The Republic of Sport

ThunderBoomer

ThunderBoomer's Comments

Posted Sunday October 25, 2009, About: Will Big 12 realign divisions?

I agree with this sentiment ... the Big-12 was formed in 1994 but didn't begin conference play until 1996. How many Big-12 conference championships has TAMU won since 1996? Exactly one - in 1998, when they beat K-State. It's true that MO, ISU, KU, Baylor, TTU, and OkSU have never won a Big-12 Championship, so TAMU does indeed have more that all those teams combined.

For the record, out of the 13 Big-12 championship games played since 1996, the titles are:
OU-6, UTx-2, NE-2, KSU-1, TAMU-1, and CU-1. The South division has won 9 times, the North division has won 4 times.

According to Wikipedia, regarding TAMU: "Founded in 1894, the football team has won 18 Southwest Conference championships, a Big 12 championship, 2 Big 12 South Division championships, and 1 national championship." It's something of a stretch to compare TAMU's current "down" period to those for OU and UTx, since TAMU has nothing like the record of either of those traditionally strong football programs.

Nevertheless, it's quite likely that TAMU will rise again from the ashes ... but has shown only sporadic signs of doing so any time soon. Today was an amazing victory for them against TTU, though.

Posted Saturday May 02, 2009, About: Which conference plays weakest schedule?

FWIW ... strictly speaking the notion of "BCS" conferences only refers to those conferences that get an automatic bid to a BCS bowl game. There are other teams in other FBS conferences who are worthy opponents, as many have already pointed out. TCU is an excellent example from last year (and has been a worthy opponent for several years, actually).

I don't disagree with the spirit of this thread, but it presumes that only "BCS" conferences have worthy teams, which is demonstrably wrong. And scheduling a team takes place years in advance, so it's not always obvious which OOC games actually constitute worthy opponents, unless the teams have to resort to non-FBS teams (which many teams do for one OOC opponent). The primary assumption many posters seem to be making is that many BCS teams are routinely and purposefully scheduling patsies to pad out their stats, whereas I don't think it's all that simple.

Posted Saturday May 02, 2009, About: Joe Pa eyes Big East schools for Big Ten expansion

The most logical choice to add to the "Big-10+1" to make it 12 teams is Notre Dame. A quality academic program, a quality football program, and geographical proximity. Plus they already have established rivalries with Big-10 teams (notably Indiana and Purdue).

Although it's unlikely that ND would do so, they'd clearly be the best fit in the existing Big-10, imho. Going to the Big East makes much less sense, from a number of perspectives. I think Joe Pa went there because he realizes ND is unlikely to make the change, but I doubt that any schools in the Big East are much more likely to bail for the Big-10 than is ND.

Posted Saturday May 02, 2009, About: Joe Pa eyes Big East schools for Big Ten expansion

Whatever good reasons might exist to make the Big-10 become the Big-12#2, the 2008 "Okie" team can't be said to have run up the score on teams during the regular season. Certainly no more so than the UTx Shorthorns. It IS plausible to suggest they did so in the Big-12 Championship game, but there's no objective evidence that they did so during the regular season. See:

http://www.fannation.com/blogs/post/324695-running-up-the-score-in-college-fo otball

Posted Monday March 23, 2009, About: Florida rejects more Miami games

I always love arguments about what is "reality". Reality is an "eye of the beholder" thing, inevitably. Back before the old SWC and Big-8 merged to become the Big-12, OU still played UTx every year. It's a natural rivalry that cries out to be played annually. UF-Miami is in the same mold. To turn your back on the UF-Miami rivalry for any reason is to deny all that's great about CFB, imho. I say, to hell with a "reality" that ignores this!

Posted Sunday March 22, 2009, About: Florida rejects more Miami games

Why wouldn't it be to the advantage to both sides for UF and Miami to play EVERY year? And FSU should be included ... all three should play each other every year! I can't see any good reason for this Florida position, other than C&C's suggestion that UF wants an easier schedule. The intense rivalries here cry out for an annual 3-way shootout.

Posted Tuesday February 10, 2009, About: Report: Leach turned down most interviews

Use your 3rd post to dazzle us all with your CFB insight ...

Posted Monday February 09, 2009, About: Leach rejects Tech's extension offer

It's evident to me that Coach Leach has been a boost to a TTU football program that was a perennial also-ran. The wide-open offense with what has typically been marginal defense means he wins some games against quality opponents, but usually fades against the top tier teams (except for the occasional upset on his home field - his road record against top teams in the Big12 is pretty feeble). He's all about the offense and understands it well - he was the OC at OU before he went to TTU - he's probably best suited as an OC, but as a head coach his brand of CFB is exciting (puts folks in the stadiums) and has been successful enough to mean he might be marketable. I have mixed feelings about him, and I don't have any inside info regarding this contract dispute, but it sure seems like he's ready to move on. If I lived in Lubbuttock, I'd be ready to move, too!

Posted Monday February 09, 2009, About: Chow key to UCLA's haul

Sandy vs. Humungous? Talk about a choice between Scylla and Charybdis! It might be fun to pit them against each other, though. Humungous is marginally more creative, but apparently can't manage to keep from being shut down by the mods.

Posted Thursday January 29, 2009, About: TCU making recruiting impact

The FN filters zapped me! I think you can guess, though.

Posted Thursday January 29, 2009, About: TCU making recruiting impact

I'm genuinely happy to see TCU playing well consistently after so many years of being a doormat in the old SWC. I suspect stadium size is a factor in having TCU travel to Norman - they get a bigger payout than in a home game, perhaps? Not many teams can come to Norman and win these days, so you have every reason to be proud of what your team is doing. Nevertheless, TCU should hold out for a home-and-home series.

It's going to be tough to come up with a cool cheer for the Horned Frogs though. "Get ****"? <);-)

Posted Monday January 26, 2009, About: Sooners contact Marve about transfer

***Homer alert***

And ... an incredibly profound analysis of Bomar's performance in the Senior Bowl Strange, though ... it sounds pretty much identical to what Mike Mayock was saying during the game. Great research, dude!

Posted Wednesday January 21, 2009, About: Bradford luring recruit to OU?

I think a lot of QBs are "exposed" by good defense. Including Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, ... the list goes on. When a defense can pressure the QB, bad things happen to most of them, unless they're mobile enough to evade the rush and physically large and strong enough to make 3rd down plays when needed. Whatever else I might dislike about Tim Tebow, give him his due props - his power running ability made the difference in the NC game. Bradford is an excellent pocket QB, but like all such, when he's under pressure, he makes enough bad throws to lose a game. He's no more "exposed" by this than any other excellent pocket QB.

Posted Tuesday January 06, 2009, About: Mack Brown: BCS still needs work

I wouldn't say that OU had a better SOS than ANYONE ... but USC had their share of patsies this year, too. And they lost to a team they should have clobbered,m whereas OU lost to a good UTx team. Seems to me you have a bad case of 'the pot calling the kettle black'!

Most of these SOS arguments are so much pointless posturing by homers.

Posted Monday January 05, 2009, About: Mack Brown: BCS still needs work

LOL! Did something happen that year? Hmmm....

Posted Monday January 05, 2009, About: Mack Brown: BCS still needs work

Coach Brown says "our system is not set up to have a definite [No. 1] in years like this" - LOL! What's so different about THIS year? I can't think of a year in recent history where some team didn't have a legitimate case to complain about being left out of the NCG. He is stating the facts, more or less, but until we have a playoff, the system CAN'T be set up to give a definitive champion. Perhaps I'm biased but it seems to me that his loudest complaints have been when HIS team is left out - just like several other coaches from the past.

Posted Thursday December 18, 2008, About: How OU will handle Murray's absence

Thinking of a bowl as a "reward" is very "old school" I suppose - that's not automatically bad ... but (there's always a "but") if that's Coach Stoops' thought, it means we Sooner fans have to put up with large numbers of "Chokelahoma" postings and a lot of static for 4 BCS bowl losses in a row. The fact is, ending the season with a bowl loss leaves a lot of OU fans unhappy and gives OU haters more ammunition. Last year's trouncing by WVU was downright embarrassing. I hope the Sooners can pull this next one out ...

Posted Thursday December 18, 2008, About: How OU will handle Murray's absence

OU's special teams haven't exactly been dazzling this year. I think he's been doing KO returns to give them a chance to break a big return ... which hasn't happened, even when he was healthy. Stoops should consider changing the special teams coach next year.

Posted Thursday December 18, 2008, About: How OU will handle Murray's absence

As much as I root for OU, I'm not sure I'd describe the loss to USC in 2004 as a "choke" - OU came out and got their **** handed to them by a much better team that night. The loss to Boise State sure looked to me like they came out overconfident and got beat by a team that definitely deserved to win that night. I'm not sure how "choke" is actually defined, but there can be no denying that OU has played poorly in their last four bowl games. What that might say about the upcoming game is arguable ... but we'll find out one way or another on 08 January.

What I hope for is a well-played game and no important injuries to key players. UF should be favored, but I think they should be careful not to be overconfident ...

Posted Thursday December 18, 2008, About: How OU will handle Murray's absence

The history of bowl games is littered with situations like this. Players do something stupid and get suspended for the game. An injury turns out to be worse than previously thought and a player can't participate. An early injury knocks a player out of the game. In many cases, perhaps most - certainly not all - the substitute comes in and does well. In a few cases, the player's absence affects the whole team performance. I believe OU can weather the absence of these two, but we'd better hope that Sam Bradford can play the whole game! His absence would be devastating.

Excuses bore me but as bostonou points out, facts are facts. It took OU's defense a couple of games to recover from losing Reynolds, and then Box began to get it - only to be knocked out himself. We'll see who plays in the NC game and whether or not the OU defense can get enough stops to win the game.

I'm not about offering excuses in advance (or even after a loss) ... only evidence that the absence of a key player can affect a team's performance. Is there anyone here who really doubts that? If Tebow fractures his leg in a car accident before the game, does anyone expect UF to be the same without him? Would UT have beaten USC in the 2005 NC game if Vince Young had been knocked out of the game in the 1st quarter? The breaks don't always even out during the course of a game.

Posted Wednesday December 17, 2008, About: Heisman loss motivates Tebow, Gators

Sethgator, in case you're having trouble looking things up ... since 2002, USC has played the following non-Pac-10 teams during their schedule (this list ignores bowl games): Notre Dame (an annual non-conference game for USC), Hawaii, BYU, Auburn, Kansas State, Colorado, Colorado State, Va Tech, Arkansas, Nebraska, Idaho, Virginia, OhSU

You may see that as a pack of patsies, but I think most folks would say otherwise. USC can't help it if Notre Dame has been lame the last several years - it's a rivalry game for USC that at one point in the past had great traditions. Certainly, not all the aforementioned teams have powerhouse traditions, and when they played USC, they weren't always having good years, but they all have had some good years in recent history. It's not USC's fault that some of their opponents weren't having a good year when they played the games. Name me a school that has nothing but high-powered teams in their non-conference schedule every year.

If you don't like USC, I actually agree with you on that. They've been a thorn in the side of OU for a long time. But apparently unlike you, I respect what USC has been able to accomplish during the Pete Carroll era, and in years before that, as well. They don't have a huge football tradition because they've played nothing but patsies for decades - they've EARNED it.