The Mess with the NY Giants

The NY Football Giants are falling apart. Have you ever seen such a team unravel so quickly and so publicly? These guys make the political battles played out in DC seem like child’s play. You’ve got players against coaches (Tiki vs. Tom.) You’ve got players vs. players (Strahan vs. Plaxico). And you’ve got players vs. reason (Shockey vs. “there is no way in hell they can beat us”)

I find it all rather amusing. Folks in NY must be wondering what they hell is going on – this was supposed to be the YEAR. After the magnificent comeback victories from earlier in the year, the Giants were the heavy favorite in many people’s minds (including Sports Illustrated) to catch and surpass the Chicago Bears on the way to Miami for the Super bowl. Isn’t it strange how things can change in a simple three weeks? The bandwagon-ers have taken a ride further south, and hopped aboard the Tony Romo wagon in Dallas, and pundits nationwide are wondering if this phenomenon can Romonize the NFL for the rest of the season.

It’s a contrast of two teams. What is the major difference? The QB. Dallas has a small town Wisconsin kid living the dream, playing with nothing to lose, and leading his team to a 4-1 record in his five starts. NY has a QB living in the shadow of his older brother’s greatness. In no way can Eli Manning live up to the hype surrounding him. Can we really blame the guy – based on the excellence set by brother Peyton, it seems the kid is destined to fail in the eyes of many. I know who we can blame. Blame his Daddy.

Remember draft day a few years back. Here comes the can’t miss kid outta Ole Miss, the younger brother of Peyton, the only surefire pick in the NFL draft. Sitting with the top spot were the San Diego Chargers. And the Manning’s have the audacity to say, “Eli won’t play in San Diego.” Wait. WON’T play in San Diego. What the heck is the matter with these people? Look at the Chargers since that day – two seasons in the playoffs (including this year) and they barely missed out last year after running the gauntlet of a schedule put before them by the NFL. So Daddy Archie refused to let his baby boy play in Southern California with San Diego, because he wanted his son to be a part of winner? Seems like that argument may have bitten the boys in the bum – not only is Eli part of a franchise on the brink of falling apart, he is taking much of the heat for the Giants failings. How do you think Philip Rivers, the man whom San Diego traded Manning for on draft day, feels out in SD? Perhaps he’s chilling on the beach in the pristine 70 degree weather every day, enjoying the good life. Oh yeah, and his football team? Only a 9-2 juggernaut, and the most Rivers has to do is hand the ball off to the greatest tailback of this generation in LaDanian Tomlinson.

Pretty simple folks – the Giants are reaping what they sowed when they brought Manning into the Big Apple. A real QB is the unquestioned leader of any NFL locker room. What the Giants need now is a kid ready to step up, be a man, and bring the team together for a stretch run. What they have instead is a guy who couldn’t lead a boat full of seaman to the ocean – they have a shell of the Manning in Indianapolis, and this fan, for one, doesn’t feel the least bit bad about it.

The next Romo? No, he went to Vanderbilt...

The Denver Broncos have given up on their season. They have pulled Jake “The Snake” Plummer in favor for heralded rookie Jay Cutler. With the success of so many young quarterbacks this year in the NFL (Tony Romo, Vince Young), it seems Denver’s head coach Mike Shannahan has decided that the way to lead his Broncos into the playoffs will be with the sterling play of Cutler, while the seasoned vet site on the bench.

There’s just one flaw in this theory – Jay Cutler played football at Vanderbilt. A great school for engineers, lawyers, and socialites looking for great coed Greek parties, but not exactly what Mel Kiper would call a professional football players factory.

This is Vanderbilt. The laughing stock of the football obsessed Southeastern Conference. The Commodores were 5-6 in the final season with Cutler at the helm. He threw for 3073 yards and 21 TDs. Do these sound like numbers of a future NFL playoff winning quarterback? Compare those numbers to Eli Manning’s final season at Ole Miss, also of the SEC. Manning totaled more yards (3600) and TDs (29) than Cutler. Look at Manning in the NFL now. The “star” of the New York football Giants spends each week finding ways for New York to choke away games in the waning minutes. Since he came into the league in 2004, no one has a worse passer rating in the league. That list includes Kerry Collins!!!

Cutler isn’t the answer, and the reason is clear. He doesn’t have what it takes to succeed at Vanderbilt and in the SEC, and the boys in the big leagues will eat him up. Denver will be lucky to win two more games as the season plays on. The worst part for Bronco fans? Cutler is here to stay – moves like this are not made one week and reversed the next. It seems Denver just can’t seem to let the legend of John Elway die.

Aggie Game Reaction

Well, it’s the Monday after Thanksgiving. Time for the first installment of overreaction Turkey Day – basically a response to the UT vs. ATM game played this past week. Up front, the better team won on Friday. I don’t know if it was coaching, a lack of desire having lost a National Title shot against K-State, or the turkey from Thursday, but the Texas Longhorns looked lack a lackluster shell of the team that looked to be rolling towards a rematch with Ohio State just three weeks ago. Kudos to the Aggies for getting some respect back from the rest of the country.

Enjoy the compliment while you can Aggie fans. After witnessing the cheapest shot of the 2006 season as the game was winding down, I find myself disgusted with the players, coaches, and fans of Texas A&M football. With the game all but over following an interception, there was no reason whatsoever for the sheep humper from College Station to level Texas quarterback Colt McCoy. I watched the game live and didn’t really have the wherewithal to completely acknowledge the hit at the time. I was, in fact, enjoying the several Aggies whom I was spending the day with cheering. After the 5 years of Oklahoma domination, I understood how they felt. But I’ve seen the hit since then. It’s enough to make you want to puke. Right before getting plowed over, McCoy is seen removing his chinstrap. It was dirty, cheap, and uncalled for.

I don’t know what Coach Fran or Texas A&M University plans to do, but if that jackass plays one down in the Aggies bowl game, it’s a disgrace to Aggies, Longhorns, and the great state of Texas. I’d be flabbergasted if A&M did anything though. That would take something called balls. You know, like the set Mack Brown had for sitting Terrell Brown, the starting cornerback, heading into this year’s early season showdown with Ohio State. It’s cheap shots like the one laid down Friday which start fights and degrades what should have been a landmark win for Texas A&M, fans, players, coaches, and alumni throughout the state. Instead, the lasting image of the game may very well being the upstart, outstanding freshman from Texas being carted out of the game on a stretcher. Congrats on winning the game, Aggies, and congrats on showing your true A&M colors.

Turkey Bowl Predictions

There are some big games this coming week. I know I will be gone and unavailable for comment, save some drastic and amazing sports story coming across the way that I feel compelled to write about in a drunken haze after the UT vs. ATM game. That being said, I’d to try and make some predictions here about big games coming up this Turkey weekend. Have a great Holiday!

Tampa Bay at Dallas
We have the Colt McCoy of professional football! Tony Romo will lead the Cowboys against an aging Bucs defense. Though the conservative playcalling of Bill Parcells will lead casual observers to believe the game may be in question, Dallas will have little trouble moving the ball and stopping the rookie QB in Tampa Bay. Dallas wins going away.
Dallas

Boston College at Miami
Miami is done. Let’s just hope that none of the Hurricane players mistake their BC counterparts as Turkey dinner, and blast them with a shotgun.
Boston College

Texas A&M at Texas
With a National Title out of the picture, Mack Brown claims the goals for his Longhorns are still in sight – a trip to the Big 12 Championship game and a BCS bowl. Lofty goals, but after the miracle of 2005, not up to par in Austin. The Horns will come out tired as usual for the 11am game, but will pull away from an overmatched, overachieving Aggie team.
Texas

LSU at Arkansas
Who would have that that Arkansas would be the one of these two teams already locked and loaded and ready to play for the SEC Championship game in Atlanta. With little to play for, the Tigers aren’t impressing any of the bettors in Vegas, who are thinking Arkansas may have the upper hand. I see the Razorbacks looking ahead to Florida, as well as coping with the fact that no matter what they do, they will be denied a National Title shot even if they come out of the SEC with a 1 loss record. That’s what a 55-14 home schelacking by USC will get you.
LSU

Colorado at Nebraska
Please. Is there a worse team in the major conferences than the Buffaloes? Aside from what can only be described as a shocking upset of Texas Tech, Colorado has been a disgrace to big time college football. Makes you wonder what Mike Leach and his boys were doing the night before in Boulder when Tech was upset (probably boozing after young coeds – Leach is a child porn star, I KNOW it). Nebraska will be tuning up for a rematch with Texas.
Nebraska

Florida at Florida State
Florida State has been almost as bad as Colorado. Who loses at home to Wake Forest?! Still, rivalry games can lead to funny things happening, so I wouldn’t expect the Gators to cruise to victory, but a two TD win wouldn’t be a shock either.
Florida

Oklahoma at Oklahoma State
No Adrian Peterson? No problem, apparently! The Sooners have been cruising since the loss to Texas in the Cotton Bowl, and folks in Norman are delirious about the screw job in Eugene, Oregon earlier in the year. You remember the Pac 10 officials who used replay and STILL got the onside kick recovery and the tipped pass wrong in the late stages on Oregon’s come from behind win. Stoops and his crew might still in BCS contention save for that screw job. Of course the talk about the what might have beens may direct the focus away from Stillwater, where OSU is still a difficult matchup for many teams. Without Peterson, OSU can focus on getting to OU qb Paul Thompson. Look for a high scoring game.
Oklahoma State

Notre Dame at USC
Really? After all the blogging before about the joke that is Notre Dame and Charlie Weiss, you think I will spend much time on this one? Pete Carroll will show fat-so what coaching in college football is all about, and run up the score. There will be no green jerseys, super long grass, or subpar officiating in this one (a la the 2005 version in South Bend) to help the hapless ND defense. In making a case for the #2 spot in the BCS standings, USC rolls it up big on Brady Quinn and his bitchsqaud.
USC

I am kinda smart

so i posted my BCS projections a little bit before FoxSports did. We have virtually the same projections...check it out here http://msn.foxsports.com/cfb/story/3756322

same teams, just a few matchup differences...they have arkansas is sugar bowl against notre dame, not Lousiville (like I do). They also have Georgia Tech vs. Louisville in the Orange Bowl instead of a rematch of GT vs. ND like I predict will happen. Of course, they are usually smarter about figuring out who will select which team, so what do I know!? Unfortunately, they still have Boise State vs. Texas. Too bad the Horns can't challenge Arkansas!

Who's Number 2!??!!?!?!

Ouch. Rough weekend for the predictions! “Ohio State wins a “defensive” yawner : 17-7.” So much for my knowledge!

I’d like to see the Trojans of USC get a chance to knock down the Buckeyes. I truly believe Michigan is the 2nd best team in the nation, but here’s the thing. If USC wins out, take a look at who they will have beaten – Notre Dame, Nebraska, Arkansas. Amazing. These are three teams who could potentially be in the BCS. Michigan has beaten Notre Dame. Don’t you think USC deserves a shot – I mean, Michigan already had their shot right?

This is why college football is the best sport going today. If we get USC or Michigan, no one can really complain. Based on the 42-39 thriller played in Columbus, Michigan seems to be the best #2 team of the season (take a look at the last team Ohio State played ranked # 2 – the Buckeyes went into Austin and handled the Longhorns like a cowboy in west Texas). And yet, USC will have potentially beaten 2 conference champions and another BCS bound school when the season ends. For fans like me, who enjoy good games between evenly matched teams, you can’t go wrong in selecting either of those two teams.

Interestingly enough, USC still has two games left, one against Jabba the Hut’s Irish, and the annual showdown with cross-town rival UCLA. Sure, the Trojans could slip up (see Texas at Kansas State – you think the folks in Austin aren’t playing the “what if” game again). If that’s the case, I can’t see putting anyone into the BCS title game except Michigan.

Finally, on a side note, I’d like to take issue with the new BCS formula. As a Texas fan, I want the Horns to win the Big 12. There is a part of me, however, which wouldn’t be disappointed in Texas falls to Nebraska in Kansas City next weekend (assuming UT can dispose of the Aggies for the 7th straight year). What does the Big 12 Champion get? A trip to the Fiesta Bowl to play BOISE STATE. What a unimpressive Bowl game that one’s going to be! The loser will likely end up in the Holiday Bowl against California, a matchup better suited for a New Year’s Day bowl than late December. The reason Boise State will likely make it to the BCS is because of the new expaned 5 game format of the BCS, which guarantees any non BCS conference school a slot in one of the games, assuming they finish within the top 12 of the BCS standings.

Honestly, if Texas plays Boise State, I will be sorely disappointed. So while I would like to beat A&M Friday, I would like to request that the Aggies do their best, once the game is decided to re-injure the shoulder of Colt McCoy, making a win against Nebraska less likely. Let’s send the Cornhumpers to Tempe for the Boring Bowl, and give the Golden Bears a shot at the team which knocked them out of the BCS two years ago…

BCS Predictions
Rose: Florida vs. Michigan
Fiesta: Texas vs. Boise State
Sugar: Arkansas vs. Louisville
Orange: Georgia Tech vs. Notre Dame
BCS Title: Ohio State vs. USC

Mike VanderCLANK

If you think NFL kickers don’t deserve the treatment they get as goats for games lost in the last minute, then perhaps you have never met Dallas Cowboys kicker Mike Vanderjact. Dallas spent millions to bring in the NFL’s most accurate kicker in history. What has Vanderclank done for the Cowboys since getting here? Missed 5 FGs already! Here’s some perspective – in the previous three YEARS, he’d missed a total of 7.

So what is the problem with the lonesome kicker? He’s a jackass, and in Texas, that doesn’t fly. In Indianapolis, the Colts shook themselves of the liquored up idiot kicker after his disturbing shank in the playoffs last year against Pittsburgh. Since blowing the chance to tie the Steelers, Vanderjact has been a shell of the ice cold kicker he once was.

The best part? His attitude drips with confidence, and his personality refuses to allow him to admit that he, well, sucks. During the showdown with his former team, the Colts, Vanderjact missed two field goals in the first half, going 0-2 in the game. His quote after the game in the locker room went, and I summarize: “I was a bit off, but in the end, missing those field goals in like dropping a TD pass, so it’s not something we aren’t used to around here.” Wow. Are you kidding me? Really!? You are a kicker. Let me explain what that means. You spend all week warming up your legs and kick the ball. You don’t have to run. You don’t have to tackle. You don’t have to block. You don’t even have to sweat! Don’t compare two missed FGs to a dropped TD pass. Amazing!

I hate OJ Simpson

What is wrong with sports today? Where to begin? The brawl in Miami? Covered that one already. How about waking up to find out that in the last week, Bob Knight jaw jacked some kid (who actually LIKED it?!) and OJ Simpson is putting on an interview on what he would have done had he actually killed his wife and her lover!

Great. Just friggin great! People often ask me, “Andy, why do you have so much worthless sports knowledge in your head? Don’t you have anything better to do with your time than follow this stuff?” After silently cursing under my breath, I usually fling some kind of donkey dung at the questioner about using sports as a release from an otherwise stressful and repetitive day. You see, sports is supposed to be the place where you can immerse yourself in following the achievements and failures of others while not worrying about whether people will get hurt, killed, or destroyed publicly in the process. I mean, it’s a GAME, right?

I feel the life draining from the argument the older I get. I can’t tell if that is my maturation processes telling me that there ARE more important things in life than sports, or whether I am becoming jaded with the whole concept. Don’t mistake me here, I have no intention of giving up my die hard sport habits, but I’ve got an idea that would be a wonderful addition to all fans like me who wish sports was about just that – sports.

You know how Tivo, DirecTv, Cox, Time Warner, and all those cable providers offer those child proof technologies? Wouldn’t it be great if we had one to “sports relevancy” proof our sporting programming? Let me clarify – when I go home for lunch, I tune into ESPN to find out about information about the upcoming OSU vs. Michigan football game. The pertinent information, like what Michigan plans to do to slow down Troy Smith, what the Ohio State defense secondary will do to contain Mario Manningham. These things matter to me, because I want to see the drama played out before me on Saturday and watch these games within the game.

But what do I get instead? Another story about OJ Simpson!!! Is there a more despicable human being on the planet this side of Osama bin Laden? I mean this guy murders his wife and her lover, slashes them to pieces, and gets away with it. Sure, the prosecutors in the case were dumber than the dog crap on the bottom of my boots, but still – that was one case which should have been easier than getting into Anna Nicole Smith’s pants if you’re a rich old dude. But noooooooo, Simpson and his team of crack (and yes, I mean the drug) attorneys lead by the now (thank goodness) deceased Johnnie Cochran had to wiggle their way out the obvious, using the race card to their benefit. Fine. A multi-murderer got away. But should we really be forced to relive the incident every time Simpson comes up short on his finances? How much do you think Fox is paying for his interview which is coming up in late November?

Furthermore, the title of the book is called, “If I did it”. Dude, jackass, news flash you piece of crap, YOU DID IT. Let’s see if I can sum up the substance of the book: If I did it, I would blame LAPD for being racist, get away with murdering my children’s mother, lose a civil lawsuit and go bankrupt, write a book called If I did it, and make some money to pay back the victim’s families” Gee, it sounds an awful lot like what really happened, huh? If I had my way, I would find OJ, kick him as hard as I could in the nads, and send him on an expedition to find the mastermind behind the 9/11 attacks in Afghanistan (Lord knows he has proven his ability to track down mass murderers before – remember his pledge to find the REAL killers when he was found innocent? Guess what, he found the killer, and now wrote a book about it!)

And if I have to hear about Bobby Knight punching that scruffy haired honky from Texas Tech one more time I am going to vomit. I don’t care. Coach at a school which consistently wins basketball games, and become relevant to the college basketball world again, and I might give a crap. Otherwise, accept three things in life 1) Death 2) Taxes 3) Bob Knight beating up his players.

These issues could easily be ignored if we had our sports filter in place on my TV. I think I’ll cut this short and make a call to my cable provider right now. (after I stop at the bookstore to reserve my copy of this new book I heard was coming out…)

Game of the Decade????

With Michigan set to battle Ohio State, and the BCS folks wishing that the game was a matchup made in National Championship heaven, and NOT Big 10 (or 11, if you like) heaven, it’s time to break down the advantages of each school.

Michigan
The Wolverines defense is the key to the game, in this humble view of mine. If that defense which has shown so much flash and determination in getting Michigan to 11-0 shows up, then the game will likely fall Lloyd Carr’s way. Of course, this is a defense we are talking that has played absolutely no one near the talent of the offensive firepower at Ohio State’s disposal. The most recognizable offensive juggernaut Michigan has faced this year? Notre Dame, a team which has struggled to defeat mediocre squads UCLA, Georgia Tech, and Michigan State.

Ohio State
The Buckeyes offense may be the key for these heavily favored boys to get to the BCS Championship. Against a subpar Big 10, an overrated Texas team, and some patsies in the mid-major conferences (Northern Iowa, ect), Troy Smith has put up gaudy numbers and staked his claim for the Heismann trophy. Those numbers may be somewhat inflated, when you take a look at the caliber of teams Smith, Teddy Ginn, Antonio Pittman and CO. have faced this season. The toughest defense faced thus far? Texas, a team ranked near the bottom of NCAA Division I in pass defense – and Ohio State’s offense production in Austin was nothing to write home about. This is a Texas defense which just gave up 45 points to Kansas State (not to mention the 33 hung up by Baylor against the Horns)

So what does this all mean? What we have here is two teams with undefeated records that could, arguably, be noted as unproven squads. Each team has a signature win at a nationally recognized school (Ohio State at Texas, Michigan at Notre Dame). Looking at those teams, one can question whether the Buckeyes defeat of Texas or the Michigan destruction of the Irish should be an indication of the Wolverines and Buckeyes dominance over the college game, or a mere reflection of the overrated Irish and Horns (remember, these were the #2 and #3 ranked schools coming into the season, and we all know how the preseason polls greatly affect college football all season long)

So it comes down to this – are we watching the game of the century Saturday, or is it just a matter of two teams meeting after wiping up some patsies in an overhyped ABC drama fest? Let’s call it a mixture of both – teams can only beat who they are scheduled to play, and it seems clear that being one of only three teams left unbeaten should be an honor to which the winner should receive the spoils – a trip to the BCS Title game.

My prediction – Michigan’s defense stands fast and holds Ohio State in check. Ohio State’s defense comes up with some key turnovers deep in Wolverine territory, giving Smith and Co. a short field. Ohio State wins a “defensive” yawner : 17-7

Updated BCS Bowl Predictions:
Rose: Arkansas vs. Michigan
Fiesta: Texas vs. Notre Dame
Sugar: Florida vs. West Virginia
Orange: Wake Forest vs. Boise State
BCS Title: Ohio State vs. USC

BCS talk

Can you believe it!? Rutgers upsets Louisville. Of course, this ruins my theory about Notre Dame adding the Scarlet Knights, but what the heck! I’m a Texas fan, and this could open the door for my Longhorns.
I tell you what is strange though. No one seems to be giving Rutgers much chance of finishing the year unbeaten and making it into the BCS Championship game against the Michigan – Ohio State game. But what would happen if the boys from Piscatawy, NJ, won the rest of their games and finished 12-0? That would include a trip to Morgantown to face West Virginia, a team likely to go into that game with just one loss. It seems odd that the folks who were terrified of Louisville getting jumped by Texas or Florida or Auburn are willing to, apparently, put off the Scarlet Knights as an “also ran” in the title chase. Sure, they have a padded record with a bunch of pansy non-conference games, but who doesn’t? If Rutgers finishes unbeaten, they will have defeated two top 10 teams, a feat that few college teams will be able to match.
For all the Cinderella stories coming out of news outlets, the reality is Rutgers won’t win out. We’ll end up with three teams from the Big East with one loss, one of whom will get pounded as the rep in the BCS. Who that would be is beyond me – does anyone know the tiebreak rule in the Big East (does anyone care)
And again, we will have an undefeated team playing a one loss team for the national championship, and again we’ll have controversy. Assuming they win out, who deserves that shot? Florida, Texas, or the loser of the Michigan State/Ohio State game. My vote would go to the Gators – few teams can weather the storm that is the SEC, and given the BCS’s history with that conference (see Auburn’s snub in 2003) it would be tough to accept a UT rematch with Ohio State over Florida.
The fact is, Texas might slip into the game again based on he upcoming schedule for all these teams. The SEC will not send out a team with just one loss – Florida still has South Carolina on the schedule, while Auburn still must face Alabama and Arkansas, not to mention the SEC Championship game. Texas faces K-State and Texas A&M, a couple of highly regarded programs….back in 1999. A rematch with Nebraska looms large in the Big 12 title game – but this time around, Texas wouldn’t be facing a blizzard and the pressure packed Memorial Stadium Conrhumpers. I like the Horns chances better than Florida or Auburn.
Based on the information known to my little mind, I present my BCS bowl predictions….

Rose: USC vs. Michigan
Fiesta: Boise State vs. Notre Dame
Sugar: Auburn vs. Louisville
Orange: Georgia Tech vs. Florida
BCS Title: Ohio State vs. Texas

Whaaaaa Whaaaa - Cry me a river, or Hurricane...

A player from Miami was shot and killed. Anyone surprised? I’m not. This is just another indication of the moral character which The U attracts. Perhaps this is a bit harsh as we “mourn” the death of Bryan Pata. Yet, call me cynical, but it seems lots of players in the college football world can use the free scholarship to get ahead in life instead of lowlifing with the thugs that players like Pata no doubt surrounded himself with. It will come as little surprise to me as this investigation goes further that Pata was murdered by someone he knew, one of those “inner circle posse hommies’ that thug football players have recently decided they needed in order to survive the rigors of the college football experience. The scene with Pata’s mother wailing at the crime scene was indeed a touching and emotional moment – and yet the cynic in me wonders, “How was that lady able to afford the Lexus she crawled out of?” I said it in my first true post – Miami is Thug U. I was a bit off in my last post – 10) Someone from Miami will shoot somebody. Turns out I had the victim in the wrong spot. Hopefully, officials at Miami will open their eyes to the types of people they are bringing into their system for the sake of football, and will make every effort from here out to clean up that place.

Forgive me for my lack of compassion for Pata, his family, and Thug U. We have young soldiers oversees dying daily to protect our freedoms, and yet our media shoves this crap done our throats.

10 Bold Predictions...

1) Colt McCoy will have a seat in New York for the Heissman trophy presentation
2) Louisville will face the winner of the Ohio State vs. Michigan game for the National Championship. College football fans will revolt. BCS schools will keep the current system in place.
3) Auburn, Florida, Texas, and USC, who will all finish with one loss, will have major conniption fits about being shunned from the BCS title game. School presidents from each institution will meet to discuss over a filet mignon dinner, paid for by the sponsors, vendors, and revenue generated by the BCS. College football fans will forget how pissed they are once the NCAA basketball tournament rolls around.
4) ESPN’s Lee Corso will don the hat of whatever school College GameDay is broadcasting from. Duh. The shocking part comes when Kirk Herbstreet punches him in the face.
5) Charlie Weiss will complain, loudly, about free falling in the polls. The Fighting Irish will try to strengthen their schedule in 2007 by adding Rutgers. Jabba the Hut (Weiss) and his minions will become agitated in 2007 when they beat everyone up, including the Scarlet Knights, Navy, North Carolina, Air Force, and other "powerhouses" of college football, and are leapfrogged by legitimate football schools. Weiss will say something like, “ Well, it befuddles me that we can beat a bowl team like Rutgers at home with a hail mary pass with no time left to win by 1, and yet still drop in the polls . What do voters want us to do, join a conference or something?”
6) Rutgers will lose its last 4 games to Louisville, Cincinnati, Syracuse, and West Virginia to finish 8-4. They will get destroyed in their bowl game, finishing the year unranked. Before the 2007 matchup with Notre Dame, they will lose 5 more games. Charlie Weiss will remain “befuddled” after his 2007 miracle against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights.
7) Virginia will fire Al Groh. Has their been a bigger bust hire in college football over the past 10 years this side of Dennis Francione than Groh? The Hoos have been bad enough this year that Notre Dame has thought about adding Groh’s boys for the next DECADE.
8) Bob Stoops will make another poor coaching decision, and it will pay off. You would have thought someone with a few national championship game appearances would be smarter than Stoops, but based on Saturday night’s 4th and 1 call to go for it deep in Texas A&M territory, it must be clear that there is in fact no GPA requirement to become coach at OU. The funny part is, because the Aggie run defense is so bad they couldn’t stop ME from busting through, no one seems to think Stoops decision to go for it was W-R-O-N-G. Ask Pete Carroll and last year’s USC Trojans, whose decision to go for it against Texas cost them field position and eventually the National Championship – in close game situations where field position can be the difference in winning and losing, trust your defense to make that stand.
9) Gamblers will realize the surefire pick of the college football season has become betting the over on any game Hawaii plays. No one stops the juggernaut that is June Jones’s offense.
10) A player from the University of Miami will shoot someone.

Aggie Football

I find myself silently becoming an Aggie fan. I know, it’s disastrous, but picture this atmosphere – 10-1 UT vs. 10-1 ATM for the Big 12 South Championship game the Friday after Thanksgiving. I know A&M ran up some wins against some questionable opponents (no offense Army and The Citadel), but it’s not like Mack Brown scheduled the toughest foes in the land (offense intended Sam Houston State). The point is the pageantry and rivalry of this game has gone to wayside in the past seven years as the Longhorns have been in the upper echelon of college football, while the folks in College Station have endured the turmoil that is Francione Football.

I remember vividly the 1999 game in which the Aggies came off the tragic bonfire ordeal and beat Texas in dramatic fashion. Those days of brotherly rivalry / hatred are long gone. Now we look back at games like last years double digit Texas win at Kyle Field and reflect, “Well, at least the Aggies didn’t get totally killed. They put up a good effort.”

The Aggies inability to get any kind of competitive fight into the series has led the Texas Tech Red Raiders to rear their head as the Aggies prominent rivalry game. (Of course, the Texas – Okalahoma border brawl, as well as the rankings which go with the Longhorn-Sooner games, has taken some luster off the instate battle between the Horns and Ags) The worst part is Tech has manhandled the Aggies in the past few years as well, and the kids in College Station refuse to acknowledge the supremacy of Tech over the past decade, or the fact that Tech vs. A&M has taken on more fire and hatred than Texas vs. A&M has had in years.

As a Longhorn graduate, this disheartens me. I have good friends who went to A&M, and who are gracious enough to invite me over for libations and ribbing on those great days after Thanksgiving. Having games like the one played in 1999 would do wonders for the state of Texas, as well as for football in general. While a loss to A&M would eat at the inner being of every Longhorn, including this one, I can’t deny that the lack of competitive games is what is driving this once storied war into the background of Texas football.

I would welcome the days where kickoff came and it was a game which Longhorns worried about, a game in which you truly can “throw the records out the window” because the rivalry is so huge. But the gap in talent between Austin and College Station has grown far too wide for any 100 plus year old rivalry to shrink.
The solution? Fire Fran at A&M and take one of the great assistance coaches Mack Brown has assembled in Austin. Duane Aikina is a defensive mastermind who is just born to be a head coach. We already know that Gene Chiznik, the co-defensive coordinator with Aikina and Assistant Head Coach, is headed out at the end of the year. Brown, for all his nicknames and monikers about being Mr. February for his ability to recruit but inability to take the reins on the game day, is the best in the business this side of Bob Stoops in bringing in top flight assistant coaches.

It’s time that Aggies swallowed their pride and began utilizing the assets available right here in the state of Texas to begin a true rebuilding project. Fran will take you so far, and then jump ship like he’s done at every other school (and from the looks of the past 4 years in College Station, he may have already cast his lot on sinking that ship). Tradition is great and all, but it’s time our friends at A&M admitted how far they have fallen, and begin the long climb out of the cellar of Texas football. Texas has done its part to bring national attention to the state with its 2005 BCS Championship. It’s time Texas A&M work to create the legendary battles of old between the Longhorns and Aggies – take us back to a time when no other school in the state mattered, as it should be.