Month: January 2008 (Page 23 of 25)

SPORTSbyBROOKS.com (via the Detroit Free Press) spotted an interesting article in the Fairmont Times-West Virginian, in which the mother of former West Virginia head coach Rich Rodriguez wrote a former letter urging Mountaineer fans to stop slamming her son for accepting the Michigan job.

In a letter written to the FAIRMONT TIMES-WEST VIRGINIAN, Rich’s mother explains that his decision to leave was a difficult one, but he had to do “what he felt necessary for his career.”

Arleen also sadly noted, “We as a family will especially miss the fun times of all being together every football game Saturday.”

But Mrs. R isn’t so solemn when it comes to attacks on her kin: “We have found it especially difficult to understand or explain the actions of a few of our West Virginians. It was deplorable that our family, especially the children, have been threatened and property damaged.”

(What does she expect from folks that like to torch a couch now and then?)

Now, I love my mother with all my heart. But I don’t know how keen I’d be on the idea of her writing a letter to a newspaper asking people not to pick on me. This has to be a little embarrassing for Rich Rod.

With all due respect to Ohio State’s Malcolm Jenkins, Troy’s Elbert Mack and South Florida’s Mike Jenkins, junior Aqib Talib of Kansas provided another example in Thursday night’s Orange Bowl that he might be the best cornerback in college football.

In the first quarter of the Jayhawks’ 24-21 upset of Virginia Tech, Talib read Hokie quarterback Sean Glennon like a book, jumped an out route and took an interception 60 yards to the house. Fifty-three other defensive backs hauled in more interceptions this season, but Talib might have the most polished skills of any corner in college football. It’ll be interesting to see if he enters the draft this year.

As far as the game went, KU was awfully impressive. VA Tech has one of the best defenses in the nation, but the Jayhawks moved the ball down the field methodically on several occasions. The Hokies just couldn’t get anything going offensively, but in typical Frank Beamer-fashion, they did run a punt back for a touchdown. Beamer’s special teams units are top notch every season.

Rose Bowl: USC 49, Illinois 17
Sugar Bowl: Georgia 41, Hawaii 10
Fiesta Bowl: West Virginia 48, Oklahoma 28

If these scores are any indication of how the final two BCS bowl games will play out, fans should have something else prepared to do by halftime.

I hate to sound negative (West Virginia beating Oklahoma really was exciting, although the game wasn’t), but with the current system in place, aren’t the five BCS bowl games supposed to be the best of the bunch? Generally speaking, aren’t these games supposed to be in place of a playoff? Obviously the BCS has no control over how the actual games play out, but doesn’t their little computer pick the matchups? If the current system didn’t suck so much, maybe fans could put up with the supposed top bowl games all being blowouts to this point. But the system does suck, and now so does the product.

Thank the college football gods for more exciting bowl games like Florida/Michigan, Auburn/Clemson and Central Michigan/Purdue, because the BCS games have been brutal so far.