC and its players and its fans is all summed up by the words of Roy Kramer, who was the SEC commissioner for 12 years before retiring in 2002, when he was quoted in this article, "... SEC schools have had an 'us against the nation' attitude since 1926". This shows a huge flaw in the SEC who claims to love football more than anything else in life, growing up knowing the head coaches of the universities better than the political leaders of their particular states. They seem to be saying that it is the SEC way or no way at all. The fans and media have a tendency to slip into that skid and can't find their way out of the irrational thinking of pure dominance of the "best" conference in the nation. I think that true fans of the game would show respect toward other programs that may settle in different parts of the country, including teams on the west side of the Mississippi River. Yes, there is life existing and going on in these parts of the woods. To show true sportsmanship you must be able to see the big picture and not have your face in the magnifying lens all year long.

I would agree that there are a lot of athletes that come out of the state of Florida, when Mississippi head coach speaks of the 335 average amount of young men signing on to Division I schools. I also think there are a lot of talented young men coming from the state of Texas, as well. I have heard from one of the coaches at UTEP when he went on the recruiting trail that there was so much talent in particular areas of Texas that it was difficult to focus in on just individual players. He told me that the speed on the East side of the state; however, really had top notch speed in comparison to the West side of the state. With all the talent in Texas, it would seem easy to get a decent team built up, but for teams like UTEP, it is actually very difficult with so many other bigger schools vying for the same kids. Texas is the hot bed of talent snatchers that gets more early commitments than any other program out there. Then you have other schools like Texas Tech, Texas A&M, Houston, Rice, and then UTEP. This doesn't include the talons that swoop in from Oklahoma and Louisiana State. Another state that has a decent talent pool is California. There are only 4 major colleges in the state to choose from with all that talent, so many of them are swept away to distant schools.

A couple years ago, I calculated the amount of all the 3, 4, and 5-star athletes, according to Scouts.com, and put them with their perspective conferences. It showed that the SEC, as a whole, dominates the recruiting of prep super stars every year. The next best conference was around half of the amount of highly touted talent that fed into the SEC. That is incredible! The SEC does an amazing job at recruiting, as a conference whole. With that said, I would like to see the SEC schools prove their talent level with other teams than just their own. How selfish to play 4 games that you know don't have a chance at scoring against your first team defense, let alone winning the game (with few exceptions a year)! I would love to see Houston Nutt do exactly what he was quoted in this article by saying, "I watch the other conferences all the time and I think, Boy, I'd like to play them." Perfect! Schedule a game with Oklahoma or Texas or Texas Tech. Travel up north, for once, and play in the cold against Penn State or Michigan or Ohio State. Visit the Pacific Ocean side of the country, for once, and play Oregon or Oregon State or USC or California or even a Boise State or Utah. I challenge you, Coach Nutt, to make it happen. Show off your coaching skills and trickery skills and huge talent-laden team that draws from the "best" conference in the nation. Prove it to America! Put your money where your mouth is! I guarantee, that if you feel a little frightened of flying such a distance, that ANY Pac-10 team would be delighted to travel to Oxford to play the Rebels there first - even the basement-ridden Washington State - that should be an easy win for you. Wait! Don't let me limit my challenge to Coach Nutt, but to the rest of the coaches in the SEC. I tip my hat to Georgia for taking on a Pac-10 foe. I tip my hat to Tennessee, too. Even though those two games were at home for the SEC, the Pac-10 did come off with one win, and nearly a second. I even tip my hat, slightly, to LSU for actually making the trip to the Pacific Northwest to play the Pac-10 team with the longest losing streak of 14 games. I'm sure that when the game was actually scheduled, Washington was still winning 3-5 games a season, so good job LSU (slight sarcasm there). Les Miles seems to avoid the better teams of the other conferences for some reason. I'm confused how that consistently happens. Weird! With all the talent that LSU and Florida and Alabama and Auburn and Tennessee and Georgia bring in each year, there should be no fear whatsoever playing elite teams of other conferences. Those teams should be so bold to the nation and deliberately play tough games each and every week. Why not? They have the talent. They have the depth. They have the money. They have the stadium capacity. They have everything. Do it! Or are there underlying issues to suggest that maybe the "best" conference is just hype to justify the over-rated rankings each week. Which is it? Don't just make claims without actually backing it up on the field. When the naive tight end for LSU, Richard Dickson, says, "Your USCs, your Ohio States, sure, they're all great teams, but as far as a league, I don't think you can compete with the guys we have to go against each week." Really? Does he know anything about USC? What is said from LSU Belles? "The Pac-10? Isn't that a convenience store out on Highland Road?" When was the last time you, Mr. Dickson, have played "your USCs? Or an actual legitimate team from another conference since your win over Ohio State? Hmm. You may be thinking hard for a long time, buddy. It just doesn't happen. Play USC someday! I know Pete Carroll would love it! USC doesn't back down from heavy competition. Look at their opponents over the last 10 years. Notre Dame every year is a far cry from the annual Tulane hiccup you have each year. LSU doesn't even play the whole conference every year like USC does. Sure, USC gets its conference "bye" week by playing WSU, but LSU gets theirs with Vanderbilt who went to their first bowl game last year since 1982. At least WSU had 3 consecutive 10 win seasons within the last decade or so. When has Vandy ever done that? Or Kentucky? Or Mississippi State? Or Ole Miss? Don't just talk about it! I want to see it on the field! You can make all the claims in the world you want, but until I see you SEC coaches going after the big teams of other conferences and dominating them, I'm not going to be a believer - especially when the Pac-10 has a winning record over the SEC since the year 2000. These games are NOT against the easy shoe-ins for a win against opponents like Vanderbilt, Kentucky, Mississippi State, etc. The most recent wins are against Arkansas, Tennessee, and Auburn. I understand that maybe a hand full of people will actually read this, but I stand by my challenge to all the SEC coaches to step up and show off all their talent pool of young, strong, fast football players. Oregon would be a great team to go up against now with their very average 3-star athletes that have no speed like that of any SEC school, who took it to USC recently (sorry, some more sarcasm - I can't help it).

There is one thing I'm trying to figure out this season. There is this game in Knoxville that was played earlier in the season against UCLA. Well, UCLA started off with a easy opponent in San Diego State and then traveled to Knoxville to beat Tennessee two years straight and then played Kansas State (who is now atop the Big XII North). Since those three (actually two) impressive wins, UCLA has yet to win a Pac-10 game and hasn't even played USC yet. What's that say about the Pac-10? Well, let's look at the other side. Tennessee started off with a scrimmage against Western Kentucky and then lost to UCLA by 4, then a week later, lost by 10 to the #1 team in the nation, Florida. Beat an Ohio team, then lost to Auburn (shouldn't have) by 4. Then the Vols beat up Georgia by a whole bunch and lost by 2 to the #2 team in the nation, Alabama (only because the last minute field goal attempt was blocked by Alabama). Their Halloween showdown proved a dominant performance over the #22 ranked South Carolina. What's that say about the SEC? Let me think aloud for a moment when I say that UCLA was starting a freshman QB for his second game as a starter in Knoxville, who seats over 100,000 people and came off a win over an SEC school that started a veteran senior QB... hmmm... now I'm thinking to myself - maybe you might put the same 2+2 together. The answer I get is maybe John Ed Bradley of the LSU squad of several years ago may be off a bit in his assumption that the SEC is the "nation's toughest conference" by seeing how the season is getting played out. So, the question remains, which conference has more quality teams from top to bottom? Of the six major conferences, there are points to make with each conference; however, the major media will always say that the SEC is the best, but I think the facts and head-to-head statistics should have a lot more to say about it - especially when the SEC has a winning record against all the major conferences since 2000 except for the Pac-10. I feel that this is the most impressive fact that people like, Mr. Bradley will not fess up to and show good sportsmanship to recongnize all the facts before stating how inferior all other conferences are.

So, I enjoyed the article in Sports Illustrated by Mr. Bradley, but I don't think he loves the game outside of Louisiana. True fans follow more than one team or one conference because they respect the other programs and they just love the game. This is what I want to hear from someone devoted to the Southeast.