Sooners To Cement Fate as the New Buckeye BCS Storyline

While Ohio State has cemented their status as a BCS punching bag, the Oklahoma Sooners will look to join the Buckeyes, and possibly discount the entire Big 12 conference in BCS games tonight when they play the Gators. Aside from what Vince Young has done, the success of the Big 12 is treading dangerously close to that of the Big 10. Go back the last 6 years, and it’s hard not to argue the two best teams at the end of the year were USC and whoever the SEC had to offer, in Auburn, Georgia, LSU or Florida depending on the year. Bob Stoops has been routinely out coached in his bowl games, and there is no reason why tonight will be any different. I offer 8 reasons why Florida covers easily against the Sooners, tonight in South Florida:

1) Urban is one the best 3 coaches in college football. Give a good coach ample time to prepare and their teams win. Maybe Stoops’ offense was his best yet this year, but his halftime adjustments will come a half too late.

2) Bob Stoops is 0-4 in BCS games, and he is not playing Boise State this year. He is also not playing a team coached by Bill Stewart in his overalls and straw hat.

3) The rhythm the offense showed down the stretch for Oklahoma will have a harder time finding their groove than a defense will. Time and time again, a great offense that is slowed down will ultimately derail that team’s success as Florida will frustrate and attack Sam Bradford.

4) A good offense will look outstanding versus a terrible defense. That is exactly what Oklahoma has been doing all year in racking up absurd numbers. Florida’s offense is also a good offense, but they get to play possibly a defense that is worse than Florida’s last 4 opponents when they were absolutely throttling teams.

5) Is it not a coincidence that the SEC is 3-0 in BCS title games. When a team represents the SEC conference they are pretty darn good. (the SEC has also never had to play a Pac-10 team for the title.) Tonight they go to 4-0 as Oklahoma becomes the 1st team to be 0-3 in BCS Championship games.

6) Pull tape from the Orange Bowl in 2004 and you will see all the Gators employ a similar game plan to that of the Trojans versus Oklahoma. Oklahoma’s huge offensive line will look slow and have trouble protecting Bradford as he matches Jason White for most time spent looking into the South Florida night sky from his back. Speed killed Oklahoma in losing to Pat White and West Virginia, in losing to LSU, and USC and tonight will be no different. They are not playing a fast team, but probably the fastest team they have seen all year.

7) Percy Harvin is playing, DeMarco Murray is not. Don’t let talk of no Murray not affecting Oklahoma fool you. Harvin was missed versus Alabama who would have been a much needed asset in stretching the field against Alabama. Tebow’s favorite weapon comes back tonight.

Tim Tebow is not an NFL quarterback, but he is a college quarterback and he wants to prove that he will not be upstaged by Sam Bradford. He will take what the Sooners will give him whether its with his arm or feet. Playing in Florida, its his stage and Tebow is not relinquishing his microphone tonight.

Sunny SoCal Summer

This is the part of summer where that itch for all things football really gets going. I’ve read one too many blogs on USC practices or who should be your handcuff running back in my soon to take place fantasy football drafts.

I guess Southern California has survived without a NFL franchise

While the outlook for the Trojans is always sunny, the inside of Mad Martz’ head will prove to be the most interesting development for the 49ers. Frank Gore is also worth mentioning as he plans on being my fantasy workhorse. (I think he could fall to late 1st round in many drafts, and prove to be quite valuable) I’m hoping the 49ers, the “sleeper” pick of so many pundits and experts from last year, really do wake up for the 08 season; and maybe that awakening will include a quarterback.

It will be interesting to see if Norm Chow has as an immediate impact with rival Bruins and their depleted quarterbacking unit, as he did with Carson Palmer. While losing to UCLA is not an option, surely a consistently good UCLA team makes the college football landscape in Southern California that much more interesting.

Finally this will be my first fall season with full time access to Fox Soccer Channel. The couple of ESPN Champions League broadcasts and internet reading just does not quite fulfill all that there is soak up in European football. This summer’s Euro Cup definitely got my now increased soccer viewing off to a good start. “Goodnight Vienna!”

Running Live Diary at the 2008 Rose Bowl

(Originally written Jan 1, 2008 )
USC enters this season as the almost unanimous pick to play in the BCS title game. Booty breaks his finger, throws four interceptions against Stanford, the Trojans lose to Dixon and the Ducks, and still on New Year’s Day as a ho-hum consolation end up in the “Grandaddy of Them All,” the Rose Bowl. Because I attended this game I decided to break out my first diary. Here is what transpired:

Only one BCS Bowl loss under Pete Carroll's watch

8:08am PT: While waiting to leave the house the Rose Parade starts. We were informed that the parade will be broadcast to all the troops abroad. My brother asks if I thought a rift might break out between the troops watching the Rose Parade and those wanting to watch football. (The day’s first bowl game has started. The Outback Bowl: Tennessee vs. Wisconsin)

Can the Los Angeles Lakers be a contender in the Western Conference?

(Originally written Dec 18, 2007)
Amidst all the trade talks all summer long, and the ever changing stance on Kobe’s fragile well being in LA, the Los Angeles Lakers, with basically the same team from last year, are sitting at 14-9 in 2nd place in the Pacific and 5th overall in the Western Conference. ESPN’s John Hollinger has the Lakers at 3rd in his automated power rankings.

Kwame Brown starts on my NBA team?

Although this rating is a bit high, their strength of schedule and quality wins in the early part of this season contribute to this placement in third position. ESPN’s Marc Stein has the Lakers currently at 8th in the league right now in his weekly power rankings which corresponds to their fifth place standing in the west as Stein has three Eastern Conference teams ranked ahead of the Lakers. While a title is not won in December, the Lakers are showing many signs that this team will finish much stronger and with a much more significant role in the playoffs this season.

St. Mary’s College out of the WCC, Makes Their Top 25 Debut

Aussie Aussie Aussie!

(Originally written Dec 10, 2007)
The Mid-Majors in college basketball have been slowly gaining steam as a whole. They have been closing the gap between themselves and major conference teams with the most notable performance in the NCAA tournament of late from George Mason who advanced to the final four two seasons ago. In college football the same can be said of the parity that continues to grow and the discrepancy closing between the top and bottom teams. Appalachian State starts off the college football year shocking Michigan in their own Big House. The Kansas Jayhawks, most known as a basketball school, earns a BCS bid after a one-loss season, and upset after upset of top 10 teams losing to a handful of unranked opponents throughout the season never stopped, as West Virginia become the final victim in losing to unranked Pitt.

Brennan Says Aloha Heisman

(Originally written Dec 7th, 2007)
With the Heisman finalists announced, it’s only fitting to break down the merits and credentials of each of the four players selected. Save for the fact the award is more so the best offensive player, or just usually best quarterback in America, and that Dennis Dixon should get every vote as the first write-in candidate Heisman winner, this award has become so much about media perception and hype that an alternative view that looks deep into the statistics that so many writers base their vote on is undoubtedly necessary.

A Playoff is Still Just a Wasted Wish this Black Monday

(Originally written Dec 3rd, 2007)
How quickly anything written on Mizzou and West Virginia becomes a moot point over the course of yet again another unpredictable Saturday of college football. With the constant shuffling of top teams throughout the year, it became almost meaningless the amount of time spent by so-called college football experts and pundits, forecasting and predicting who would ultimately end up as the top two BCS teams.

Hey Chase Daniel, who wouldn’t you want to play in a playoff?

(Originally written Nov 25th, 2007)
I understand that a playoff system is not coming to college football, and that losing to those Palo Alto trees of Stanford should disqualify you from any playoff if it did exist, but if you asked Chase Daniel, Rich Rodriguez, or Beanie Wells, which team you would not want play in an elimination game, would USC not be first or second on every one of those lists?

Have Daniel put in game film of Rudy Carpenter getting bloodied up on Thanksgiving evening. The Sun Devil offensive line was thankful USC is not on their schedule again this year and I’m sure Daniel likes a potential match-up with West Virginia much more than one with Pete Carroll’s defense stocked with guys possessing the athleticism to play on Sundays. While Gary Pinkel might say otherwise because of the dynamic spread option attack of Slaton and White, I bet Chase Daniel would look forward to a game with the Mountaineers over one with the Trojans, unless of course the Sooners have anything to say about that.
___

It’s a shame we won’t get the opportunity to see USC, Georgia, or even Hawaii in a playoff because this year’s winner will not be the consensus Florida team that everyone truly believed was the nation’s best team last year.