Category: College Football (Page 66 of 296)

      What would a college football playoff look like this year?

      November 29, 2010 /
      Oct 21, 2010; Eugene, OR, USA; Fans of the Oregon Ducks cheer during the game against the UCLA Bruins at Autzen Stadium. Photo via Newscom

      Last year, I ran a series of posts examining how a college football playoff system might look. I’m getting a late start this year, but it might be for the best since the rankings are more settled.

      Here are my assumptions:

      1. The six BCS-conference champs get an automatic bid unless they are ranked outside the top 15. There would need to be some sort of ranking system used. For now, we will use the BCS. I’d rather do a straight #1-#8 seeding based on the rankings, but in order for a playoff to get implemented the big conferences would need some preferential treatment. That’s just the way it is and we all know it.

      2. If a conference champ is ranked lower than #15 in the rankings, they give up their automatic bid and it becomes an at-large bid. (This rule is to ensure that the regular season keeps its meaning and only the elite teams make the playoffs.)

      3. If a conference champ is ranked behind a non-BCS school, and have a head-to-head loss to that team, then they give up their playoff bid to that team. This is the “I Drink Your Milkshake!” rule.

      4. Seeds and at-large bids are distributed based on the current BCS standings. Certainly, these rankings need to be tweaked to place more of an emphasis on head-to-head matchups, but they are fine for now. If an at-large team has a better BCS ranking than a conference champion, they will get a higher seed.

      5. There will be three rounds of playoffs. The first round will be held at the home stadium of the higher-seeded team. The semifinals and the final will rotate amongst the four BCS cities (Miami, Pasadena, Tempe and New Orleans), so that those cities don’t lose the revenue from the bowl games.

      So here is how an eight-team playoff would look at this point…

      Continue reading »

      College Football, External Sports

      TCU to join the Big East in 2012

      November 29, 2010 /
      FORT WORTH, TX - OCTOBER 23: Head coach Gary Patterson of the TCU Horned Frogs leads his team on the field against the Air Force Falcons at Amon G. Carter Stadium on October 23, 2010 in Fort Worth, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)

      The Mountain West is having itself a rough year. After losing Utah (Pac-12) and BYU (Independent) a couple of months ago, ESPN.com is now reporting that TCU will also leave the MWC to join the Big East in 2012.

      The conference change allows TCU to play in an automatic BCS-qualifying league beginning in the 2012-13 school year. TCU currently plays in the Mountain West Conference, which does not have an automatic bid to the BCS and is going through some changes of its own. BYU and Utah are leaving the conference just as Boise State enters.

      TCU would become the Big East’s ninth football team. The conference has extended an invitation to Villanova to become its 10th football member.

      This is great for TCU and the Big East, but Boise State has to be having a “WTF?” moment. The Broncos joined the Mountain West in part because they thought it would improve their strength of schedule in the eyes of BCS voters. But now that Utah, TCU and BYU are all heading out of town, they probably would have been better served staying in the WAC in terms of SOS competition.

      Maybe Boise should join the Big East, too.

      College Football, External Sports

      After that debacle, it’s definitely time for Rich Rodriguez to go

      November 27, 2010 /
      ANN ARBOR, MI - NOVEMBER 20: Head coach Rich Rodriguez of the Michigan Wolverines reacts while playing the Wisconson Badgers at Michigan Stadium on November 20, 2010 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Wisconsin won the game 48-28. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)

      I don’t know if you’ve been able to figure out over the course of the season which team I root for when it comes to college football, but I’ll admit that it’s not Michigan. I do, however, live near thousands and thousands of Michigan fans, and most of my friends root for the Maize and Blue, so I’ve heard a lot of this lately: Fire Rich Rod!!! (Their exclamation points, not mine.)

      Ohio State defeated Michigan 37-7 today in a game that really wasn’t competitive past midway through the second quarter. It’s the seventh straight loss to the Buckeyes for Michigan, and it could be the final game for Rich Rodriguez in Ann Arbor.

      Let me rephrase that, it should be the last game in Ann Arbor for Rich Rodriguez. Through three years, Rodriguez has won 15 games, six of which have come in Big Ten play. One of those wins came against the top half of the conference — a crazy victory over Wisconsin in his first season — and none of them have come against Michigan’s two biggest rivals, Michigan State and Ohio State.

      Those are incredibly damning statistics, and while this team is obviously better than the last two years, there is no way any Michigan fan can claim enough progress has been made over these three years to be satisfied. The defense is awful, and that doesn’t look like it’s going to change too much next year, as it will still be young and void of talent at most positions. That can partially be solved with a new defensive coordinator and scheme, but then again, it will be the third coordinator and scheme in four years, which can only cause confusion.

      Then there’s the matter of the offense, which has the potential to be incredibly explosive. It also has the ability to completely sputter against good, physical defenses, like it did today against Ohio State.

      The only reason to keep Rodriguez around is because of his offense, and I suppose you could make a decent argument that the Wolverines should score a lot again next year as most all of the offense is coming back. But one more year of that system, and the recruits Rodriguez is bringing in to run it will only further create a problem for the next coach, who no doubt will be in the “Michigan Man” mold, and run a power-based, play-action offense that has proven it can work in the Big Ten.

      There’s also the thought that Michigan’s most prized target, Jim Harbaugh, has reached his peak at Stanford, and when Andrew Luck leaves for the NFL, Harbaugh could do the same. A Michigan offer could be the one thing to keep Harbaugh in the college ranks, as he’s an alum. But once he goes pro, he’s not coming back to the college game without being fired.

      Michigan AD Dave Brandon has a big decision to make, but it also seems pretty crystal clear at this point. He has to fire Rich Rodriguez.

      College Football, External Sports

      Big Ten title will be decided today (and probably by some computers tomorrow)

      November 27, 2010 /
      IOWA CITY, IA - NOVEMBER 20: Quarterback Terrelle Pryor of the Ohio State Buckeyes celebrates with fans after beating the University of Iowa Hawkeyes at Kinnick Stadium on November 20, 2010 in Iowa City, Iowa. Ohio State won 20-17 over Iowa. (Photo by David Purdy/Getty Images).

      After Friday’s games, today might be a little anti-climactic, but there’s still plenty to be determined on college football’s more traditional day.

      The Big Ten title is still up for grabs, with three teams — Wisconsin, Ohio State and Michigan State — all tied at the top with one loss. If all three win, the BCS standings will decide who goes to the Rose Bowl. That will likely be Wisconsin, which has that edge going into today. If Wisconsin loses and the other two win, the BCS will again decide who goes to the Rose Bowl, as Ohio State and Michigan State did not play each other. It’s a problem the Big Ten will have solved next year when there’s a title game (two title contenders not playing each other, that is. As the Big 12 showed us two years ago, the BCS can still decide a divisional race if all hell breaks loose).

      If Wisconsin wins, however, and either Ohio State or Michigan State lose, it will be a lot more clear cut. The Spartans get the bid with an Ohio State loss as they have the head-to-head edge over Wisconsin. The Badgers get it if Michigan State loses, because they hold that same edge over Ohio State.

      So those are your scenarios (sure, there’s the “all three lose” scenario, as well, where Iowa is back in the mix, but I don’t want to force that upon you before noon). Here’s how it will play out. Continue reading »

      College Football, External Sports

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