Week 13: NCAA Ruminations (Open Letter Addition)

Just an interesting time to be a college football fan with so many stories around the country. I'm mailing in my thoughts with this week's ruminations, open letters to various programs around the world of college football.

Open letter to Alabama,

During the Saban years, you have built an enviable program. Stars abound at every skill position and giant, hulking lineman protect them and dismember your opposition.  It sucks for you that you happen to be in the same division in your conference as LSU, since LSU is dominating like no other team has since, well your 2009 squad. It's too bad you won't get the chance to play them to see who's best. Oh wait. You DID get that chance. And you lost.

Yet somehow, you've been anointed. It's unquestioned that you belong in the title game and the likely opponent will be none other than the same LSU Tigers that beat you in your own house. Many are saying this will be true even if the Tigers get beat by Georgia in the SEC Title game (in which you are not playing). Yes, the SEC could get three teams in the BCS because it would be very likely that LSU would fall no farther than 2 in the standings. Sham you say? They beat you and for that they get the privilege in playing in one more game. You lost to them and you get to sit back and watch. Reverse those rolls and see how you feel about it.

Obviously, you want another crack at the Tigers, but what will that mean for the rest of the NCAA football world. We will learn one of two things:

1) If you lose the rematch: that you are worse than LSU. We all ready knew that.
2) If you win: That you beat LSU on a neutral field while they beat you at home. What does that tell us?

And what happens if LSU suffers a key injury during the SEC title game? Yes, I know, that's football but still. I don't expect you to do anything about it but you should know - you are stinking this whole thing up.

Sincerely,

Ultimate



Open letter to Oklahoma State,

Iowa State?!?!? Really. All you had to do was beat Iowa State. Granted, you need to beat Oklahoma next week but all you had to do was BEAT FREAKIN IOWA STATE!

Sincerely,

Ultimate




Open letter to the Big East,

Your likely conference champion, Louisville, lost to Marshall and counts among its seven wins victories over Murray State and FIU. Please turn in your BCS slot immediately.

Sincerely,

Ultimate

Open letter to Florida,

I don't know if it would be possible to fire Muschamp after one season but if it is, consider the fact that there is simply no excuse for a team as loaded as the Gators to be so bad. And they are bad, real bad.

Sincerely,

Ultimate


Open letter to UVA,

It's cute how you try every year.

Sincerely,

Ultimate


Open letter to Clemson,

Why must you always be you?

Sincerely,

Ultimate


Open letter to Penn State (my most serious one,

Your team is made of of young men who had nothing to do with the scandal that has rocked your university. These young men showed great character in representing Penn State through three more widely publicized contests after the news broke and you fired Joe Paterno. That said, look at the Wisconsin game...the wheels came way off. Truthfully, if I was a betting man I'd venture that Jim Delaney wanted nothing more than a Wisconsin victory to ensure the Badgers, and not you, would be in the inaugural title game. This brings me to the point of my letter.

Again, we know the boys on your team had nothing to do with the alleged abuse. We know you've done a lot by making some quick and authoritative decisions regarding JoePa and the President of the university. Understanding all that, and understanding that it may not be fair to those young men on the team, my plea to you is to bag the post season. You need to close this chapter quickly and start anew. Sticking with the post game plan will only bring 5 to 6 more weeks of unnecessary attention to the program that is increasingly becoming a very ugly sister in this whole mess. Heck, Miami made the same call very early in the season. It's the least you can do.

Sincerely,

Ultimate

Week 13: Main Pool Update

Call it the sportchief show. One week after posting a pool best 15 points and distancing himself from the field, sportchief brings in a week's best 13 points (along with a few other players). This gives our leader a commanding 6 point edge going into next week's games (I'm not sure there will even be six games). That's bringing the big guns to battle! Well done sportschief!

At the other end of the scale sits...me. Ignoring the four players that didn't bother to show, I had five points - two worse than any other player even trying. Of course, one of mine was Virginia Tech so I'm still happy.

Best Pick Award
Everyone for going with USC. No one missed it.

Worst Pick
As bad as my whole week was, even I didn't go with Tulsa covering Houston, as did randomaxe, this week's worst pick winner.

BUCFP Special: Rivalry Saturday Preview

Bobby Petrino: (In my best  Judge Smails) "You sir! How DARE you kick a field goal with five minutes left during this thrashing! You...YOU will NEVER be a member at Bushwood!"

Yes, the Tigers answered one of the remaining two questions yesterday when it thoroughly thumped Arkansas. Now, question two is "Will they beat Georgia?"....yeah, they will.

Now, let's look at today's rivalry games (see if you can spot the theme. And allow me to borrow liberally from the style of Pete Fiutak)

1) Georgia @ Georgia Tech:
Al Czervik: Oh, this is the worst-looking hat I ever saw. What, when you buy a hat like this I bet you get a free bowl of soup, huh? Oh, it looks good on you though. 

Let's talk about Georgia for a second here. The Dawgs are the darlings of the national scene right  now, having ripped off nine straight wins after season opening losses to Boise State and South Carolina. ANyone really look at the nine wins? Coastal Carolina, the Mississippis (State and Ole), Tennesseee, Vandy, Florida, New Mexico State, Auburn, and Kentucky - not exactly a murderers row.

Let's talk about Georgia Tech here...well they aren't very good either. Mentally, the Jackets may have bought the farm (Al Groh is on staff after all), but struggling with Duke, as Georgia Tech did last week, is no true shame (heck, Virginia Tech did it). As usual, if Georgia Tech can get it's ground game going - sort of like South Carolina did when it had Lattimore (176 yards in that game), it is hard for anyone to stop.It all depends on the 1st quarter - if the Jackets get it going, the Dawgs will limp into their SEC title appearance beatdown. If they don't, the Dawgs will trot into their title appearance beatdown.

2) Ohio State @ Michigan
Al Czervik: Oh, this your wife, huh? A lovely lady. Hey baby, you must've been something before electricity. 


The Wolverines have two losses this year - both on the road. The Buckeyes have five losses - three of those on the road. Neither team is very good but somehow this game is meaningful because Michigan, by virtue of being Michigan, is still considered a candidate for an at large BCS bid (especially, since it is locked out of the Big 10 title game).

This one is all Michigan - a perfect set-up for Ohio State to get on its knees and beg Urban Meyer to come lead the way. ANd then, Michigan will lose this game a lot once again.

3) Virginia Tech @ Virginia
Judge Smails: I've sentenced boys younger than you to the gas chamber. Didn't want to do it. I felt I owed it to them. 

Yes, Virginia, you are riding high on a four game winning streak (over Miami, Maryland, Duke, and Florida State). yes, the FSU win was a good one - first victory for you in Tally ever! Mike London is righting the ship and, scarily for this Virginia Tech fan, making in-roads back into the recruiting hotbed of Southeast VA that has fed the Hokies program for 20 years. Still, there's a problem for you...

the stench of the Al Groh years...it's like cat urine - it simply doesn't go away without a lot of time and effort. You've lost every year since 2003. You've been outscored...a lot. Virginia Tech still, remarkably, has an outside shot a the big time...it has a lot to play for. Normally, this would mean the Hokies falter but no, not this time, not against you. Sorry - but fear not - the taste of this defeat will propel you and, perhaps, next year, you can bring in a whole new set of Berber carpets, rip out those Groh-infested things, and get a new lease on life.

4) Oregon State @ Oregon
Carl Spackler: A looper, you know, a caddy, a looper, a jock. So, I tell them I'm a pro jock, and who do you think they give me? The Dalai Lama, himself. Twelfth son of the Lama. The flowing robes, the grace, bald... striking. So, I'm on the first tee with him. I give him the driver. He hauls off and whacks one - big hitter, the Lama - long, into a ten-thousand foot crevasse, right at the base of this glacier. Do you know what the Lama says? Gunga galunga... gunga, gunga-lagunga. So we finish the eighteenth and he's gonna stiff me. And I say, "Hey, Lama, hey, how about a little something, you know, for the effort, you know." And he says, "Oh, uh, there won't be any money, but when you die, on your deathbed, you will receive total consciousness." So I got that goin' for me, which is nice. 

I really don't know much about either of these programs except to say that they really, REALLY don't like each other and through the long history of their rivalry (dating back to the early 1900s) they are practically at 50/50. This is a toss up from that perspective. But the bookies tell us the Ducks are giving 27.5 - awful big line so late in the season and right after a deflating loss at home to USC. Hmmmm...

5) Alabama @ Auburn
Ty Webb: A flute without holes, is not a flute. A donut without a hole, is a Danish. 

The meeting between the two past national champs (and a potential contender for another grumble grumble...) It'd be nice if Auburn could rise up and put an end to the possibility of a rematch in the title game.

It'd be nice, but it won't happen.

6) Clemson @ South Carolina
Spalding Smails: I want a hamburger. No, cheeseburger. I want a hot dog. I want a milkshake. I want potato chips 
Judge Smails: You'll get nothing, and like it! 

It's be nice if Clemson could step up and give the ACC at least a shred of credibility.


It'd be nice, but it won't happen.

7) Notre Dame @ Stanford

Tony D'Annunzio: What do you got in here, rocks? 
Al Czervik: Are you kiddin'? When I was your age, I would lug fifty pounds of ice up five, six flights of stairs! 
Tony D'Annunzio: So what? 
Al Czervik: So what? 
Al Czervik: So let's dance! 

Maybe it's the post Thanksgiving food coma talking but I like the Irish's chances here.

8) UCLA @ USC

Al Czervik: Last time I saw a mouth like that, it had a hook in it. 

I wish I could care about this game, but I don't. That said, I did a little research. With only one exception this season, UCLA has followed every win with a loss. Last week, the Bruins beat Colorado. This is going to be ugly - BIG Trojan victory here.

Week 12: NCAA Ruminations

As noted in my previous post, I sit here writing this on Thanksgiving eve, and thus, the theme for this week's edition of Ruminations:

Things that Ultimate Bill is thankful for:

1) On January 3, 2002, Nebraska was way-laid by the Miami Hurricanes in the national title game, held at the Rose Bowl, 37-14, and that score was not indicative of how badly the Cornhuskers were beaten. Of course, that kind of result could have been predicted considering that Nebraska's game prior to the title game was a62-36 beat-down by the Colorado Buffs. Yes, Nebraska, despite not even winning its own conference. somehow merited a seat at the national title table. Well, given the outcry over that, I for one, am thankful that rules were put in place that made it necessary to at least win one's conference to have eligibility for the title ga....what's that? Excuse me just a minute folks....

Scratch that one...

2) I'm thankful that, despite losing to Michigan State and Iowa, Michigan is still considered to be one of the potential BCS-at large candidates because it's just awesome that the fact that the Wolverines, if they beat Ohio State, will benefit from NOT playing in the inaugural Big 10 title game, thereby avoiding that whole need to prove itself worthy of the bid.

Scratch that one too...

3) I'm thankful that I do not possess a Heisman candidate ballot and the pressure that goes along with ignoring the actual intent of the award and simply picking Andrew Luck since every fan of every moribund NFL team believes that the Stanford QB walks on water. Were I to have that capability, I'd be able to ignore the fact that Baylor would probably be 3-7, versus 7-3, if Robert Griffin III wasn't under center.

Scratch that one too...

4) I'm thankful that USC is not eligible for post-season play and therefore not going to be matched with any of the SEC behemoths that, given its current level of play, it would likely beat. That will spare us the agony and suffering of our SEC fan-brethren. (Yes, I think USC could beat with anyone int he country right now - sayeth the SEC fans - "BUT THEY DON'T PLAY DEFENSE IN THE PAC-12!!!" Sayeth I, in response, but they play offense - a lot of it and with a lot more variety than the SEC. Perhaps Pac12 defenses look so bad because Pac 12 offenses are THAT good. Perhaps SEC defenses look THAT good because SEC offenses are THAT bad. The truth is somewhere in the middle of both of those statements but I maintain that the Trojans, Kiffin and all, are the VERY real deal.

5) I'm thankful that Virginia Tech somehow merits a #5 BCS ranking on the strength of losing to Clemson...apparently.

6) I'm thankful that the best record in the ACC isn't 8-3, as is the case with the Big East.

7) I'm thankful that last Saturday night - replete with 3 nail-biter finishes in three concurrently running games, brought my faith back in college football as a fantastic thing to behold.

8) I'm thankful for this...the funniest sitcom Thanksgiving episode ever:

9) And finally, I'm thankful for my faithful BUCFPites

HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE!

Belated Week 12 Update and Timely Thanksgiving Wishes

It's Thanksgiving Eve in the Ultimate household and the kid is to bed, the dishes are done, I've gotten a cold one in me and I don't have to prepare a bird at 6 AM tomorrow. It's been a busy week so I've not had the time to devote to my devotees of the Ultimate College Football Pool and that, my friends, is something that must be amended prior to my giving thanks (a list of thanks is to come in the NCAA Ruminations Column, to be authored shortly after this pool update).

As for the Main Pool - here it goes - sportschief brought considerable heat last weekend. A late season MASSIVE performance that deserves considerable praise. Our current leader, who sat back in a tie for third last week, sky-rocketed to a 3 point lead with a FIFTEEN point performance.75% right - in a week with some downright frightening spreads? BLAM! Well done sportschief.

There is still hope for a few with two weeks remaining in Main Pool action, but the number of possible contenders is slimmer after the Week 12 beatdown. Sitting 2 points behind and in sole possession of second place is GoTerps, a two time Main pool champion. Uncle Buck, WyokKat, and Holy Mackerel II all sit within striking distance, but you better make your move now people. Week 14 doesn't offer many games.

Best Pick
The Ugly Mutt and UTK'03 with NC State

Worst Pick
cock-a-doodle-doo went AWOL weeks ago and vertenten joined him. So their blank slates were set aside for consideration here. Our true worse pick goes to Vol Nation for taking GA Southern straight up against Bama. Granted AugustaDayStrippers did too but his transgression is forgiven since he was rooting for his alma mater. As for Vol, well he provided an explanation:

"In my defense this week. In all of the chaos of getting kids dropped off at my brothers house so my wife and I could go to the UTK / Vandy game. (the first adult time we have had in a long time) I forgot to make my picks on time. So as we are heading down the highway I give my wife my phone and said just fill them out. (thinking this would give me at least some chance of saving face since I had already missed the 1st 6 games) Well...this morning when I look back at the picks I can't believe what I see. GEORGIA SOUTHERN over ALABAMA! No I would never make that pick obviously I have been sabotaged! The TN Vandy game was awesome, OT with TN coming out with the win. Don't think I have ever been so excited to see them beat a team that is normally at the bottom of the SEC. (but since tn is at the bottom it seemed like a great accomplishment) Moral of the story: Never let your wife make your picks!"


ED Note: His wife, UTK'03 took Bama!

Week 11: NCAA Ruminations

As noted earlier, I spent the weekend in the backwoods of Georgia, where my son got to visit his Great Grandmother. We stayed in a ranch house that had no TV of any kind so I remained blissfully unaware of the following:

1) Oklahoma gaining ground on Bama in the BCS standings despite the fact that it had a bye-week and despite the fact that the team it lost to has managed to not win another game since beating Oklahoma (and not winning them by a wide margin)

2) The poorly officiated, longest game of the year between Miami and FSU

3) Georgia's insane resurgence.

4) Oregon's insane resurgence

5) Oklahoma State's insane offense (please please please gimme Oklahoma State and LSU in the title game)

6) of the fact that if Oklahoma State and LSU don't go undefeated, this will go down as the sloppiest BCS mess of all time

7) Boise getting popped again

That's about it - sounded like a great weekend for football but alas, I was too busy ranching.

Happy BUCFPing everyone!

Week 11: Main Pool Update

Lots of action in the Pool after Week 11! WyoKat continues his resurgence from his Week 9 5 point debacle to hold onto first with 121 points tied with GoTerps. Terpie used a 10 point week to regain a 1st place footing. Right behind them at 120 points are Show me the Money, Holy Mackerel III, and sportchief. Uncle Buck and Springfield Atoms round out the top 7 at 119 and 118, respectively.

On the downside, cockadoodle doo remains AWOL.

Best Pick Award
No clear front runners here so I'll go with those that at least had faith in Penn State's football players.

Worst Pick
Probably gonna go with GoTerps, ver1010, and The Ugly Mutt for Washington.

Elimination Pool: We have a winner!

After surviving Ten impressive weeks in the Elimination Pool - White Out takes the prize by order of his faith in the Arkansas Razorbacks. The last remaining challenger was A2Boiler who went with Bama who couldn't get it done against Ole Miss. Congrats to White Out!

Week 11: Preview

I will be travelling this weekend so Connor can visit his great Grandmother:

(One of the things even better than football)

There is a strong slate of games this weekend, culminating with the Pac12 battle o' the century with Oregon and Stanford. Here's to hoping this weekend is mostly about football!

I won't have any blog updates up until next week probably.

Oh yeah, one more thing...GO HOKIES!!!

Week 10: Elimination Pool Picks

Our steely warriors march on! This time their trusty shields wield the strength of the SEC!

Week 10: NCAA Ruminations - Actual Football Talk this Time

I digressed a bit early Sunday morning to bring my thoughts on the unfolding, and horrifying, story at Penn State. I'm guessing that particularly sad chapter in JoePa's long history in the sport will have more ink devoted to it than pretty much anything in college football before it is all over. More importantly, it is not really a college football story anymore (although the Nebraska Penn State game, which involved players who had nothing to do with any of this, will likely be unbearable to watch). That said, let's get back to the business of writing about more light-hearted matters (at least to those who live outside of Tuscaloosa)

The Big Question
Does Bama deserve a shot at the title game?
Pros:
a) If it's kicker could hit the wide-side of a barn, Bama would have easily won that game.
b) If the officials had overturned the erroneous interception call at the LSU 1 yard line, Bama likely gets a TD and wins the game in regulation.
Cons:
a) Bama's kicker can't hit the wide-side of a barn. That's Bama's fault
b) Bad calls happen in every game

Those were two world class defenses on the field Saturday night in Tuscaloosa. I really don't think any two other teams in the country could match-up against that. And this wasn't one of those "but the offenses aren't great" moments. Both offenses have been lighting up opponents all year. That said, i don't want to see them again - not at the same time. What I want to see is a high-octane offense, let's say Oklahoma State, go up against the Tigers - now THAT would be great TV (at least for one quarter).

There are a ton of scenarios that could put Bama back in the title game - but if any scenario has an undefeated LSU, then Bama has no business being there.

What? There were other games in the SEC last week?
Apparently, South Carolina and Arkansas played too. (Note to the SEC - when you have the game of the century, move your game of the decade to earlier in the afternoon). Yes, Arkansas (a nearly 20 point loser to Bama) took the Gamecocks down at home. The game was in doubt until Arkansas put the Gamecock's QB out of business with what looked an awful-lot like illegal contact to the head to me. Regardless, the 'Hogs won the game and sit near the top 5 in BCS standings. People are starting to talk up the Arkansas LSU game (and yes, if LSU goes unbeaten - wow). Truth be told, I don't see Arkansas beating the Tigers - but the Razorbacks do tend to upset LSU on occasion so we will see.

What? Oklahoma State scores at will?
Please, please, please please let Oklahoma State beat the Sooners the first weekend in December. I've actually heard conjecture the Oklahoma could sneak back into the title picture??? Listen - the Sooners were pantsed, at home, by a fairly weak Texas Tech team. One, I think Oklahoma State handles them this year, but even if they don't, Oklahoma simply doesn't deserve to be within 1,000 miles of the title game.

People are looking at the close score against Kansas State as evidence that the Cowboys aren't that strong? Well, #1 - Kansas State is pretty darn good. #2 - the Cowboys have never pretended to field a strong defense, #3 - if a close loss to LSU doesn't hurt Bama that much, why should a close win over Kansas State hurt Oklahoma State?

Virginia Tech is in the Top Ten of the BCS Standings
Yes, one behind Clemson. The Hokies get this ranking just in time for a match-up against a suddenly surging Georgia Tech this Thursday night - that's just peachy. I'm hoping the bye week and pride keep the Hokies from getting behind the Jackets in Atlanta but my long, frustrated history as a Hokie fan tell me otherwise.

Conference Realignment Update
A quick look at the standings reveal that:
1) The SEC's coup included landing the current fifth and seventh place teams in the Big 12
2) The Big 12's coup includes landing the current 4th place team in the Big East
3) The Big East's coup includes most likely landing the #4 ranked team in the country.

Hmmmmm....

Century Mark
Houston plays Tulane this Thursday night. I'm thinking Houston has a legit shot at 100 points...in the first half.

Week 10: Main Pool Updates

Well, I did manage to stay up through the final two games (both points for me!) We've had a little shake-up in the pool: sportchief took the top spot with his 11 points for week 10, giving him 112 on the year. Nipping at his heels are three people at 111 for the year: WyoKat, Go Terps, and Holy Mckerel III. SHow Me the Money rounds out the top five. The best performance of the week goes to HokeUs theWay with 12 points, included a 9 for 9 tear to start the day!

Best Pick
randomaxe and geauxboygeaux with UCLA

Worst Pick
Tiger Town, Boardwalk Empire, and UTK'03 for forgetting that COlorado has no pride whatsoever.

Week 10: NCAA Ruminations - A Sad Day Indeed

Here I sit, in the early morning of November 6th. I was fully prepared to write about my impressions of the Game of the Young Century, heretofore to be known as the Field Goal Battle of All time. Truth be told, it was a fantastic weekend for college football - two top ten battles from the same conference, some terrific Big 10 and Pac 10 match-ups, baseball is done and there is no NBA. The LSU/Bama game was bringing more attention to the fact that college football is as big and popular as ever.

Unfortunately, it is going to turn out that the LSU Bama game was not the biggest story of the weekend - not by a long stretch. As of this writing, Jerry Sandusky, the architect of the defense at Penn State for the better part of three decades under Joe Paterno, sits in a jail somewhere near State College, accused of sexually assaulting at least 8 young boys. The details of what is alleged is stomach-churning to say the least. Additionally, the details of alleged behavior within the Penn State organization, going all the way up the chain to Joe Paterno, are going to bring some serious heat on the program and the university in general. One week ago, Joe Pa surpassed Eddie Robinson in total victories and was the epitome of grace in acknowledging Coach Robinson while recognizing his own achievement. This week - he's going to be answering questions about how, if the allegations are true, his conscience allowed him to do what he did, or didn't, do.

Of course, at this point, no one, but Jerry Sandusky knows if the allegations are true. Additionally, no one, but the people involved, know what happened. It does seem clear that somewhere along the way, once given an indication that something horrible might have happened on University property, the powers that be within Penn State didn't see fit to discuss the matter with law enforcement - and this is something I simply don't get.

Maybe the picture will get clearer over the coming days an weeks. But if it comes to light that the interests of a high generation athletic program really rated above the reporting of a possible sexual assault of a minor, I'd say the scale has definitely tipped way too far. Maybe the money is just too much nowadays.

I say this not to slander Penn State and its contribution to the greater good of the world. This was the act of individuals within the university and, Lord knows, as a Virginia Tech fan, I am not particularly appreciative of broad-brushing the whole with the actions of the few. We even have some great PSU alum among our BUCFP brethren. The point here is that, if indeed a cover-up or simply ignoring the act occurred in order to protect the program at Penn State, one could see it happening anywhere. During a week when it was alleged that 4 tickets for Bama LSU went for $23,000, it is clear that there is simply no recession hitting college football. The money is there and it is at insane levels.

Hey, I understand we don't come into this little world of BUCFP every week to weigh in on the world's woes.  Heck, the appeal of college football is partly escapism - we aren't worried about our own work week when we are watching behemoths in the SEC bash each other's brains in for an extra yard on a Saturday night. And, indeed, I welcome the escape too - in fact, I enjoy it so much I turned it into this little hobby and community of like minded people. I enjoy it so much that I type out whatever nonsense comes into my head each week to share with you - whether you read it or not. I promise, next week will be better.

This week - not so much.

Week 10: Elimination Pool Results

Our brave soles carry on for one more week! A2Boiler rode Oklahoma's thumping of Texas A&M to success while White Out was glad to have Houston's HUGE 3rd quarter since his chances looked slim in the first half!

Week 10: Elimination Pool Picks

Our remaining Elimination Pool participants have cast their ballots: Our Boiler friend is riding with Oklahoma while our Nittany Lion friend is riding with Houston!