The first Saturday after Championship Saturday is always tough. I make it a point to turn on Army-Navy (except they keep moving the time of that game back!) and I also might turn on an FCS game just to see if the fans are really in attendance to see how their team is doing in the play-offs. BTW – Way to go Wayne State!
(However – think about that for a minute: WSU snuck into the play-offs and is now playing for the Championship…Still want a full playoff at the FBS level? I CERTAINLY don’t want one that let’s a 3 or 4 loss team in and win the whole thing…which is inevitably where a play-off goes. And I’m sorry, but I don’t like the one and done mentality infiltrating college football…It would ruin the experience. Even though it’s more or less a one and done deal now….)
Anyway, back to being a little melancholy that it’s all over, I didn’t even get a chance to watch the Hypesman, er, Heisman live due to another commitment. I haven’t even seen that award show in a couple of years. Something about it being too stattish and not going to the most “exciting” guy in college football. 1997 was the last year they got it right…
Griffin is as deserving as anyone else…I only hope that De-Rob has a great season next year to get some votes…I think he deserves a reservation to wear a coat and tie in New York.
Stuff you should be reading about, however, can all be found in the handy links below:
1. Looking for the latest Plus -1 formats that are being considered by the big boys? As always, Frank the Tank has connections and insider info. Don’t be surprised if the #4 option comes out of the heap with one additional BCS bowl that you’ve never heard of. Something tells me it will be in the South-east (that’s the MMQ’s hunch) for the revenue and proximity to fanbases. But will the result be any more satisfying? Check today's BCS Mess for the analysis....
2. What’s the deal with the re-treads? I was going to go heavy into this but Connelly (a guy without a real job) beat me to it. I get some of the hires and have already called out the brilliance of landing Urban Legend…but the other re-runs? I mean, Gatorland was doing cartwheels upon hearing that Charlie was headed out of town…More on that in a minute.
3. Genuinely Sarcastic writes his prose in a way that I wish I could write…Well thought out, insightful and with feeling. When I read his stuff I know that I’ll never be able to write for a living, and that makes me sad…But I do enjoy reading his stuff when it’s out…It’s a great tribute to the trials and tribulations that we’ve all gone through as fans, not to mention what the seniors who had to live through for the last 5 years of this crazy roller-coaster ride.
The BCS Mess
Based on what Frank the Tank wrote, I’m eagerly (but not too eagerly) waiting for the next phase of the BCS and what form it may take in the future. I see issues with the plus one format, but then I remind myself that all the formats have issues. There isn’t one that will satisfy every quirk a college football season can throw at you. Based on the 5 seeded rank BCS games plus a national title (and assuming the old bowl tie ins), the MMQ has the 2011 season (assuming the teams that are already in BCS bowls) looking like this.
(PLEASE NOTE! I picked based on the first pick going to LSU because they are the #1 seed and used the reverse order of the NCAA Basketball Brackets 1 vs. 16 mentality where there weren’t auto tie-ins. I believe this is in the spirit of how Frank is describing it….If it’s not, I’m willing to listen to arguments.) They are, in order of seeding and rank:
1. SUGAR: LSU vs. last at Large (Michigan or Baylor. I only waiver here in that Baylor is closer to the Sugar and has the Heisman winner on the team, which would put people in seats but Michigan was ranked lower. I didn’t take Laters as their record was worse than Michigan with 3 losses. I don’t think the PTB would let that happen and I don’t think LMU wants to play the Laters)
2. BCS NEW: Alabama vs. At Large (Va-Tech – Kstate – Boys State. I personally think in this format, K-State might have received the nod over VA-Tech. But again, that’s the MMQ talking. Alabama wants to win this game, the BCS bowl wants Asses in Seats)
3. FIESTA: Oklahoma State vs. at Large (Stanford – they have to go here as they are a top 4 rank and therefore must receive an at large bid)
4. ROSE: Wisconsin vs. Oregon (auto tie-ins)
5. ORANGE: WVU vs. Clemson (Auto tie-in for the ACC and probably (future) Beast. This could have easily been where Boy’s State would have ended up thereby knocking WVU out...But this year, they're in)
Championship: 1 and 2 after the bowl games.
Left out (but in the top 14): Arkansas, USC (for obvious reasons), Va Tech (most likely) and Boy's State.
So, after digesting all that (take a minute – it took me 10 minutes just to make sure I got it right per Frank’s information, and I’m still not 100% sure I got it…) Also note that the Rose, Fiesta, and Orange DON’T CHANGE. Only the Sugar that locks in the old SEC champ and the new BCS Game split up the current National Title game of LMU and Satan. But, based on who LMU and Satan would play, does anything change?
I guess where I’m going here is that unless the Fiesta split up Stanford and Okie State (And I did this according to how I would pick given the opportunity), it doesn’t really change much. But at least the fans get something of what they are looking for. And there is always the opportunity for LMU or Satan to cough one up and let someone else in the title game. Which is what it would take to get LMU and Satan out of it, anyway…
Idle Thoughts From Saturday
-Joe Pa gets fired and his health is failing him…
-What a sad ending to an otherwise great story.
-I just wish he would have had better advisers around him telling him how to handle issues.
-Which goes to show you – Don’t surround yourself with yes men.
-Michigan Sugar Bowl Packages can be found here.
-If I win the lotto in the next three weeks, everyone reading this is GOING TO NEW ORLEANS!
-Seriously. Put it on your calendar.
-I DON’T CARE IF IT’S SOLD OUT!!!!
-Your MMQ will find a way!
-Little know fact: This was one of the fastest sellouts of a bowl for Michigan.
-Only one that was faster: 2007 Capitol 1 Bowl against Florida and the 1997 Rose….
-Which, like...........Okay!
-I mean, Lloyd's last game against Heismann winner Tebow and the National Title…
-What more do you need?
-Sparty Tours and Tix still available!
-But, you probably already knew that, didn’t you?
-Domer tours packages and tix also available!
-Probably knew that one, too, didn’t ya’?
-I know, I know...Your ole' MMQ likes to stick it to 'em even after they've been stuck....
-Heh-heh….Charlie Weis at Kansas…
-Do you think $warbuck$ made a phone call to get them on the schedule?
-I know Charlie would like to play the Domers…
-Of course, after the USF fiasco, my guess is legacies and former coaches are off the menu for Domer football schedules…
-Some of these coaching hires….
-WHAT ARE PEOPLE THINKING?
The Hot Seat
Voting is running tight amongst the top three weekly winners! As the MMQ could have predicted, Jenn Brown, Katarina VanDerham and Lucy Pinder are literally running neck and neck. It wouldn’t surprise me to see some lead changes in the coming two weeks before we finally get a winner. Remember: The polls close on December 24th so keep voting for your favorite!
Instead of the usual hot seat list, I wanted to look at and rank the latest hires by some of the schools that are out there. I’m basically looking at Connelly’s ranking from SBNation …But I don’t agree with the order in every case…
The GOOD
1. OSU: Already commented on this one…Hire of the year – decade – century. Ohio has to be the only school that can fire a liar and end up with a coach of the year before the NCAA rules on anything…Which, by the way, what’s taking so long for the NCAA to rule on the issues???
2. WSU: Leach is going to do great in the PAC 12. And I guess I’m just still amazed that Craig James has a job at ESPN. I still can’t figure out why ESPN still listens to and lets James on the air after everything that went through and came out during the legal process, but whatever.
3. North Carolina: Larry Fedora. Former Southern Miss coach that beat previously undefeated Houston. But that’s not all he did…I think this is a good move for North Carolina and the ACC in general…
4. Ole Miss: Hugh Beckmann. Here’s a guy that’s done more with a Hollywood movie (he was the high school coach that “discovered” Michael Oher in “The Blind Side” and parlayed it into a collegiate coaching career. I hope he does well, actually. I am actually thinking about putting this one above Larry at North Carolina.
5. Illinois: Tim Beckmann. This one scares me and this might be an even better hire than 4 and 5 above, based on the region and the team. Tim was able to recruit and win at Toledo. He’s basically just moved to a better neighborhood and may create issues for everyone else that’s already there…But until the Illini prove it consistently, it's a wait and see game.
6. Texas A&M: Kevin Sumlin. Had this guy not been coaching a 6 year starter, I’m really curious as to how high his stock would have been for open spots. The SEC is no place to cut your teeth in the FBS world…Good luck to him and A&M in their newest endeavor. But this could be a transitional hire at best…
The BAD
1. New Mexico: Bob Davie. Yes, he was the “last” successful coach the Domers had, but was he that much of a success? And while I still think any coach is handed an impossible recipe at Notre Dame, Davie has simply been in the booth too long and I’m not sure this was the best thing for either party involved.
2. FAU: Carl Pelini. I’m not sure this is a match made in heaven, either. I was surprised that FAU considered Carl and even more surprised that Carl took the job. I figured he’d be more of a “Big Name” School kind of guy…So, while this is good for Carl, it might be bad for FAU
3. ASU: Rich Rod. If he could just keep his mouth shut about his divorce from Michigan, I think ASU fans would be a lot happier. As it is, they’re already complaining that all this guy ever does is talk about Michigan…And that isn’t a great way to start a new job. My guess is Rich doesn’t find the success he’s searching for at ASU and he’ll be the next candidate for an open Beast job when it becomes available.
4. UCLA: Jim Mora. Another NFL re-tread and as ANYONE KNOWS THAT FOLLOWS college football, this rarely, if ever, works. The only guys I would even think about taking a chance on doing something like this would be Dick Vermeil and maybe Pete Carroll - again. Otherwise, stay inside the collegiate coaching ranks…
THE UGLY
1. KANSAS: Under the category/heading of, “WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU THINKING?” Charlie Weis as a re-treaded collegiate head coach has to be one of the dumbest moves of all time. I mean, the guy is clearly not cut out to be a college coach. He can’t recruit and he certainly can’t motivate the guys he does recruit. I’m sure the Domers and it’s fans are just loving the fact that they are now paying a guy to be head coach of a team that they probably can’t even get on the schedule…But it would sell tickets if they could. I don’t see this lasting long and with Charlie’s health, well, it may be even shorter than Urb’s last year of retirement….
We’ll continue this little summary until all the major positions have been filled.
FMQ Betting Results:
Army (+7) vs. Navy O/U 58
Sheesh…Had I known ole Army would show up to play against the Middies, well, I would have bet it differently….OBVIOUSLY! However, we mde a couple of bucks on the prop bets to offset the loss….
Take Navy and lay the 7 for $100….LOSE
And take the under for $50 – WIN! Bank: $95
Navy Scores First for $50 – WIN! Bank: $95
This week’s betting cost us $10…Let’s see how we can do in the bowls!
Starting Bank: $1,142.50
Total Win: $190
Bank: $1,332.50
Enjoying the Ride....MMQ
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