College Football Quiz: 1) Who did Frank Beamer replace as coach at Virginia Tech in 1987? 2) What Virginia Tech receiver led the team in receptions, 1956-58, and later played in Super Bowls I and II? 3) Who is Washington’s leading rusher? [Played in the NFL for six seasons.] Answers below.
College Football Review
[Poll rankings listed are prior to Sunday’s new AP and BCS figures]
The weekend offered a few surprises. Like No. 6 Houston’s major choke job against No. 24 Southern Mississippi (though I like the latter’s uniforms), 49-28, in the Conference USA Championship contest as the Cougars threw away a BCS bid, an undefeated season, and any hopes quarterback Case Keenum had of the Heisman Trophy. Mr. Chairman, I’d like to revise and extend my remarks of the prior week that Keenum was my personal pick for the award. He sucked. Houston sucked.
[Nonetheless, Houston coach Kevin Sumlin is said to be headed to Texas A&M unless the Cougars can roll out a pile of dough to keep the guy. For their part, So. Miss is an attractive bowl team.]
And talk about laying an egg…that was No. 5 Virginia Tech being dismantled by a heretofore struggling, No. 20 Clemson, 38-10, in the ACC title game, thus setting up a scintillating Orange Bowl matchup with West Virginia, the winners of the Big East’s BCS bid by virtue of their higher BCS ranking than league co-champions Louisville and Cincinnati.
Then there was No. 14 Georgia vs. No. 1 LSU. The Bulldogs took a 10-0 lead on the Tigers and it should have been 17-0, at a minimum, except for one dropped pass after another by the Georgia receivers in the first half. In fact, Georgia held LSU to 12 yards in the opening 30 minutes and no first downs! Unreal.
But LSU has Tyrann Mathieu, one of the more exciting players to come along in years, and he ignited the Tigers with a 62-yard punt return for a score with six minutes to go in the half and LSU rolled after the intermission, 42-10.
Meanwhile, the Rose Bowl is going to be fun, even though it has zero national championship implications, as it will be No. 9 Oregon, 49-31 winners over UCLA in the Pac-12 Championship, vs. No. 15 Wisconsin, 42-39 winners over No. 13 Michigan State in the Big Ten title game. LaMichael James vs. Monte Ball. [James, by the way, became the first Pac-12 rusher with three straight 1,500-yard seasons.]
And then there is No. 3 Oklahoma State, which defeated No. 10 Oklahoma in Stillwater, 44-10, but will be left out of the BCS Championship. I can’t go nuts over this. Yes, the Cowboys have a more than legitimate argument they deserve the shot at LSU over Alabama, but OSU losing to 6-6 Iowa State is simply a killer.
So I wrote all of the above, Sunday morning, before the release of the following.
Your new AP Poll*:
1. LSU 13-0…1500 points
2. Alabama 11-1…1418
3. Oklahoma State 11-1…1400
4. Stanford 11-1…1283
5. USC 10-2…1179
6. Oregon 11-1…1170
7. Arkansas 10-2…1148
8. Boise State 11-1…1107
9. Wisconsin 11-2…1038
10. South Carolina 10-2…946
14. Clemson
20. Houston
23. West Virginia
Wait, it’s about 1:00 pm ET, 7 hours before release of the BCS, and Oklahoma State has narrowed the gap with Alabama big time! Just last week, Alabama not only held a 1440-1259 points differential over Oklahoma State, but they garnered all 60 second-place votes, though this week it was 38 for Alabama, 22 for Oklahoma State!
Can it be…is it possible enough of the pollsters involved in the BCS will now flip?
And so the Final BCS Poll:
1. LSU 1.000
2. Alabama .942
3. Oklahoma State .933
4. Stanford .848
5. Oregon .790
6. Arkansas .769
7. Boise State .741
8. Kansas State .683
9. South Carolina .655
10. Wisconsin .637
18. TCU .387…needed to be No. 16
19. Houston .350
Fiesta Bowl…Oklahoma State vs. Stanford…must see TV
Rose Bowl…Oregon vs. Wisconsin…super entertaining…I’ll be all over it
Sugar Bowl…Michigan vs. Virginia Tech…what?! This sucks! [Arkansas? South Carolina? Boise State? Kansas State? Who gives a damn about this matchup?! Someone ask me out that night. Must be a female.]
Orange Bowl…Clemson vs. West Virginia…laundry day…also hope Staples is open that evening because I need to get some large paper clips and just may splurge on mailing labels, depending on how good Santa is on the cash front.
So, I’ll watch the Fiesta and Rose Bowls, and look forward to them as a fan, but really couldn’t care less about the others, including the BCS title game. More on the ‘minor’ bowls next time. Chances are I’ll try and catch up to three of them. I mean I have other things to do, people to see over the holidays. Beers to drink, both domestic and premium. Plus the last few weeks of regular season NFL action.
*For those who don’t follow such things, the AP is no longer part of the BCS formula, but there is always the chance (though not this year), that the AP’s final winner is different from the BCS, and that would be delicious.
–In the I-AA playoffs (Football Championship Subdivision)…it’s down to the quarterfinals.
Sam Houston State vs. Montana State; Georgia Southern vs. Maine; Northern Iowa vs. Montana; Lehigh vs. North Dakota State.
Folks in Montana must be pumped! Plus, being on the Canadian border, you’d think they’d be smuggling some good premium across.
–I refuse to write another word about Jerry Sandusky, but this is too much. I’m looking through Kohl’s newspaper insert on Sunday and what do they show under the heading “20-40% off team apparel”? Two models wearing Nittany Lions garb; thereby proving that the guy in charge of putting the catalogue together is a freakin’ idiot and should be forced to sit in the passenger seat with Sandusky driving. [Then again, the discount does make perfect sense.]
–I’m going to lay out all the playoff possibilities next time as the Sandman has hit me in a big way, Sunday night.
But my Jets suddenly got their act together late in the fourth quarter against Washington to keep their playoff hopes alive at 7-5 following a 34-19 win, even as the Jets suffered their league record sixth turnover on special teams.
Meanwhile, the Giants lost a heartbreaker to the now 12-0 Packers, 38-35, but with Dallas losing to the Cardinals in overtime, and with the 6-6 Giants having two games left with the 7-5 Cowboys, New York is still in it.
And Tim Tebow moved to 6-1 as a starter as the Broncos, now 7-5, defeated the lowly Vikings, 35-32. It’s a great story, whether you think the guy is a true NFL quarterback or not.
Remember how I said the other day that teams that are 20-point favorites seldom beat the spread? New England was a 20-point favorite over winless Indianapolis but won by just seven, 31-24.
Tennessee’s Chris Johnson is back, rushing for 153 (343 yards the last two games) in the Titans’ 23-17 win over a Buffalo team that is confirming their hot start was a total fluke. Look for Bills fans to go careening over Niagara Falls on Monday.
And Miami, now 4-8, beat Oakland, 34-14.
–Never before in the modern era has one team gone undefeated and another winless in the same season. According to Vegas oddsmaker, R.J. Bell, he would make the Packers 25-point favorites over the Colts if they played this season, which would be the biggest spread in league history. [Sam Farmer / L.A. Times] The Pack, however, still has Oakland, Chicago and Detroit to negotiate (along with Kansas City). As for the Colts, they play Baltimore, Tennessee and Houston, before ending the year at Jacksonville. Now that last one could be interesting. Indy would already have the No. 1 pick wrapped up and the Jaguars blow.
–As for the health of Peyton Manning, he was cleared for more work but still can’t take a hit. He hasn’t practiced since his spinal fusion of Sept. 8, his third neck surgery in 19 months and the riskiest of the three.
The Colts kept him on the active roster all year in the hope he could play by season’s end but that doesn’t seem likely. They have until March to decide whether to pay him a $28 million bonus or allow him to become a free agent as they then draft Andrew Luck.
—Donovan McNabb was released by the Vikings. You want him? I don’t want him.
Jon Gruden was far and away the winner with 21%, while Troy Aikman and John Madden (retired) were next at 9%. I was just surprised by this. I can’t stand Gruden. Not a big fan of Aikman, either. I’d say my favorite is Phil Simms, with Marv Albert my play-by-play guy.
[Did you catch Gus Johnson on the Michigan State-Wisconsin game? Geezuz, not every freakin’ play deserves to be hyped like it is the play of the year! Gus is just irritating.]
College B-Ball
I have to admit I have little interest in the season until January, especially with my Wake Forest Demon Deacons not in the mix (though they did have a nice road win at Nebraska this week, before then laying an egg against a mediocre Richmond team at home), and with two New York football teams to follow, let alone college football. But the Kentucky-North Carolina game on Saturday, No. 1 vs. No. 5, was entertaining, won by the Wildcats, 73-72. No doubt the Tarheels don’t look good right now, but I’m not in the least bit concerned for my prediction they still roll come March.
–Here’s a tidbit from Kevin Clark of the Wall Street Journal. Of the past 15 national champions, only five were AP No. 1 at one point during the regular season. For example, UConn, last year’s winner, was never ranked above No. 4. All time, 33 of 63 NCAA champs were No. 1 sometime during their title season, according to Stats LLC.
Thus far this season it’s just Kentucky and North Carolina who’ve occupied the top spot.
–You want to root for someone? Try Robbie Hummel of Purdue. The poor guy is starting out the year in solid fashion after two ACL tears in eight months (Feb. and Oct. 2010 costing him the 2010-2011 season). But as noted in Sports Illustrated, doctors familiar with the injury and the way it’s been treated say there is a decent risk that he’ll tear the same ACL a third time.
Ball Bits
–On Monday, the Baseball Hall of Fame will announce if any of the candidates before the Veterans Committee got the necessary 75% for enshrinement. Ron Santo, Gil Hodges and Luis Tiant have the best shot and I’ve been a fan of the late Santo’s for years. I’d have no problem with Hodges or Tiant, either
–Meanwhile, ballots have gone out for 2012 and it is amazingly weak in terms of the newcomers, not one of whom deserves mention. So some are saying this opens the door wide open for Barry Larkin in particular, Larkin having achieved 62.1% last year (again, 75% needed here as well). But I’m still lukewarm on him. Jack Morris is another who should move up some, he having 52.3% last time. And Jeff Bagwell is another worth watching because he received a solid 41.7% his first appearance in 2011, while Mark McGwire will no doubt remain mired around 20% in this his sixth year.
It’s next year’s ballot, though, where the excitement is already building. First timers Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Sammy Sosa, Craig Biggio, Mike Piazza, and Curt Schilling.
–I keep staring at the Mets’ roster and I’m struggling to see them winning more than 48 games next season.
—Tiger Woods could be back following his “unofficial” win this weekend at his invitational. I noted earlier how important his Presidents Cup performance was and he’s building on it. I know a lot of you don’t like the jerk, but for the sake of the sport, I’d love to see him back in top form for the Masters…a tradition unlike any other.
–The World Cup Ski season is underway and while I won’t even attempt to keep up with it all, I’ll do my best for you fanatics out there. This weekend, for example, provided U.S. fans with a few things to cheer about.
As in, so much for my comment that Lindsey Vonn might be impacted by her pending divorce! As in all Lindsey did was win back-to-back downhills at Lake Louise, Alberta! She won on Friday and Saturday. Earlier, she won the season-opening giant slalom in Austria so by my count, she had taken 3 of the first 6 races on the circuit! As Ronald Reagan would have said, “Not bad…not bad at all.”
[By the way, the World Cup season is super hard to follow. The official sites aren’t the best and you’re always subject to snow conditions with some future races already cancelled due to lack of the white stuff in the Alps.]
Separately, down in Beaver Creek, Colo., Bode Miller won the downhill on Friday. He remains one of the more fascinating, if at times infuriating, figures in all of sports.
–Drat! The one Wake b-ball player in the NBA I really can’t stand is Chris Paul (for the way he screwed up what could have been a Final Four season) and now he’s clamoring for a trade to my Knicks! Geezuz, this would suck, though I may be the only Knicks fan that feels that way.
–Just to show you I’m paying attention to the coming NBA season, I read the little team synopses in Sports Illustrated and you know who could be intriguing? The Minnesota Timberwolves. Yes, the 17-65 T’Wolves. Why? What if Spanish playmaking sensation Ricky Rubio is the real deal? And they have rookie forward Derrick Williams out of Arizona, who was quite the sensation himself last year. Plus Minneapolis has a lot of good-looking women. [Not that I’m now thinking of going there to catch a T’Wolves game. Ahem…ahem.]
–New Jersey is preparing to launch another bear hunt and it’s as controversial as ever. Imagine that in the late 1960s/early 70s, the bear population was near extinction here.
But just six years ago there were an estimated 1,600 and today the bruin population is said to be near 3,300. Activists, however, point to declining complaints, with, for example, just half the calls for aggressive bears this year as 2010. I’m just thinking the word went out among bruin leadership, “Guys, time to behave to see if we can stop the hunt, know what I’m sayin’?”
–As Director of Shark Attacks for Bar Chat, Bob S., notes, that video you all saw of the great white shark off Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina, is highly disconcerting. Great whites are very rarely in this area. And at the same time, thanks to the fiscal situation in Washington, we have a shrinking Navy. Frankly, it’s an issue for 2012 and the presidential debates.
“Mr. Obama. Great white sightings off our coast are increasing while your administration is slashing defense spending. How do you explain this to the American people?”
–For the archives I just have to note the story of the hunting dog who blew away his owner. Well, the dog didn’t exactly blow the guy away but the man laid his gun across the bow of his boat while he went to attend to some duck decoys when, according to the sheriff, “The dog got excited, was jumping around inside the boat and then it jumped on the gun. It went off, shooting the [man] in the buttocks.”
Victim Robert Cottingham refused to talk on camera after having 27 shotgun pellets removed from his rear. It was ruled an accident and the dog was allowed to eat dinner that night, best we can determine. [Salt Lake City Tribune]
–We note the passing of former “Laugh-In” regular Alan Sues at the age of 85. Looking back on the cast, he’s one whose act would have worked today compared to some of the others, the cast including Judy Carne, Goldie Hawn, Ruth Buzzi, Jo Anne Worley, Arte Johnson and Henry Gibson. Oh, you younger folks just don’t realize how ‘revolutionary’ “Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In” was deemed to be back in the day.
Sues played recurring characters like Big Al, the effeminate sportscaster, who’d ring a small bell on his desk and exclaim, “Oh…my tinkle…my tinkle…I looove my tinkle”; and Uncle Al the Kiddies’ Pal, a perpetually hung-over children’s show host.
Sues was gay but not publicly because he feared it would ruin his career.
–Christine Sismondo, an academic at Canada’s Ryerson University, wrote a book titled, “America Walks Into a Bar: A Spirited History of Taverns and Saloons, Speakeasies and Grog Shops” (Oxford). As reviewed by Martin Morse Wooster in the Dec. 5 issue of The Weekly Standard:
“Most of us know that 18th-century Americans spent a lot of time in taverns. But Sismondo explains the reasons why. First, there weren’t that many places for people to meet. There were coffeehouses, which often served as much alcohol as coffee, but these places were more comparable to the private club of today in that they prided themselves on their ability to exclude. Taverns would admit anybody. To differentiate themselves in the midst of robust competition, the taverns offered all sorts of embellishments. Some had regular Sunday sermons, while others bragged about their oddities, such as an eight-legged cat or a ‘learned pig’ who knew how to multiply and divide.”
One of the first places to discuss weighty issues, though, was the Junto, established in 1727 by Benjamin Franklin at the Indian King Tavern in Philadelphia.
Two other Philly watering holes played important roles in the American Revolution. “The City Tavern…held many sessions of the Continental Congress and was the place where, in 1774, George Washington met John Adams for the first time. On November 10, 1775, Continental Army officers met in the Tun Tavern to create America’s first regiment of Marines. Every November, Marines around the world celebrate the Corps’ birthday, commemorating events that took place in a bar over 200 years ago.”
–Uh oh…from Smithsonian… “King crabs have come to the Antarctic shelf. Frigid water kept them away for millions of years, but now the region is warming up, says Craig Smith of the University of Hawaii.”
This is yet another worrisome development, sports fans. But there’s one thing that king crabs fear. Representatives from Red Lobster!!!
–Hey, Jeff B. I just read a great review of a restaurant in Jackson Heights, Queens, called Himalayan Yak! But, alas, no yak itself on the menu. For newcomers to the site, we have a certain fondness for the mangy, yet noble yak…a zoo favorite of mine that also happens to be very tasty and nutritious.
–Oh baby…just placed a big cookie order from Cheryls.com after getting a catalogue in the mail. You try going on that site without ordering something. My only problem is I might eat it all before I have a chance to share it with family on Christmas Day, which was the purpose of the order.
Top 3 songs for the week of 12/4/82: #1 “Truly” (Lionel Richie…OK) #2 “Gloria” (Laura Branigan…totally makes me want to blow my brains out…this woman was dreadful) #3 “Mickey” (Toni Basil…oh god, this sucked)…and…#4 “Maneater” (Daryl Hall & John Oates…one of their worst) #5 “Heartlight” (Neil Diamond…just stupid) #6 “Up Where We Belong” (Joe Cocker and Jennifer Warnes…as if these two gave a damn about each other) #7 “Steppin’ Out” (Joe Jackson…incredibly depressing tune) #8 “The Girl Is Mine” (Michael Jackson/Paul McCartney…Sir Paul clearly doing this crappola for the money…Michael already incoherent…) #9 “Dirty Laundry” (Don Henley… whatever) #10 “Muscles” (Diana Ross…this week epitomizes why some of us are amazed we made it out of the 80s, musically, without jumping off a bridge)
*Madonna was just named the Super Bowl Halftime entertainment.
College Football Quiz Answers: 1) Frank Beamer replaced Bill Dooley at Virginia Tech, Dooley having coached from 1978-86, going 63-38-1. 2) Carroll Dale led Va. Tech in receiving with a whopping 8, 17 and 25 receptions, 1956-58. Dale then had a long NFL career, including with Green Bay where he played in the first two Super Bowls. 3) Napoleon Kaufman is Washington’s career rushing leader with 4,041 yards. He then had an excellent six-year career with Oakland, rushing for 4,792 yards and a superb 4.9 per carry average.
