FanNation - The Republic of Sport

Okay, we can all get off the Appalachian State bandwagon?  For those of you who are virtually blind - A) Michigan was highly over-rated (again) and B) Appalachian State is no slouch and C) with the 85 scholarship rule now entering its second decade we have a major paradigm shift on our hands as parity has spread across the country to include the East coast.  Unless you've been living in a cave, or have chosen to accept popular pundits opinions like Kirk Herbstreit - a major Big-Televin Home Boy ("In my opinion the victory by Appalachian State is not impressive because Michigan didn't show up" - too bad he didn't see a down of the game thanks to Jim Delaney, not to mention the fact he was racing across the airways from Virginia Tech to get to Berkely in time for the expected PAC-10 thrashing Tennessee was surely about to give the PAC-10), a major revolution is exploding across college football.

I've been touting this for several seasons!  We now have two spectrum’s occurring simultaneously in college football. One spectrum has the elite power schools who continue to monopolize the marketplace in college football, relying on their historic traditions and pageantry within the game which somehow creates a branded identity that they deserve the spoils because they have contributed the most in terms of the development of the game.

The other spectrum is the 85 scholarship rule and the leveling of the playing field as a result. The over-riding theme of this spectrum is that on any given day, any team in America can beat another, irregardless of the historic traditions, level extravagance, or number of fannies their stadiums will hold. Throw in a few penalties, injuries and turnovers with a well coached game plan capitalizing on field position and time of possession, and any team can win.

Unfortunately, although the overall health of the game is at an all time high, the networks and the polls still continue to uphold the traditions, pageantry and money greased relationships of the elite power structure within college football. Throughout the BCS era in college football, Michigan and Tennessee (who both won championships in the late 1990's) have been over-rated in the poll system.  Please don't mis-understand me here - I think both are excellent programs - but they get the benefit of the doubt, even when falling grossly short of expectation, while other schools of equal ability rarely get rewarded in the poll and bowl system. 

The statements by Kirk Herbstreit have been echoed many times before and will be again, so you can be sure that television, who pays their analyst's millions, will make sure to discredit a team like Boise State, Bowling Green, Wyoming, Southern Mississippi - and the list doesn't stop with just non-BCS teams, as Oregon, Wisconsin, Auburn and Colorado have been stung by this system as well.  Can we please move forward in college football and I'm not talking about an NFL-styled playoff either, but rather - one that eliminates the chaotic and discriminating aspects of the regular season and truly does uphold the tradition of the bowls and importance of the regular season, while eliminating the bias and unfairness of the current debaccle - all within the confines of a 12-13 game regular season.  Sound impossible?  Think again!
 

If college football is going to move forward - without controversy - we must eliminate the bias and jaded opinions of those who have the power of the press (and media), because we can no longer pass Michigan's loss to Appalachian State as an error in short-sightedness by the Wolverines.  Remember, it is these same pundits who stress that every game is a playoff in college football and if this is truly the case, how can a school like Michigan (expected to be one of the five-or-6 elite teams CHOSEN TO PARTICIPATE IN THE NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP RACE BEFORE A SINGLE GAME IS PLAYED) afford the luxury of over-looking an opponent?  It isn't Lloyd Carr's fault, but rather the mindset of a nation who has been brainwashed into thinking the elite schools of the past, branded by television itself as the elite - in an era when the major powers clearly had the advantage of stock-piling players - who continue to live in a cave.  WAKE UP PEOPLE - PARITY HAS ARRIVED IN MANY FORMS TODAY IN COLLEGE FOOTBALL - but as we open the papers Monday morning we will still see the same old names in the Top-25.

Schools like Boise State, TCU, Louisville, Hawai'i, Kansas State, Oregon, Wisconsin, Utah, Wyoming, Southern Mississippi, East Carolina and the like will still not be given their due credit when they upset a grossly and mis-labled "stigmatized" giant in college football. 

Nearly every major football power in college football has had their run in with mediocrity in the last decade (the list includes Penn State, USC, Georgia, LSU, Texas, Oklahoma, Washington, Ohio State, Michigan Texas A&M and Arkansas, but yet the game still does not move forward.  Do you ever wonder why?  I believe I have a valid theory!

Never-the-less, it couldn't have started any worse for the Big-Televin (12) - I include Notre Dame as part of Big-10 Country (I refuse to bow down to the Golden Dome for they have been at the very heart of the CFA / BCS movement, have every advantage you could possibly imagine, fired a coach for all the wrong reasons, and have failed to win a bowl game in over a decade and all of this with a BCS GoldCard - NOPE, you're going into the Big-10 in BCSBuster Bracketology whether you like it or not - You made your bed and now you can sleep in its mediocrity!)

For openers, the conference scheduled Indiana State, Florida International, Alabama-Birmingham, Toledo, Youngstown State, Northeastern, Northern Illinois, Appalachian State, Missouri, Bowling Green (and Georgia Tech - including Notre Dame as a Big-10 member).  Easy prey correct?  Wrong - they lost to a MAC school, a Division I-AA school, Missouri and Georgia Tech.  What do you do for an encore?  Week #2 doesn't get any better as we have UNLV, Miami (OH), Nevada, Syracuse, Western and Eastern Illinois, Akron and Western Michigan.  The only decent games include the following:

            vs.  9/8

            vs. 9/8

                   
            vs.  9/8

Oregon is a program that likes to fly under the radar.  For all of their hollering on a yearly basis, it has been a program that can be described as "Much ado about Nothing," for they have only won 10 games three times in their entire history.  And given the fact that Michigan may have lost their season on opening weekend, you can bet they will act like...a cornered Wolverine - one of the most dangerous animals on the planet.  Oregon could get rolled in this one as Blue and Maize Nation will be out in force.  The PAC-10 bashers, Craig James, John Saunders and the like, will be out in force!

A word to Michigan fans - don't blame Lloyd Carr, blame network television for branding the identity of the elite when its pretty much open game - anyone can win now and often does! Carr now joins other distinguished members such as Bob Stoops, Mike Shula and Dennis Franchione.  Herbstreit comments withstanding, you flat out got outplayed by a team who was far hungrier and more motivated - period, end of story.  Now get on with it and embrace the jewels that college football has to offer, because it is the only sport that is truly wide open, until of course we get to the grand ol' poll and bowl show!

Bowling Green has upset many programs in the last decade, and a couple years ago played Wisconsin to a near standstill, losing 56-42.  They are a  legit contender in this game and I wouldn't be surprised if BG makes it two-and-oh-my-Goodness against the Big-10.  Michigan State better not rely on historic traditions and pegeantry in this one!

And finally Penn State and Notre Dame.  This would actually be a conference game if BCSBusters Bracketology was in force, and given the fact that Notre Dame traditionally plays Michigan, Purdue and Michigan State every year - it isn't much of a stretch in adding them to the conference.  Why have I chosen to do this?  See for yourself!  By the way, Penn State will shake down the thunder in this one.  Please tell me again why we fired Tyrone Willingham because in year three, his Husky program is one the rise while year three of the Weis era looks totally abysmal to me!  I welcome comments so please don't hesitate to reply, although my spam blocker will block you if your off target.  If you want to spam, send me an email to bcsbusters@comcast.net and I will be sure to check out your site!
   
  

West

  Week #2 Match-Ups
00
(0-0) (1-0)
Last: W -  WSU  ( 42 - 21 )
Next:  The Citadel

@ 00
(0-0) (1-0)
Last:  W -  Utah St  ( 23 - 16 )
Next:  Hawai'i

  00

(0-0) (0-1)
Last:  L -  GTech  ( 33  -  3 )
Next:  @ Michigan

@   00

(0-0) (1-0)
Last:  W -  Florida Int  ( 59 - 0 )
Next:  Youngstown State

00
(0-0) (0-1)
Last:  L - B. Green ( 32 - 31 )
Next:  Florida Atlantic

VS
   00
(0-0) (1-0)
Last:  W - Ball State ( 14- 13 )
Next:  Cincinnati

00
(0-0) (1-0)
Last:  W -  NEastern (27 - 0)
Next:  Duke

VS 00
(0-0) (0-1)
Last:  L -  Nebraska ( 52 -  10 )
Next:  Nicholls St

00
(0-0) (1-0)
Last:  W-  N. Illini  ( 16 -  3 )
Next:  @ Iowa State

VS    00
(0-0) (0-1)
Last:   L - Washington ( 42 - 12 )
Next:  Illinois

00
(0-0) (0-1)
Last:  L -  Missou  ( 40 - 34 )
Next:  @ Syracuse

 

 Western  00

Illinois

East

Week #2 Match-Ups 00
(0-0) (1-0)
Last: W - YTown St  ( 38 - 6 )
Next:  @ Washington

VS 00
(0-0) (0-1)
Last: W - Army  ( 22 - 14 )
Next:  @ Indiana


00
(0-0) (0-1)
Last: L - Appy St.  ( 34  - 32 )
Next:  Notre Dame

VS    00
(0-0) (1-0)
Last:  W - Houston ( 48 - 27)
Next:  Fresno State

00
(0-0) (1-0)
Last: W - Toledo  ( 52 - 24 )
Next:  C. Michigan

VS Eastern 00
Illinois

00
(0-0) (1-0)
Last: W -  UAB   ( 55 - 18 )
Next:  Pittsburgh

VS 00
(0-0) (1-0)
Last: W - Minnesota   ( 32 - 31 )
Next: 

00
(0-0) (1-0)
Last: W -  Flor Int   ( 59 - 0  )
Next:  Youngstown St

VS   00
(0-0) (0-1)
Last:  L -  GTech  ( 33  -  3 )
Next:  @ Michigan

  00

(0-0) (1-0)
Last:  W -  Indy St  ( 55  -  7 )
Next:  Indiana
  @   00
(0-0) (0-1)
Last:  L -  W. Virginia  ( 62  -  24 )
Next:  @ Missouri

 

 

 

 
Big-10

Non-BCS
Bone-Yard

Big-10

D1-AA
Bone-Yard