THE DRAFT

November 28, 2012

Okay, I’ve had enough. Rutgers in the Big Ten? Okay. Louisville to the ACC? Well, Syracuse and Pitt are already there, so fine. I can accept a lot of the expansion plans in college athletics, even if it turns arithmetic and geography on its ear.  However, each time I hear another announcement from the Big East, I want to smack myself in the head with a ball peen hammer. 

The latest move is to add Tulane in all sports and East Carolina in football. As closely as I follow college football, I could not, if my life depended on it, list who will be playing in the Big East next year or in 2014. I’ve lost track.

Since tradition, math and maps have been thrown out by those that run college athletics, I suggested that we hold a draft on “The Happy Hour.” Producer Mike Raymond, co-host Matt Markus and I each drafted our own league to form three ultimate conferences. Each school selected brought with it their entire athletic program, their academics, tradition, money, facilities, fan base and market. We stopped at ten teams each simply due to time constraints. Here is how it went.

(Draft order was determined the most scientific of ways... rock, paper, scissors... with Matt going first, me 2nd and Mike 3rd.)

1 - MM - Stanford - Any commissioner would tell you they would be proud to have the well rounded athletic program and academic reputation of Stanford, but not at the expense of some of  the cash cows sitting out there. Matt took arguably the best combo of athletics & academics, and I think he still regrets the pick.

1 - TF - Notre Dame - My lucky day. They should have gone #1.

1 - MR - Texas - If Matt picked as I thought he would, I would have grabbed the Longhorn money machine at #2.

2 - MM - Florida - A valid top five pick.

2 - TF - Ohio State - The big boy of the Midwest. Their fans are everywhere!

2 - MR - Michigan - Ditto. I think the downfall of Detroit puts them behind OSU, but it is close.

3 - MM - Penn State - Sanctions or not, you will want to have this Northeast power.

3 - TF - Alabama - Seriously considered Georgia here to take Atalanta, but instead took the brand name that all southerners love or love to hate.

3 - MR - UCLA - A bit surprised they went before USC, but their overall athletic program is ahead of USC even if football is not... November 17 not withstanding.

4 - MM - USC - Thought they would go sooner. USC football out west is what Bama is down south.

4 - TF - Texas A&M - With Texas gone, I wanted to be in the Longhorn state. Big drop off after the Aggies in terms of name brand and following.

4 - MR - Georgia - Maybe the steal of the day. Well, outside of ND at #2. 

5 - MM - North Carolina - First selection known more for hoops. Not bad for football & brings national hoops brand.

5 - TF - Oregon - Needed to look west. With USC, UCLA & Stanford gone, Nike University was the best of what was left to me.

5 - MR - Oklahoma State - He wanted Oregon here. He went with deep pocket donor. If I wanted someone in midwest here, I’d have gone Missouri or even Nebraska or Oklahoma 1st.

6 - MM - Oklahoma - There is a reason the SEC was interested in taking OU but not if they had to take Okie State also.

6 - TF - Florida State - Surprised they lasted this long. Great location and programs and gets my league into Florida. Even Miami fans don’t follow Miami, so the drop off after the Noles is huge.

6 - MR - Nebraska - No big market & you are really only benefiting from football, but they have a large & loyal fan base. 

7 - MM - LSU - Southern power, but I had another southern school higher on my wish list.

7 - TF - Tennessee - This was it. The state has a couple good markets, & this program is a sleeping giant.

7 - MR - Syracuse - Basketball all the way here. Too many markets available for me to go with the Orange here.

8 - MM - California - Matt solidifies the Bay Area as Cal joins Stanford. 

8 - TF - Maryland - Baltimore and DC markets snagged with the Terps.

8 - MR - Duke - Back-to-back basketball picks for Mike. Better one here with national following.

9 - MM - Baylor - Matt gets into Texas. Their athletic program last year was outstanding even outside the Heisman for RG3.

9 - TF - Washington - With only Oregon in my league from out west, the Seattle market beats my other options.

9 - MR - Virginia Tech - Nice late grab by Mike.

10 - MM - Arizona - The 6th team Matt took west of the Mississippi River.

10 - TF - Pitt - I needed someone else in the northeast & someone with a good basketball program. Time was running out in the show at this point. If given a mulligan, I would have grabbed Missouri.

10 - MM - Hawaii - A joke more than anything. Mike called it a reward for his schools to guarantee a trip to Hawaii. Good think he drafted rich schools, they’ll need it to get all the non-revenue sports out there and back each year.

TOM’S 10 MATT’S 10              MIKE'S 10

Notre Dame Stanford Texas

Ohio State Florida Michigan

Alabama                 Penn State UCLA

Texas A&M        USC Georgia

Oregon North Carolina            Oklahoma State

Florida State Oklahoma Nebraska

Tennessee LSU                         Syracuse

Maryland                California                  Duke

Washington Baylor Virginia Tech

Pitt                         Arizona Hawaii

Games of the Week:

Alabama vs. Georgia- The SEC Championship Game is once again a de facto semifinal for the national championship. The winner faces Notre Dame for the BCS crown. The loser is likely out of the BCS entirely. The game will feature two of the most proficient quarterbacks in the country. Alabama leads the country in scoring defense and total defense, but Mettenberger of LSU and Manziel of A&M moved the ball thru the air. Aaron Murray of Georgia will challenge them. I think Bama wins, but it will be close. Give me the Tide 20-14.

UCLA @ Stanford - These two teams played on Saturday in LA with Stanford winning 35-17. Now, six days later they meet again in Palo Alto for a trip to the Rose Bowl. Stanford rushed for 221 yards in the first meeting, led by Stepfan Taylor’s 142 yards on 20 carries. Some questioned the motivation for the Bruins to win last week. Had they been victorious, their reward would have been a trip to Eugene to play Oregon. I think Stanford is just that good, that tough and that well coached. Stanford is Pasadena bound 27-10.

Texas @ Kansas State - People expected more out of the Longhorns this season, and no one expected KSU to be in the national championship discussion as long as they were. Collin Klein’s Heisman hopes took a serious hit with their loss at Baylor. They have had two weeks to prepare for this season finale where a Big 12 crown and Fiesta Bowl bid is at stake. Texas has talent, but they haven’t put it all together in a big game this year. KSU will not collapse now. Expect a big final game from Klein and a Wildcat rout. KSU heads to Glendale with a 42-21 victory.

BOWL PROJECTIONS - 

BCS TITLE GAME - Notre Dame vs. Alabama

ROSE BOWL - Nebraska vs. Stanford

FIESTA BOWL - Kansas State vs. Oregon

SUGAR BOWL - Florida vs. Oklahoma

ORANGE BOWL - Florida State vs. Rutgers

COTTON BOWL - Texas vs. Texas A&M

CAPITAL ONE BOWL - Michigan vs. Georgia

OUTBACK BOWL - Wisconsin vs. South Carolina

GATOR BOWL - Northwestern vs. Mississippi State

CHICK-FIL-A BOWL - Clemson vs. LSU

RUSSELL ATHLETIC BOWL - NC State vs. Louisville

ALAMO BOWL - Oklahoma State vs. UCLA

SUN BOWL - Oregon State vs. Virginia Tech

HOLIDAY BOWL  - USC vs. TCU

BUFFALO WILD WINGS BOWL - Texas Tech vs. Michigan State

BELK BOWL - Cincinnati vs. Georgia Tech

PINSTRIPE BOWL - Syracuse vs. Iowa State

MEINEKE CAR CARE BOWL OF TEXAS - West Virginia vs. Purdue

MUSIC CITY BOWL - Vanderbilt vs. Duke

BIG 14?

November 21, 2012

So much for that lull in expansion. How long did that officially last? A month? Two tops? The Big Ten, who just this summer said, “We are content with twelve teams,” has suddenly jumped up to 14 with the additions of Maryland and Rutgers.

Some people are laughing at this move. Some are scratching their head. Others are very excited about it. (That would be the folks from Rutgers.) As usual, the Voice of Reason is here to break it down for everyone.

Let’s start with the money question... literally. Will Rutgers really bring in the NYC market? What people don’t realize is that every time the Big Ten adds a school in a new state, there are more markets that will add the Big Ten Network onto their cable line up. Once that is done, it doesn’t matter if there are 100,000 people watching or 100. They make tons of money off subscriber fees.

Yeah, but not enough people in New York care about Rutgers to call their cable provider to try to get the BTN on their regular channel line up. That part is probably true. However, how many alumni of other Big Ten schools are in the market? 

The other aspect of the TV angle has changed in the past week when News Corporation which owns FOX purchased 49% equity stake in the YES Network. They also have an option to increase that to 80% in three years. Why is that significant? Because the BTN is a FOX station. If they want to play hard ball with NYC cable providers, they can use the Yankees as a leverage. Remember, once they get the station on the basic cable line-up. The dollars start to really roll in. I do not think for one second that it is merely a coincidence that those announcements came on the same day.

But, doesn’t this dilute the Big Ten product? At the moment, there is no debate. It absolutely does, but what if the Big Ten isn’t done? Once the SEC moved to 14 teams and the ACC followed, it has been generally accepted that we are moving toward 16-team super conferences. The Big Ten was not the first to 12 teams. They also weren’t the first to 14. What if they are anticipating other leagues like the SEC and Big 12 to take advantage of more Big East and ACC instability?

I could see these moves being to acquire the right TV markets. Then, after the SEC takes Virginia Tech and NC State and the Big 12 snatches Florida State, the Big Ten could check in with Notre Dame one last time before moving on Georgia Tech and who knows? Maybe North Carolina or grabbing Kansas from the Big 12. 

My point is that you would be foolish to look at the league now and make an assessment of these last two additions. Think long term. Not just about where the Terps and Knights may be in 10-20 years, but who follows them?

If Maryland can negotiate the $50 million dollar exit fee down to a more reasonable number, expect Florida State (who also voted against that high exit fee) to get on the phone to the Big 12, which may lead to Louisville joining them, which could cause Boise State and San Diego State to head back to the MWC, which leads to the SEC making their move and so forth and so on.

I said it before, and I will say it again, “Please stay seated and keep your hands inside the car until the ride comes to a complete stop.” The expansion carousal is still spinning folks. Hold on tight.

Games of the Week:

Notre Dame @ USC- Matt Barkley’s injury takes a little luster off this game, but not much. The Trojans offense is still very potent led by WRs Marqise Lee & Robert Woods. Redshirt freshman Matt Wittek will be under center. If the Trojan offensive line keeps him upright, they will score some points and make this one interesting. The Irish will need Everett Golson to play mistake free. Protect the ball, and ND should win. I think Irish fans can start packing for South Beach. I like ND to win 28-20.

Florida @ Florida State - As crazy as it sounds, the Gators may only need to win this game and have USC knock off ND to slide into the national title game. Florida QB Jeff Driskel is expected to play after spraining his ankle last Saturday in his team’s great escape against Louisiana-Lafayette. FSU QB E.J. Manuel will provide the Gator D with a challenge. The Gators haven’t left the state much this year and while this is still in their home state, it is in hostile territory. I like the Seminoles to eliminate any possibility of another all-SEC final. I’ll say FSU 21-14.

Stanford @ UCLA - This is where things get confusing. If Stanford wins this game, the Cardinal host these same Bruins in six days for the Pac 12 Championship. If UCLA wins, the Bruins head to Oregon to battle the Ducks on Friday the 30th. Unless the Ducks lose to Oregon State, then UCLA hosts Stanford. Redshirt freshman Kevin Hogan has already led Stanford to wins over Oregon State and Oregon. The Bruins have been living off their offense. Stanford’s D will be the difference. Fear the Tree. Stanford wins 24-17.

BCS BOWL PROJECTIONS - 

BCS TITLE GAME - Notre Dame vs. Alabama

ROSE BOWL - Nebraska vs. Stanford

FIESTA BOWL - Kansas State vs. Oregon

SUGAR BOWL - Florida vs. Oklahoma

ORANGE BOWL - Florida State vs. Louisville

HOW TO HANDLE LOSING

November 15, 2012

One thing that is a certainty in college football is that sooner or later your favorite team will lose. You may be able to go undefeated for a year. If you find a special player and a favorable schedule, you may even follow it up the next year. But, no one who plays major college football goes their entire career without a defeat.

For some programs, handling losses is easy. They come in bunches. It is the wins that are a few and far between. Losses for these fans barely last an hour before they are on to something else. 

At schools where winning is expected, there is always someone to blame for the loss. Sometimes it is the head coach. Other times it is the quarterback, but too often the blame lies on those that supposedly wish to see your program fail... the officials.

This leads me to the Voice of Reason’s first rule of losing... Own your losses. Referees make questionable or even blatantly wrong calls every game. Guess what. Some go in your favor. Some even assist you in a victory. You never notice those, but God help an official that makes a debatable call in a close loss.

Let me break it to you. The ref does not have money on the game. The conference commissioner has not instructed them on who is supposed to win. If it seems like the favored team is getting helped out by penalties or foul calls, they are. Not because the ref is Tim Donaghy. It is mostly because your underdog team is not as quick or strong and is a split second late. Good defense in other games becomes interference. A clean block is now a hold.

Own your losses. Don’t whine about officials. Block better. Tackle better. Shoot better. You still could have won. Oh, and if you are a Penn State fan, I don’t care if the end of your next game is an exact duplicate of the Seahawks-Packers debacle on Monday Night Football... Pipe down. No one wants to hear you complain about this. In fact, no one wants to hear you complain about anything! You only make yourself look bad. I know. I know. “Those kids deserve better.” You whining about it isn’t going to change a damn thing. All it will accomplish is it will give people looking for more reasons to continue to dump on PSU more ammo. So please... shut up.

With that being said, let me add that I have absolutely no problem at all with PSU QB Matt McGloin after the Nebraska game saying, “We're not going to get that call here. We're not going to get that call ever, actually, against any team. It doesn't matter who the refs are. We'll never get that call.” 

McGloin is a fifth year senior QB who just came off the field after a tough loss. His comments are a reminder to not expect any help from the refs. I know that comments like these only fuel the conspiracy theorists in the fan base, but a player making that particular statement and fans whining are two different things to me.

My second rule is one you heard long ago. People who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones. (Or walk around naked for that matter.) For example, Big Ten fans taunting Alabama for losing to Texas A&M is just absurd. Mind your own season before you start taunting.

My final rule is one i bring up year after year on my show. If you are going to wear your team’s gear proudly after a win, you should also wear it after a loss. Don’t hide your colors. Show that you stand by them in good times and bad. 

Trust me. Follow these rules, and you will be amazed at how much respect you will be shown by your friends. Break one of these rules and you deserve any grief they want to dish out.

Games of the Week:

Stanford @ Oregon- The Oregon Ducks have their work cut out for them over the next three weeks. The first test comes from the Stanford Cardinal. The folks from Palo Alto have been impressive with Andrew Luck now leading the NFL’s Colts. Stanford has lost its last five trips to Eugene with four of them coming by at least three TDs. This game would be harder to call if it was at Stanford. With the Ducks playing at home, I expect them to have too much offense as usual. I like the Ducks 49-24.

USC @ UCLA - This isn’t the season Matt Barkley envisioned when he announced he was returning to USC for his senior year. They already have three Pac 12 losses. They must win here to play for the league title and likely get another crack at Oregon. USC has won five straight in the series and hammered UCLA last season 50-0. The Bruins are young and talented offensively, but I don’t think Barkley will allow them to fall here. I like the Trojans in a shootout 48-38.

Ohio State @ Wisconsin - Yes. Yes. I know. The Badgers have already clinched the Leaders Division title. There is still intrigue here as OSU looks to stay undefeated. Plus, with Penn State ineligible for postseason play for three more years, this match-up will likely determine the Leaders champion for the next three years minimum. The Badgers are at home and have enough talent to win here. Braxton Miller is a true talent, but against better teams, he can’t do it all alone. I like the Badgers to win 23-20.

BCS BOWL PROJECTIONS - 

BCS TITLE GAME - Kansas State vs. Oregon

ROSE BOWL - Nebraska vs. Notre Dame

FIESTA BOWL - Oklahoma vs. Texas A&M

SUGAR BOWL - Alabama vs. Clemson

ORANGE BOWL - Florida State vs. Louisville

WINNERS WIN

November 8, 2012

“Who have they beaten?” We hear that question asked a lot in college football. The redundancy increases this time of year. 

Everyone wants to marginalize the other guy’s achievements. Your team isn’t really that good when you look at it. It’s all smoke and mirrors and pumped up stats against a bunch of weaklings. 

Don’t get me wrong. In some cases, this kind of criticism is very fair. Let’s face it. Just because Ohio and Alabama were both undefeated didn’t make them equals. However, trivializing victories of team’s that play in a major conference is just comical.

This season, I heard people questioning just how good Alabama really was heading into the LSU game. “This season they haven’t played anybody yet.” Forget the fact that they were destroying everybody. Ignore the fact that they hadn’t trailed anybody for more than a minute or two all season. 

I get it though. People are sick of the SEC winning... actually make that dominating college football, so they look for any glimmer of hope that this year they actually aren’t as strong.

The other doubts are falling squarely on Notre Dame. I understand that one too. People don’t want to admit Notre Dame is one of the best teams in the country because... well... they’re Notre Dame. That’s it. 

Have they been hammering people like Oregon? No. They just win. Apparently, that isn’t enough for some people. Even if they win their final three games against Boston College, Wake Forest and USC, they will likely be ranked fourth in the final BCS poll unless teams above them lose.

Do I think Alabama would have needed 3OT to beat Pitt if they played them in Tuscaloosa? No way. Would Oregon have been held to less than 20 points by Michigan? Maybe in the first quarter but not for 60 minutes. 

The real question is how many teams could play teams from the Big Ten, Big 12, Pac 12, Big East & ACC week after week and not lose. If going 9-0 was so easy, everybody would do it. 

Once teams pull out a few close games, they start to believe. They believe in their coaches. They believe in each other. They believe they will win, and they don’t waver.

A team like that is dangerous. Remember the 2002 Ohio State Buckeyes? How many people said they had no shot at beating Miami in the Fiesta Bowl? They had squeaked by again and again. Miami was loaded with talent on both sides of the ball. I am sure some of you want to bring up the debatable pass interference call that extended the game in overtime. Breaks like that are part of a magical season. It isn’t luck. Well, maybe a little bit, but a winning team will put themselves in position to catch a break. Sometimes... they get it.

I too looked at Notre Dame’s record midway thru the season and said, “the Big Ten is actually pretty down this year. We’ll get a better sense of how good Notre Dame is after they play Stanford and Oklahoma.” It looks like I have my answer.

The SEC is the best conference. No one should question that. Can I honestly say that ND couldn’t beat Alabama? Nope. I have no clue. Could they keep up with the Ducks? No. But I think they would frustrate Oregon and stay in the fight. At that point, anything can happen.

Notre Dame just keeps winning... week after week after week. I am starting to get the feeling that if you gave them one shot at one of those top three teams, they’d find a way yet again. Like the ’02 Buckeyes or Penn State in 1986, they would finish the job, because winners win.

Games of the Week:

Texas A&M @ Alabama- The Tide silenced their critics last week with an impressive final drive to defeat LSU in Baton Rouge. The Aggies are led by QB Johnny Manziel. He is the team’s leading rusher with 922 yards and 15 TDs. He has also thrown for 2,527 yards and 16 TDs with only 6 INTs. If this game was at College Station, I would seriously consider taking A&M in an upset. They will challenge the Tide after such an emotional win at LSU. With Bama at home, I like the Tide to win, but A&M will score some points. I will say Bama 24-17.

Oregon State @ Stanford -This game will feature two QBs that were the back up at the start of the season. Stanford has abandoned inconsistent Josh Nunes for Kevin Hogan. The Beavers’ starter in week 1 Sean Mannion was injured and struggled upon returning, so Cody Vaz is now leading the orange and black attack. The difference for me is that Vaz defeated Arizona State. Hogan earned the job in a performance over awful Colorado. With USC’s recent demise, the Beavers can take a a major step towards a Rose Bowl at-large bid with a win here. I like OSU 31-26.

Kansas State @ TCU - The only big key to this game is the health of KSU starting QB and Heisman Trophy candidate Collin Klein. He left the game last week with a head injury. Head Coach Bill Snyder has said he expects Klein to play. If he doesn’t play, this could be the end of KSU’s run to a BCS Title Game appearance. TCU is coming off a road win over West Virginia. After this game, the Wildcats play Baylor on the road and host Texas. I think Klein plays, and KSU wins 35-20.

BCS BOWL PROJECTIONS - 

BCS TITLE GAME - Alabama vs. Oregon

ROSE BOWL - Nebraska vs. Oregon State

FIESTA BOWL - Kansas State vs. Notre Dame

SUGAR BOWL - South Carolina vs. Oklahoma

ORANGE BOWL - Florida State vs. Louisville