New Year's Day Football Just Ain't What It Used To Be

Now that we are heading into the final week of the regular season for most college football teams, attention turns to the jockeying for post-season bowl slots. While stirring up my own memories of watching bowl games as a kid, it prompted me to do some homework. The research unearthed some very interesting facts. The following bullet points were found on Wikipedia. So I really didn’t have to dig too far, nor too hard. Nonetheless, from a historical perspective, I think you’ll find some of this pretty amazing.

 The first bowl game was the Rose Bowl game. The Tournament of Roses sponsored a game in 1916, but it wasn’t until 1923 that the game bearing the title we all have come to know was born. Thus, “the Grand-daddy of them all.”
 By 1930 the Rose Bowl was still the only post-season college bowl game
 By 1940 there were four games—Rose, Sugar, Orange and Cotton
 1950 saw a growth to eight bowl games and that held true through 1960
 By 1970 the bowl count increased to just 11 games
 1980 shows 15 bowl games and by 1990 the bowls expanded to 19
 The new millennium began with a major bump to 25 bowl games
 Today there are 34 post-season bowl games (yes, not a misprint)

As legend goes, bowl games surrounding New Year’s Day were brought about in areas of the country to promote tourism in warm weather climates. Due to long distance travel for many cold weather fans that followed their teams, building the games around holiday time made sense. Until some time in the 1950’s all games were, in fact, on January 1st.

Today, with 68 teams needed to fill the 34 bowl slots, the prestige of going to a bowl isn’t quite what it used to be. After all, there are 120 Division I college football teams, with over half of them going to a bowl. Bowl teams were a very exclusive group in the old days. As the number began to climb, there was still a very strong feeling of achievement and prestige associated with earning a bowl berth. Even as recent as 1990 only 38 teams advanced to fill the 19 bowl games. Now, the whole concept is a bit watered down. Whereas it once required being a conference champion, or a strong runner-up or third place finisher to play in a bowl game, we now have minimum qualifiers with a 6-6 overall record and bottom half of the league finish.

I guess it depends on what you call “near the holiday”, but I am not quite sure how the model of building bowl games around holiday travel fits the very early start of this year’s bowl season. Both the New Mexico and St. Petersburg bowls play on Dec. 19th. Does “made for TV” ring a bell for you here? Of course it does. ESPN owns both of these bowl games along with several others which are played prior to Christmas. ESPN plugs these games into their programming schedule helping whet the appetite for upcoming bowls that carry a little more cachet.

The bowl schedule stretches all the way to the BCS title game on Jan. 7th. Of the original four bowls, only the Rose and Sugar will be played on their traditional New Year’s Day. The Orange Bowl is Jan. 5th. On Jan. 6th, guess who fills the void between the Orange and the BCS title game two days later; come on, take a shot…the GMAC Bowl in Mobile, of course!

As many a player and coach will tell you, there is no bad bowl game because it beats the alternative of not going at all. The post-season game provides another 12-20 practice opportunities to develop younger players, it gives alumni and fans one more game to anticipate and enjoy, and it is important for coaches to be able to speak of bowl games and national TV appearances to potential recruits.

Through the 1970s and even up into the early '90s there were a whole lot more teams sitting at home watching the smaller select group who got to play on or about New Year’s Day. Today, if you are one of the 52 Division I schools not going to a bowl game, there’s a lot of pain sitting at home watching more than half of your associates still playing ball.

SIGHTS & SOUNDS OF COLLEGE FB WEEK #11

After this past college football weekend there was no change within the top eight Bowl Championship Series (BCS) rankings. Florida continues to lead fellow unbeatens Alabama, Texas, Cincinnati, TCU, and Boise St. One loss Georgia Tech and two-loss LSU are seventh and eighth, respectively.

As noted here before, despite not posting pinball game-like offensive numbers, the Gators just continue to win. Being the defending national champ and going 10-0 to this point is no small feat. Florida must subscribe to the old mantra made famous by the eccentric owner/general manager of the Oakland Raiders, Al Davis. Back in their 60’s & 70’s hay-days--“Just Win Baby” was the battle cry echoed by Davis and others among the Black & Silver. A side note, also forever part of their official logo is the tagline “Commitment to Excellence.” Unfortunately, the Raiders have not fulfilled that commitment in recent years.

SIGHTS It was great to see the Stanford Cardinal continue their magical ascent (see last week’s posting below) literally bowling over USC, 55-21 in the LA Coliseum. In doing so, Stanford scored the most points EVER recorded against a Trojan team. The Cardinal has come out of no-where to achieve a #14 BCS ranking. But, Oregon, who has two losses and was a victim of the Cardinal just a week ago, is ranked #11...make sense? Uh, no.

SIGHTS Purple-clad TCU Horned Frogs faithful armed with one of those long telephone pole-like timbers we used to see in the ancient history movies, as they storm the door to the BCS castle. The Horny Toads dismantled their nearest competition, the Utah Utes 55-28, and made them look more like "the two Utes" from the movie, "My Cousin Vinnie". TCU is doing all they can to impress voters and overcome their non-BCS conference handicap.

SOUNDS A loud collective, “Aw, darn it”, from the salt of the earth Iowa fans. Their magical quest for a Big Ten title was still alive late in their game at Ohio State’s famous “Horse Shoe.” The Hawkeyes had already written multiple feel-good chapters in their nine-win season heading into Columbus. Now, with their starting quarterback sidelined with an injury, and a red-shirt freshman from Radar O’Reilly’s fictitious hometown of Keokuk, Iowa at the helm, Iowa trailed the Buckeyes by seven in the waning minutes. Then Lady Luck made another appearance. On their game-tying drive James Vandenberg, the rookie signal-caller, threw a screen pass right into the hands of a Buckeye linebacker who promptly scooted 20+ yards for what looked like the deal-sealer. But, an off-sides penalty against OSU negated the play. Fast forward just a few plays in the same drive—Vandenberg throws a pass intended for star tight end Tony Moeaki deep along the right sideline. Ohio State’s cornerback makes a perfect play defending, goes up to catch the ball, and the gift-wrapped deflection falls into the welcome hands of Moeaki for a startling big play. Iowa, by virtue of these two breaks, goes on to tie the score, only to lose a heart-breaker in overtime. Whew, and we thought having to block two consecutive field goal attempts to beat D-I-AA Northern Iowa was lucky. This one would have topped that.

SOUNDS The grinding process of our brains. Just like the thought process that tells us there is not a truly dominant football team this year, the same is true for the Heisman Trophy race. The early front-runners—QBs Tim Tebow and Colt McCoy are still alive. Oklahoma’s Sam Bradford has been driven to the sidelines with upcoming shoulder surgery. Alabama’s RB Mark Ingram began making a move in October and lately Clemson’s talented C.J. Spiller, who has caused a few opponents’ hearts to skip a beat with his big play ability as a runner and return man, is making a recent charge. Houston QB Case Keenum is putting up ridiculous numbers, but his Cougars have been upset twice—by UTEP and UCF. It’s hard to get enough Heisman votes losing to those schools. Then we have the surging Toby Gerhart, face of the Stanford power running game, who has helped lift the Cardinal onto the national stage.

I can’t honestly make a decision until all regular season games are completed. In recent years, because of wide-open passing attacks and spread offenses that allow the QB to produce eye-popping numbers, it has become a quarterback-dominated award. On some level I would like to see another position get it, but only if deserving, of course. Seeing incredible offensive production numbers by QBs has become almost all too common. I get the same feeling as when watching MLB’s Home Run Derby. Maybe you are like me in finding yourself ooing and ahhing for the first few long blasts, then after a while it’s a little more ho-hum. It’s the same thing with routine QB total yardage numbers.

IN OTHER SPORTING NEWS—It’s becoming increasingly clear that some of our talking heads on football broadcasts, especially a few of the “analysts”, are wannabees. Wannabee what you ask? I am not sure, perhaps corporate execs. Over this past weekend I heard three different broadcasters refer to a certain player’s “skill set.” Wait a minute, are we talking about a football player or about the next administrative assistant you need to hire? There’s no need to bring lingo better suited for a Fortune 500 company’s Human Resources department into football. The old coaching acronym—KISS—Keep It Simple Stupid—applies here. Let’s not try to be something we are not.

Lastly, has anyone noticed the terrible hair color/dye job Pat Sajak is sporting on Wheel of Fortune? Come on, keep it real, Pat.

College FB Radar Picks Up Stanford

It's really a shame that our great country is so vast that it spans three time zones. For the most part, people east of the Mississippi River aren't aware of what is happening in the PAC-10 Conference. The school that is home to some of the brightest minds on any college campus, and has football lore that includes Coach Bill Walsh and great QBs like John Elway and Jim Plunkett to name just two, has now shown up on the national college football radar.

Do you remember two weeks ago when Oregon humiliated USC, 47-20? Oregon rose to #7 in the national rankings...until they ran into the new bully on the block, the Stanford Cardinal. Stanford rolled to an impressive 51-42 win last Saturday, thus becoming bowl eligible and bumping them into the national rankings for the first time since 2001. Some of you unfamiliar with the nickname might ask, "isn't it cardinals, like the bird?" No, it's the color. It's a long story, but years ago they were the Indians. Then came the sensitivity issue and they went from Indians to the color of their jerseys--AND their mascot is now a tree. So, they've got that going for them.

Seriously, what they really have going for them is a rising star for a head coach, the nation's toughest running back, and a rookie QB who could rank with the all-time Stanford bests when he is all finished. Stanford's athletics director, Bob Bowlsby, did a little outside the box thinking when he hired Jim Harbaugh as head coach three years ago. Harbaugh is, in fact, that same guy who starred at Michigan as a quarterback for Bo Schembechler, finished third in the Heisman after being Player of the Year in the Big Ten, and was taken in the first round of the NFL draft by the Bears. Harbaugh built a name for himself over his 15-year pro career as a fiery competitor, great leader, and someone who found a way to win. He's doing exactly that in Palo Alto.

The Cardinal boss cut his head coaching teeth at a non-scholarship Division I-AA school--the University of San Diego--for three years. He posted a shiny 29-6 mark and then was offered the chance to rebuild the Cardinal program. In his first year, 2007, Stanford knocked off USC in the LA Coliseum and also defeated co-conference champ Cal. The solid foundation continued to be built last year as the Cardinal played a better brand of football and came up just shy of a bowl opportunity. This year Stanford has taken on even more of their coach's personality and are playing great football, proven by last week's upset of previously ranked #7 Oregon.

Given a rich history in throwing the football, it's a wonder what Harbaugh is doing with his offense. Running back Toby Gerhart is #2 in the nation with 1,217 yards and a 135 yds/game average. He's a 6'1, 235 combination of power and agility. Who knew a school known for academics also could get big, tough kids up front to block for him? Gerhart is such a good athlete that he is a starter in the outfield for the Stanford baseball team that went to last year's College World Series and he was 12-12 in stolen bases.

Harbaugh's offense is extremely well-balanced rushing for 211 yds/game and passing for 232. They have produced over 500 total yards in each of their last three games. The person passing the football so well is a young guy. Andrew Luck, a red-shirt freshman and son of former University of West Virginia star and Houston Oiler quarterback Oliver Luck, is playing like a poised veteran. With Luck's talent and Harbaugh's coaching, young Mr. Luck is #1 in the PAC-10 in passing efficiency and #9 in the nation. Luck has thrown only three INTs all year versus his 11 TD passes. He's mobile enough to carry the ball, too, boasting a 5.2 yard rushing average on 44 attempts.

The Cardinal now sits at 6-3 overall and 5-2 in the conference. This weekend they have another opportunity to provide for great Monday morning coffee shop talk when they travel to USC. Sure, the Trojans will remember what took place two years ago when the upstart Cardinal shocked them in the game's waning seconds. But this is a more mature, more physical, and far mentally tougher group than what Harbaugh had in his inaugural season "on The Farm."

Playing with the confidence, energy and swagger of their head coach, let's see if the Cardinal can prove last week's pinball scoring shootout with Oregon wasn't a fluke.

Two Big Gripes Surrounding World Series

The NY Yankees' Robinson Cano had just made the easy throw to first baseman Mark Teixeira for the final out, thus sewing up the 2009 World Series Championship. Yankee players and coaches emptied the bench in a sprint to rejoice with their teammates on the infield. But, as the FOX TV cameras tried to capture the joy of the human spirit and celebration, did you see something strange? I did.

Literally, less than 10 seconds into the start of the traditional team jumping up and down and piling on one another, here comes some non-athlete in a business suit. He rushes toward the players with an extended arm's length full of t-shirts. You know the t-shirts, the ones that you can buy so you, too, can wear the post-game celebratory shirt just like the pros? Right in the middle of congratulatory hugs between Mariano Rivera and Jorge Posada comes this bozo trying to toss the official garb for the players to display. Then you see another logo-pushing, entry level marketing character distributing the official championship hats. Lastly, and not nearly as prominent, was someone else with the faux newspaper, complete with headlines proclaiming the Yankees' 27th World Series title.

Can't we give these guys just a little bit of space to enjoy the moment, something they had worked towards since spring training in February. After 162 regular season games and a total of nine more post-season games, do they have to have their party crashed by people wanting to hawk MLB promotional material? What would happen if they waited for the team members to settle down just a little bit before presenting them with these things for the post-game press conference and trophy presentation...they wouldn't sell as many t-shirts and caps? Come on people. It's sad that genuine spontaneity and emotions have to yield to someone trying to make money off of such cherished moments.

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Having spent most of my life around athletics, it makes me sick to hear the vulgar chants that have become so commonplace at a lot of stadiums and basketball arenas around the country. Why do we have to have organized cheers by so-called fans that are strictly directed at demeaning the opponents? Weren't we taught some kind of sportsmanship at a younger, more impressionable age? Weren't we taught to cheer for our own team, support our team, and let the opponent's fans have the same opportunity? What happened to all of this shaking hands after youth sports competition...doesn't it carry through to adolescence, the teens, then adulthood?

You know the chant to which I am referring; you heard it in Philadelphia in each of the three WS games there..."Yankees Suc__...Yankees Suc__". Yankee fans are not saints, but they know baseball and they know how to best support their team. You didn't hear "Phillies Suc__...Phillies Suc__" in Yankee Stadium.

Most younger people who enjoy yelling this stuff have no idea from where the "S" word originated. Suffice it to say it that the term has sexual overtones--not exactly what we want to have our young people promoting in public, especially among other fellow numbskulls that they don't know.

It's senseless, classless, and shows absolutely no kind of support for their own team.

Along the same line of thinking, if we can get the young college basketball fans on campuses around the country to give up on their infamous chant of "Bullshi__, Bullshi__, Bullshi__" when they disagree with a referee's call, we'll be moving in the right direction.

If we don't get this corrected we can look forward to more generations of idiot fans. What do you say parents, school teachers, principals, and civic leaders...can we get that done? I hope so.

DUCKS' QUACK ATTACK VAULTS OREGON INTO TITLE TALK

Oregon's thrashing of USC 47-20 Saturday night proved that the Ducks are playing as good a brand of football as anyone in the country, thus further stoking the fire leading up to the Bowl Championship Series. The "Quack Attack" is much improved on defense and their offense made the Trojan defense look like a rag-tag group of non-scholarship players rather than the traditionally dominant defense on the west coast.

This leads to a very natural question--if Oregon runs the table and finishes 11-1, and Boise State, the yearly non-BCS Cinderella story, who topped the Ducks 19-8 in the season opener, finishes undefeated, will the Broncos be able to hold off Oregon in the BCS rankings and bowl game selections? Oregon is the highest ranked one-loss team in the Top Ten and they are climbing faster than a popular smash hit on Casey Kasem's 1970's top 40 countdown

This week's rankings have Boise State just .021 ahead of Oregon (.786 to .765). The Top 10 is: 1. Florida 2. Texas 3. Alabama 4. Iowa 5. Cincinnati 6. TCU 7. Boise St. 8. Oregon 9. LSU 10. Ga Tech.

There are four games remaining in the regular season for most teams. Some of the super conferences have a championship game, such as the Big 12, SEC, and ACC. But, neither Oregon nor Boise St. have to worry about that. The Ducks travel to Stanford, host Arizona St., go to Arizona and are home to Oregon St. The Broncos go to La Tech, play host to Idaho, head to Utah State and finish at home with Nevada.

With all of the wild ranking calculations and formulas in action, there is no doubt that strength of schedule helps Oregon. There is no clear-thinking, non-partisan college football person who can say that Boise State's schedule is anything close to Oregon. Oh, but wait...what about head to head? Boise proved they are the better team in the season opening game, 19-8, right? That's where I believe Oregon can be given "a mulligan", a do-over if you will, will you?

Oregon at Boise State the first weekend of September was, in essence, the Broncos bowl game. Yet, for Oregon it was just an opening game on the road with a brand new coaching staff. Because Boise just doesn't get BCS conference schools to take a road trip to Idaho, it was THE biggest game on the Bronco's schedule. It consumed everyone even remotely tied to the football program, the city of Boise, or anyone who had even passed through the state of Idaho.

Give them their due, Boise State played well enough to win that night. The Ducks' head coach, Chip Kelly, was taking the reins from long-time successful coach Mike Belotti, for the very first time. He had his new, hand-picked staff which was operating under game conditions together for the first time. Sure, the opening game was a big deal for them, too. After all every game is a big deal. But, for Kelly's program it was first time doing things his way. Everything from how they traveled, to what they ate on the plane, to what hotel they stayed in, what routine they had with meetings, meals and walk-throughs at the team's hotel leading up until kickoff. It may seem trite, but when a bunch of new coaches, and players who are getting used to new coaches, get together for a season opener on the road, there is more to winning than just playing the game. It's about knowing what to expect. Football coaches and players are creatures of habit. It's a game built on repetition after repetition. This trip was not routine; it was all new.

Unfortunately, there is no pre-season or exhibition game in college football. When you tee it up for the first game, it counts. This is especially tough for programs who have new staffs. The old adage that football teams make the most improvement between game one and game two is especially true for teams with new staffs. Oregon, rolling off seven straight wins in rebounding from that flat opening night, has done nothing but get better and better and better.

Just ask Pete Carroll and USC. They were never in the game. Oregon put the biggest whooping on the Trojans in the Carroll era. A defensive guru, Carroll's troops were completely overwhelmed as they yielded...get ready for this...613 yards!

Who knows where this all will lead; only the computer rankings know. One thing is for certain, all of this makes for great conversation as we head into the final one- third of the season.