Posts Tagged ‘College Football’

Watching A College Football Practice Is Better than Watching an NBA Playoff Game

Sunday, April 19th, 2009

NCAA_Football_GameWith most of college football’s spring practices coming to a close, it’s time to look ahead to the 2009 College Football Season.  The only issue is that fall practice doesn’t begin for another four months.  In the meantime, we’ve got the NFL Draft, NBA Playoffs and Major League Baseball to keep us occupied until the sport that matters kicks it into high gear.  The problem is, the NBA and MLB are just boring.  (I usually enjoy the NFL Draft, but only because I am interested to see which round the college players I’ve watched the past few years go, and I get a few college highlights mixed in.)

Alabama’s spring practice concluded with the annual ’A-Day’, with 85,000 fans and an ESPN audience for a practice (this is down from Nick Saban’s first year when over 95k crammed in to get their first peek at their new investment).  So here’s a few reasons why college football is a much more entertaining sport than the NBA or MLB:

Rivalries.  What’s better than OU/Texas?  Michigan/Ohio State? Georgia/Tennessee?   With all due respect to the Red Sox/Yankees rivalry, nothing really comes close to any of these.

Tradition.  Texas A&M’s 12th Man, Ohio State’s ‘dotting the I’,  Texas Hook ‘Em and The Eyes of Texas, LSU’s Mike the Tiger, the Sooner Schooner, Colorado’s Ralphie or USC’s Trojan. Anything like this in the NBA, MLB or NFL?

Venues: The Swamp.  Death Valley.  The Coliseum. The Big House.  The Horseshoe. We’ll call this one a push.  We can’t ignore Fenway Park, Wrigley Field, Dodger Stadium, Yankee Stadium and Lambeau Field.

Recruiting.  With more media coverage in the past few years, this is a year-round drama.  The best teams stay in the top 10 by recruiting the best players.  Every year we hear whispers of under-the-table shenanigans over blue-chip athletes.

New faces.  College players only get 4-5 years, and each year we see a new set stars break onto the scene.  It’s not just players–its coaches, too.  We’ll all watch with interest as Lane Kiffin takes the reigns in Knoxville, and we’ll monitor the progress in places like Fayetteville, AR under Bobby Petrino and College Station, TX under Mike Sherman.

Charismatic Coaches.  Bobby Bowden, Joe Paterno, Pete Carroll, Steve Spurrier and Urban Meyer.

ESPN Gameday.  This is the best show on TV.   The always-entertaining Lee Corso and Kirk Herbstreit just keep it coming as they head to the biggest game of the week.

Rabid Fan Bases. Alabama fans who show up 90k strong for a spring practice or West Virginia fans burning furniture.  Tailgaiting in Baton Rouge, Clemson, SC or Athens, GA.  A sold-out University of South Carolina game when the team goes winless.

It’ll be a long four months.  Can we reinstate the Kickoff Classic and move it up to August 1?

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SEC To Remain Dominant Among BCS Conferences In 2009

Tuesday, March 3rd, 2009

tebowIt’s never too early to talk about the upcoming college football season.  Last year, the Big 12 captured the nation with its flashy spread offenses and quarterback media darlings Colt McCoy, Sam Bradford, Chase Daniel and Graham Harrell.  Those who began to claim the Big 12 as a superior conference to SEC were premature. The SEC remains atop our BCS conference list in ‘09. 

While the Pac-10 is underrated as a whole, the Pac-10 is USC and the rest.  Mike Belotti continues to amaze us with his long-term success at Oregon, but Arizona State and Cal seemed to take a step back.  While on the subject of the Pac-10, we can’t wait to see the Washington Huskies pull return to the level of play it had under Don James.  If you ever get an opportunity to catch a game at Husky Stadium, do it.  The game-day setting on the lake is something to behold (we are eager to get back to Seattle).

The Big 10 with Ohio State and Penn State and has its moments, but just can’t get by the other conference’s top teams when it counts.  The ACC is just mediocre, at best, with no real national power.  And the Big East should have its automatic BCS bid revoked or given to the Mountain West until they figure out what to do without Miami, BC and Virginia Tech.

The Big 12 will have its mainstays in the top 5-10, OU and Texas.  Either of those teams could compete at the highest level in the SEC.  Texas Tech and Oklahoma State are tough teams but haven’t recruited the athletes required to build or sustain a top 10 program.  Kansas and Missouri have had nice runs, but likely won’t be able to sustain that success.  All due respect to Nebraska’s respectable Gator bowl win, but until Texas A&M and Nebraska (both teams with SEC-type fan support and facilities) get performance that equals their resources, there is no Big 12/SEC argument.  Big 12 coaches also might want to consider moving some more speed to the defensive side of the ball.

As for the SEC, look for Alabama to again take its place as a mainstay in the top 5 for years to come.  Since the day he flew into Tuscaloosa, Coach Nick Saban has recruited and developed a monster.  Urban Meyer has fostered a culture of dominance, and has the Gators at the top of their game with another National Title.  LSU lost several key players from the ‘07 season and struggled through ‘08, but Les Miles will have the Bayou Bengals back in the hunt in ‘09.  After several close games, and wins AT the Swamp and in the Cotton Bowl, Houston Nutt has Ole Miss going into ‘09 with Jevan Snead returning to lead the Rebels.  Georgia’s Mark Richt has recruited well but will have to replace the production from Matt Stafford and Knowshon Moreno.  We’ll have to wait and see how the Lane Kiffin project works out at Tennessee. 

Who’s ready for the season?

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A NASCAR Testimonial From A Football Junkie

Friday, February 13th, 2009

 daytona-2005

It is this time of year where the football junkies don’t really know what just hit ‘em.  I know the feeling.  The Super Bowl just ended, Major League Baseball doesn’t start until April, and if you are like me, you can take or leave the NBA.  March Madness is awesome but it’s still a few weeks away.  So here’s a suggestion for all you football and baseball-starved sports fans: NASCAR.  The first race of the year is The Daytona 500 this Sunday.

Like a good sports road trip with some buddies? Do you like tailgate parties? Do you like drinking cold beer and other various beverages?  Try going to a NASCAR race.  It will shake you out of the football blues.  Here’s my NASCAR testimonial:

The Logic

For years I’d flip through the channels on a Sunday afternoon, and maybe leave it on a NASCAR race for a minute or two, mumble something about rednecks, then change the channel.  I thought to myself, ‘What is so exciting about a bunch of non-athletes driving cars with ads all over them, making left-hand turns for three hours? These guys aren’t athletes.  This isn’t a sport.’   I just didn’t get it.  But one thing that I did notice during my brief channel stop on the race was the 100,000 to 150,000 people at each race. I couldn’t help but at least be a little curious as to what the lure was.

The Decision

A few years ago, a couple of buddies who were recent NASCAR addicts were planning a trip to Talladega.  Remembering the 150K fans at each race and figuring it was time to see what this was all about, I decided to give it a shot.

The Experience

I found out within 5 minutes of driving up to the parking and camping area that Talladega is the Mother of all Tailgate Parties.  So already I figured it was worth the trip just because of the party.  

One thing many of you may not know about a NASCAR race:  it is BYOB.  No $8.00 beers.  Just bring in your own.  As long as your beverage (or beverages)-of-choice fit into an ice chest the size of a bread basket, you are set.  And some of those soft zip-up ice chests can fit in quite a few cold ones.  Multiply that times three or four buddies, and remember there’s over 150,000 spectators doing pretty much the same thing, and you have a party. 

The Addiction

I can tell you the exact moment that I became a fan of NASCAR.  After three to four ‘warm-up’ laps, which were pretty boring to be honest, the starter waves the green flag.  All 43 cars (all of them about a foot apart from each other) hit the hammer at the same time.  The noise was ear-splitting.  The ground shook.  The grandstands shook.  It was like someone gave me a Pulp Fiction adrenaline shot. 

Give It A Shot

Is NASCAR a real sport?  It doesn’t matter which camp you may fall in for this debate.  Gather some buddies, plan a trip to a race and enjoy the experience.  You might just be surprised at what you’ve been missing.

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Thoughts From A College Football Recruiting Junkie

Monday, January 26th, 2009

National Signing Day is coming up.  The fax machines will be humming with blue-chip recruits signing on the dotted line, we’ll see press conferences at the local high school gyms, and college coaches taking a much-needed (albeit short) breather.  The best programs will be reloading, some programs will make progress in improving their talent, and it is 100% certain that rival fans will be accusing each other of stealing a recruit late in the game because of something ‘under the table.’  It’s a dirty, cut-throat business (more so in some conferences than others), but it’s the lifeblood of any successful football program.

Ah yes, more meaningful football news.  Super Bowl Week  is here–one of the best weeks of the year.  But in a few days, we’ll be going through FWS:  Football Withdrawal Syndrome.  No Midol can cure that, but a little college football recruiting excitement can keep us going until spring practice, the NFL Draft, and mini-camps.

Ten message board topics that usually come up this time of year for college football recruiting junkies:

1. Why the hell is Joey Bluechip committed to those a-holes? They must have slipped him a C-Note.  That coach of theirs is a dirty bastard!  Let’s hire a private investigator & turn them in to the NCAA! Yeah! Who’s with me?!!! 

2. My cousin’s neighbor’s daughter’s boyfriend said that Joey Bluechip’s dad got a new job at the local car dealership 5 miles from campus.   Those slimeballs!

3. Half of our players are JUCO transfers; we are in trouble.  Why didn’t we sign more JUCO guys? Our DL sucks!

4. How the hell did Joey Bluechip get into Rival State-U?  He couldn’t even pass basic arithmetic in high school, but good old Rival State U got him in.  Screw Rival State U!

5. We didn’t need him; our coaches didn’t even offer; Rival State U can have him.

6. Who is going to be our ’signing day surprise?’  I heard from my other cousin’s sister’s boyfriend that  Joey Bluechip may secretly be committed to us and will sign with us on Signing Day!

7. We’ll be OK. Recruiting rankings don’t matter: it’s coaching and player development.

8. Why do I get so wrapped up in what a 17-year old kid decides? I need to get back to work.

9. Man I hope we kick Rival State U’s ass next year.  Joey Bluechips younger brother is supposed to be ten times the player he is, and word has it we’re #1 on his list.

10. When does spring practice start?

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