Georgia president Michael Adams, and chairman of the NCAA executive committee, has been outspoken this week about the need for a playoff in college football. In Adams' eyes, the NCAA should create an eight team playoff, seed the teams into four bowl games and eventually crown its first football champion in the organization's history. And as he goes about trumping for big change, he's picked up one prominent supporter in Athens.
Back in the summer I tried predicting - as accurately as possible, not just a bunch of stabs in the dark - the matchups in each of the 32 bowl games. So now that we know who's playing who, I figured I'd look back and see if I got any even half right. The results, I have to say, are pretty. Pretty pathetic.
Rules changes have become the norm in college football, most especially those involving tweaks to the clock the past few years. So after the NCAA's attempts to speed up the game last season were met with dismay and disgust from many of the nation's coaches, the NCAA changed the rules again this past off-season in an effort to drive down the times of these marathon-like games. But after 10 weeks it looks like it's time for the to go back to the drawing board.
For a while there it was looking like Florida was right back in the thick of things. Leading the No. 1 Tigers on the road, Florida was only a matter of minutes from leaving Baton Rouge with a gigantic win and jumping right back into the national championship picture. But LSU would have none of it.
A few days after their exposing loss to USC, Bill Callahan was quite frank about his team. The Nebraska coach acknowledged Saturday's game wasn't pretty, that it looked even worse on film and that there could be a few personnel changes if the Cornhuskers aren't careful.
Everyone knows that Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots were punished over the now notorious Spygate incident that transpired during Week 1 of the NFL season. But could something like that heppen in the college game?
Despite it's undisputed status as the premiere conference in the country, the SEC hasn't been immune to criticism, especially when talk has turned to the league's non-conference schedule.
Sometimes you leave a movie theater feeling high. Sometimes you leave a move theater feeling low. And sometimes you leave it emotionally drained, but smiling as you make your way to the exit. That was the case for me Thursday evening after I had the chance to catch a special screening of Warner Bros. new release, “We Are Marshall,” in Midtown Manhattan.
It was a great game to watch and dramatic as can be, but we shouldn’t be overly surprised that USC finally lost a game. Let’s face it. They’ve been playing with fire these last few weeks, just waiting to get burned. Saturday, they got burned.
Temple got its first win of the season, and its first win in a long, long time, against Bowling Green. Congratulations to Al Golden. First time since Nov. 2004 that the Owls won a game. So how bad does that make Bowling Green? The Falcons losing to Temple: Urban Meyer must be ashamed.
Should we now look forward to a winner take all, Armageddon-esque game between Michigan and Ohio State Nov. 18? I think so. With Ohio State’s easy schedule from here on out. Michigan’s slate is more than manageable until the season finale meeting. So the only teams that are going to defeat Ohio State and Michigan is Ohio State and Michigan. It only seems inevitable - considering the way these two teams are playing - that the winner is going to play for the national championship. Consider:
It should be pretty clear now who the No. 1 team in the nation is. Ohio State, behind quarterback Troy Smith, showed the country they are the best team with a 24-7 win over the Longhorns on the road and I think it's safe to say we learned some things from this game.
The rules changes went over without any major gripping or complaining from the majority of Big East coaches Monday. No one felt the rules were a hindrance or a pain, but some noticed more of a difference than others.
Well, a win’s a win and that’s what the Irish got Saturday. It wasn’t pretty and the offense wasn’t firing on all cylinders, but Charlie Weis’ squad got the job done. They won and survived, lived to face Penn State next without a loss hanging over them and still one of the favorites to make it to the national championship game. For that, they should be satisfied. For other reasons, there should be concern.
Since the season is officially here, I figured it was time to do what everyone else around the country has done: make the obligatory predictions. This way, I’m on the record and I’ll be able to look back in amazement about how poorly - or precisely - I predicted things would pan out.
If you take a look at what Northern Illinois star tailback Garrett Wolfe has done in his career with the Huskies, you'll see that this guy is the real deal and while receiving numerous preseason accolades such as being on the Maxwell Award Watch List, this senior looks primed to put up perhaps his biggest numbers of his career this season in what Wolfe hopes will be a MAC championship season for the Huskies..
I got the chance to sit down and chat with new Temple head coach Al Golden at MAC Media Day and it was clear in speaking with him that his is very optimitic about Temple football, who officially becomes a member of the MAC in 2007.
Bestowed with the honor of being the media's favorite to win the MAC championship this season, Northern Illinois coach Joe Novak cracked a joke while asked at the luncheon during his speech what it means to be the media's top pick.
We're up and running here at the MAC luncheon at the Marriot Renaissance Center in Detroit as I have gained internet access. The interview session of the MAC Media Day has just wrapped up and the players and coaches, along with the media have assembled for the MAC luncheon.
