MAY 13, 2008 -- Yes, it's hard to believe that it's
been 10 years since the Bowl Championship Series was foisted upon the
unsuspecting college football fan base. And what fun have we had!
Just about every other year, there was a dispute
and controversy. In 2001, it was Nebraska over Oregon and Colorado. In
2003, it was USC getting left out and a split championship. In 2004,
it was Auburn's turn. In 2006 and 2007, nobody was quite sure who the
real champion was -- except we knew it wasn't Ohio State.
In the years that the BCS got it "right," ...
well, hell, did we really need a "system" to grant us such pleasure?
Was there any doubt that USC should've played Texas in 2005 and Ohio
State vs. Miami in 2002?
Every few years, the standings were tweaked to fix
the previous season's mistakes. Then inevitably, a new problem cropped
up. The current setup has remained stable for four seasons --
presumably because so far it's been the least offensive of all the
cockamamie schemes.
Since we're stuck with this until at least 2013,
and most likely, well after a man lands on Mars, peace reigns in the
Middle East and the Los Angeles Clippers win the NBA title, we need to
settle in for the long haul. And since we can't do anything about it
right now, we should look back at the history of the BCS era, to see
what we might learn from it.
Beginning in June, and all the way until the 2008
season kicks off on Aug. 28, the Guru will present an annual review of
the BCS Decade that began in 1998. We'll look at what happened, what
could've happened and what should've happened. We won't solve
anything, but we'll leave you entertained and enthralled and for some
of you, rue for what might have been.
APRIL 30, 2008 -- So the head honchos who run college football
went to Hollywood (Florida, that is) and, after a few days in the
sun and too many pina coladas, they reached this shocking conclusion:
The BCS is beautiful as it is. Why mess with it?
With that, the Guru breathes a huge sigh of relief,
knowing that I won't have to fold up shop after the 2009 season. Heck,
the way this meeting went, I should be able to count on lots of buffo
business well into my retirement. (Don't worry, I'll just mobile in my
blogs from Lanikai -- if "mobile" and "blogs" are still relevant in
2030).
But rather than offering a typical
ESPN-esque explanation as to why the BCS conferences -- with input
from the smaller ones and Notre Dame -- opted for conservatism over
revolution, the Guru considered the issues more deeply. And the
reality is so much more than the powers-that-be's allergy to any sort
of playoff talk.
The only alternative on the table, presented by SEC
commissioner Mike Slive, was rejected out of hand. The problem with
his "plus-one" model was not so much that it resembled a playoff, but
because its existence would threaten the financial well-being of some
of his fellow travelers.
While it was well-known that the Big Ten and Pac-10
passionately opposed any alterations to the current format, the Big 12
broke its silence and threw its weight behind the status quo. And you
can add the Big East to the mix as well. That makes four out of six
BCS conferences. Slive's proposal was DOA before the first drink was
poured.
The Big Ten and the Pac-10 want to keep their
lucrative Rose Bowl deal in tact, and any sort of a "playoff" would
jeopardize that. The Big Ten-Pac-10-Rose Bowl triumvirate worked very
hard to keep their little cartel going -- they reluctantly joined the
BCS after spurning the Bowl Coalition and Bowl Alliance, and they
extracted a lot of concessions when they finally entered the
arrangement. Last year's USC-Illinois farce in the Rose Bowl was all
you need to know about their protectionism.
Besides, the current system works out just fine for
the two conferences. A team from either conference has played in the
BCS championship game in five of the last six years -- and the year
they didn't, USC won the AP title anyway. The Big Ten
especially has been fat and happy, placing two teams in BCS bowls
in five of the last six seasons, far more than any other conference.
For these guys, the system is working like a charm.
The Big 12 has different issues. Although a
football power, the Big 12 is a distant fourth wheel in the BCS
structure, behind the Big Ten, Pac-10 and SEC. Aside from the
University of Texas, none of the member schools is a strong draw in a
big media market. So the BCS cash is critical. The current system
works fine for the Big 12, too, as it's played in half of the 10
championship games in the BCS era.
That leaves Slive barking up the wrong tree. The
SEC is pressing the "plus-one" because it is the most insecure
conference about the current system and probably has the most
grievance against it. Without a couple of huge upsets -- USC to UCLA
in 2006, West Virginia to Pittsburgh in 2007 -- plus a
computer-generated escape by LSU in 2003, the SEC would've been shut
out of the BCS title game the last nine seasons.
As the strongest conference, in terms of balance,
the SEC has more to worry from fratricide under the current regime
than it would in a four-team format. In the latter scenario, the SEC
will almost always be assured of a spot in the football version of the
Final Four; and it would be content to let its representative(s) play
their way to the championship.
So the plus-four died a swift death not so much
because the P-word is malodorous, but because it potentially could
hinder some very cozy relationships and access to fast cash. The
smaller conferences and Notre Dame, with no chance of playing for the
national championship (and I write this with a straight face) but with
low thresholds to qualify for a BCS bowl and thus, a big-time payout,
also want to leave well enough alone.
It's just as well. Slive's proposal was highly
flawed anyway. It was no improvement over the current system and
would've invited no less controversy. For example, in last year's
scenario, Ohio State would've faced Oklahoma in one semifinal and LSU
against Virginia Tech in another. More deserving teams such as USC and
Georgia would've been shut out anyway and you'd still had the LSU-Ohio
State championship game -- only now it'd take two weeks to reach the
same mess. Why bother?
Since the BCS is all about the jack, we should just
recognize that until someone can come up with a system that can
guarantee more dough to more people, then we've reached an impasse.
Don't forget that the "national championship" is a mere illusion and
in this industry it's only incidental to the big picture.
We're not here to crown a champion. We're here to
stuff our wallets. That's why this thing is called the Bowl Cash
Series.
FEB. 12, 2008 -- The 2007 season
has not been kind to Charlie Weis. He has endured just about every
humiliation imaginable.
First, he lost a very public trial on a questionable medical
malpractice suit. Then, his Notre Dame team failed to score an
offensive touchdown until leafs started to turn. The Irish began the
season 1-9, including an ignominious loss to Navy that ended a 43-year
ND winning streak against the academy. Weis' squad finished 3-9
(thanks to wins over brainiacs Duke and Stanford) with the nation's
bottom-ranked offense.
So for 2008, Weis has no place to go but up, right?
How about starting No. 1?
While we have
lambasted Weis when he deserved it, we also will bestow him credit
when it's due. Weis and his assistants put together the best
recruiting class of the year that mostly concluded on National Signing
Day last week. This does not necessarily augur better days ahead for
Notre Dame -- as these players still need to be coached -- but it's a
good place to start.
So here are the Guru's Top 10 recruiting classes, giving equal
consideration to quality and quantity:
1. Notre Dame -- Weis' haul of 23 players included
four five-star players, whom he hopes to be the foundation of a
renaissance, though that's at least a year or two away. Dayne Crist
(Sherman Oaks Notre Dame HS), was among the best quarterbacks in the
country and may give last year's prized signee and fellow Californian,
Jimmy Clausen, some competition. WR Michael Floyd and TE Kyle Rudolph
are also rated among the best at their respective positions. Weis
bagged most of his recruits early, well before the disastrous 2007
season began and suffered no defections. And as is the norm with Notre
Dame, this is a national class with players from 18 different states.
2. Alabama -- Like Weis, coach Nike Saban was in
desperate need of good news after a dismal 7-6 season punctuated by a
late collapse. In his first full recruiting season at 'Bama, Saban
signed 32 players, including three rated as five-star prospects. A
flurry of late signings helped boost the Crimison Tide's ranking, the
most important being Julio Jones, the consensus top wide receiver in
this class. Saban was able to fend off Florida and Florida State to
keep the Foley HS star in state. Two other Alabama natives, LB Jerrell
Harris and WR Marcel Dareus, also decided to stay home on signing day.
Saban managed to keep in-house the best Alabama high school crops of
recent vintage, including OT Tyler Love.
3. USC -- This is just another case of embarrassment
of riches piling up at Troy. Pete Carroll only signed 19, but has as
many five-star recruits as anyone. The Trojans shored up attrition on
the offensive line by signing two of the top-ranked players at that
position, Matt Kalil and Tyron Smith. Carroll also finished with a
late surge, snatching DE Nick Perry (Detroit King HS) from Michigan
and Michigan State, and CB T.J. Bryant (Tallahassee Lincoln HS) out
from under Bobby Bowden and other SEC suitors. Besides the occasional
forays across the country, USC as usual kept the best homegrown
talent, signing 12 SoCal recruits, including TE Blake Ayles.
4. Georgia -- Coming off an 11-2 season culminated in
a rout of Hawaii in the Sugar Bowl, the Bulldogs have a lot to look
forward to in 2008. And Mark Richt did most of his work in 2007, with
all but OT A.J. Harmon in the class of 23 committing before the bowl
game. Georgia got a pair of skill position aces in WR A.J. Green and
RB Richard Samuel. The Bulldogs didn't have to go very far for this
recruiting bonanza, with 16 in-state recruits and the rest from
neighboring states, including the class' top-rated kicker, Blair
Walsh.
5. Ohio State -- Jim Tressel's class of 19 may get
even better, as Ohio State is still waiting word from QB Terrelle
Pryor, the top-rated recruit in this year's class. Even without Pryor,
the Buckeyes hauled in a top-notch group that includes some of the
nation's best linemen, including C Michael Brewster and T Mike Adams.
Ohio State loaded up on defense but the class' one weakness is its
dearth of skill position players. WR DeVier Posey is a good get, the
question is, would he be catching passes from Pryor in a year or two?
6. Florida -- Coming off a shellacking at the hands
of Michigan in the CapitalOne Bowl, Urban Meyer knew he needed to get
Tim Tebow some help and also address the holes on a porous defense.
Done and done. The Gators' class of 22 features some of the nation's
top receivers, especially JC transfer Carl Moore from Sierra College
in Rocklin, Calif. Moore's recruitment landed Meyer in hot water as an
investigation ensued as to whether Meyer induced Moore to come to
Gainesville by getting his girlfriend a gymnastics scholarship at
Florida. Meyer, who fended off a strong late push from USC and Cal for
Moore, eventually was cleared.
7. Oklahoma -- Another great regular season, another
BCS bowl humiliation. For the third time in four years, the Sooners
lost in a BCS bowl, this time a blowout to a coachless West Virginia
team. So what does Bob Stoops do? He reloads. OU once again outmuscled
Texas for some of the best recruits in the Lone Star State, getting
more than half of its class of 21 south of the Red River. And it's not
just quantity: The Sooners' top recruits are all Texans, including
Justin Johnson and Jermie Calhoun, both among the top five running
backs in the country.
8. Michigan -- Rich Rodriguez might've showed up
late, but he didn't miss a beat. The Wolverines signed a class of 24,
saving one scholarship for Pryor, who is trying to decide among
Michigan, Ohio State and Penn State. Michigan made a late charge to
vault into the top 10, signing eight players in the waning days before
National Signing Day. Rodriguez kept most of Lloyd Carr's commitments
and stole a couple from Big Ten rivals, including RB Michael Shaw from
Penn State. Now if Pryor does decide to come to Ann Arbor, then
Michigan will have a top-five class. Pryor has until April 1 to make
his decision.
9. Miami (Fla.) -- Randy Shannon signed a whopping 33
players, finishing with a bang by getting five players to commit on
National Signing Day, the biggest get being CB Brandon Harris (Miami
Booker T. Washington HS), right in his backyard. Shannon and his staff
didn't have to go far to get most of his recruits, with 23 of his
signees being from Florida. The major weakness of this class is its
lack of quality quarterbacks and running backs, as the Hurricanes have
struggled mightily on offense in recent years.
10. LSU -- The defending BCS champion did well to
preserve a spot in the top 10, though the Tigers owed their ranking
more to quantity than quality. LSU did get one superstar in CB Patrick
Johnson out of Pompano Beach, Fla., but the rest of the class of 26 is
not laden with stars. Perhaps Les Miles' fling with Michigan caused
some anxiety on the part of the recruits, but LSU didn't exactly reap
any immediate benefits after winning the BCS championship. The Tigers
got just three commitments after routing Ohio State in the title game.
JAN, 25, 2008 -- Change is not
always good and not all changes are equal.
Just because 15 percent of Division I-A teams hired new coaches, it
doesn't mean they'll all enjoy success in due time. In fact, some
programs are doomed to fail (again) while others are investing in a
leap of faith in unfamiliar faces.
Of 120 Division I-A schools, 18 will begin the 2008 season with a
different leading man from the ones they started 2007. We'll look
these new hires, assess their prospects, and of course, list them
according to the grades they received, from the best to worst:
SOUTHERN METHODIST -- June Jones > Phil Bennett: For
a moribund program that's not recovered from being the only recipient
of the NCAA death penalty, this was quite a coup. Its search process
had been futile and rightfully ridiculed, yet SMU's patience paid off
at the end. Jones might not re-enact the glory days of Pony Express,
but given the school's location and resources, the Mustangs have the
potential to be a non-BCS powerhouse. A+
MISSISSIPPI -- Houston Nutt > Ed Orgeron: Firing
Coach O wasn't that hard of a decision -- the former USC assistant was
a spectacular flop. Getting Nutt, though, makes it all the better for
Ole Miss. Here's a very successful coach for various reasons got run
out of Arkansas, now he'll have a chance to restore a floundering
Rebels program, perhaps at the expense of his alma mater. A
NEBRASKA -- Bo Pelini > Bill Callahan: If there was
ever a case of addition by subtraction, this was it. Nebraska earns a
good grade by simply getting rid of Callahan, who was ill-suited for
the job from Day One. Hiring the defensive coordinator of BCS champion
LSU makes it even better. The days of the Black Skirts giving up 70
points per game are probably numbered. A
MICHIGAN -- Lloyd Carr > Rich Rodriguez: This hire
would've probably scored better if not for the post-hiring
grudge match between West Virginia and Rodriguez's camp. Michigan
fumbled the chance to get LSU's Les Miles, yet at the end it ended up
with the best young coach in the country. Now if the Wolverines can
convince Terrelle Pryor to come to Ann Arbor ... look out! A-
UCLA -- Rick Neuheisel > Karl Dorrell: Make no
mistake, this was a great hire. Neuheisel, an alum who cut his
coaching teeth under former Bruins head man Terry Donahue, is the only
one UCLA could've hired that might put a little scare in the crosstown
Trojan Empire. He's already made great choices in coordinators with
the retention of DeWayne Walker and addition of Norm Chow. Don't worry
about all the NCAA stuff, that's ancient history. A-
GEORGIA TECH -- Paul Johnson > Chan Gailey: There was
really nothing left for Johnson to accomplish at Navy, really. Now
he'll find out whether a variation of his option attack can work in a
BCS conference. Johnson knows the area, having been the head coach at
Georgia Southern before joining the Naval Academy. The question is,
can he get the right kind of athletes to run his system. B+
NORTHERN ILLINOIS -- Jerry Kill > Joe Novak: Northern
Illinois raided its in-state neighbor for this hire. Kill moves up
literally (from Southern Illinois) and figuratively (from I-AA) to a
program that's a powerhouse in MAC. Before going 2-10 in 2007, Novak
had led the Huskies to seven straight winning seasons and two bowl
appearances. B+
ARKANSAS -- Bobby Petrino > Houston Nutt: If you can
somehow separate Petrino the coach from Petrino the man, this would've
been a grade A hire. Unfortunately, Petrino came with so much baggage
that it must be considered. How long will it take before he casts a
wandering eye elsewhere? At the end of the 2008 season, in the middle
of the 2008 season? And can you really take his word for anything? His
history says no. B
BAYLOR -- Art Briles > Guy Morriss: Baylor was the
12th and last entry into the Big 12, and often times it really doesn't
act/play like a BCS conference team. Briles will have to work
near-miracles to turn around the fortunes of Baylor, which has had 12
straight losing seasons. The situation is so dire that the school's
most illustrious alum, Mike Singletary, turned down the job. B
HOUSTON -- Kevin Sumlin > Art Briles: Of all the
off-season new hires, the Cougars are the only one who landed a black
coach, the eighth among 120 Division I-A teams. Sumlin earned valuable
experience under the tutelage of Bob Stoops at Oklahoma and this past
season helped develop freshman quarterback Sam Bradford. Houston,
given its location in a recruit-rich area, has the potential to become
a non-BCS powerhouse, much like SMU. B
NAVY -- Ken Niumatalolo > Paul Johnson: The Naval
Academy was probably pretty well prepared for Johnson's eventual
departure -- for the past 2-3 years it was just a matter of when.
Niumatalolo is very familiar with the system and is well regarded by
his players, and he's aware Johnson set the bar very high. He also
becomes the first Division I-A coach of Samoan descent. B
TEXAS A&M -- Mike Sherman > Dennis Franchione: A
former pro coach returning to the college ranks, hmmm, we've heard
this before. But Sherman has had a long association with A&M,
including a two-part, seven-year stint as an assistant for R.C.
Slocum. Franchione did most everything wrong in the eyes of the Aggies,
but he did manage to beat Texas a few times. Sherman will have to be
even better than that. B
WASHINGTON STATE -- Paul Wulff > Bill Doba: WSU toyed
around with the idea of luring back former coach Mike Price, but
decided on a youth movement, hiring alum Wulff away from Eastern
Washington. The Cougars are having an increasingly tough time
competing in the Pac-10 as salaries for coaches escalated over the
past 10 years. With a base package at around $500,000, Wulff will be
the lowest paid head coach in the conference. B-
DUKE -- David Cutcliff > Ted Roof: Coach K almost
openly advocated disbanding of the football team. And he had a good
point: If Duke isn't trying to be the best, why bother? The
administration decided not to scrap the program and hired Cutcliff
away from Tennessee. He did well as the head coach at Ole Miss and did
not get a fair shake there (the Rebels got what they deserved in
Orgeron). But the Duke job has proved a career killer for everyone not
named Steve Spurrier. C+
WEST VIRGINIA -- Bill Stewart > Rich Rodriguez:
Hiring an interim coach based on a knee-jerk reaction is never a good
idea, and this fits the bill to a T. WVU was busy dumping on Rodriguez
and sleepwalking through the process of hiring his replacement.
Stewart did well in retaining defensive coordinator Jeff Casteel,
otherwise the situation would've been an unmitigated disaster. Rest
assured the Mountaineers' days as a BCS powerhouse are numbered.
C+
COLORADO STATE -- Steve Fairchild > Sunny Lubick:
After being away from the college game for seven years, the former CSU
quarterback returns to coach his alma mater. Lubick had built a
respectable program in Fort Collins over the past 15 seasons, though
over the last four seasons the Rams have been in decline, culminating
in his firing at the end of a 3-9 campaign. Fairchild inherits an
unstable situation with not a lot to work with. C
SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI -- Larry Fedora > Jeff Bower: Of
all the post-season firings/involuntary resignations, this one takes
the cake. Just what exactly did Bower do wrong? Was it the 14
consecutive winning seasons? Was it the 10 bowl appearances in the
last 11? Well, it must be that the Golden Eagles haven't won a
national championship! Talk about not realizing that you have a good
thing going. And this takes nothing away from Fedora, who may prove
himself to be a fine coach. C-
HAWAI'I -- Greg McMackin > June Jones: No offense to
McMackin, because someone has to be named coach, but just how did
Hawai'i let Jones get away? This guy left the NFL to come to one of
the most decrepit Division I-A programs in all of college football.
Before Jones took over, the Rainbows were 0-12. When he left, the
Warriors were 12-1 with a BCS bowl berth. But in the meantime, almost
nothing has changed with UH's broken down facilities. No wonder AD
Herman Frazier got canned the very next day. F
Time to get away? Going to see a game? Flights,
Hotels,
Cruises,
Car
Rentals, complete
Vacation Packages ... let us take you there! Let your "football
widow" know you haven't forgotten her. ...
Send her some
Flowers!
Premium
