Sunday, October 28, 2007

Just Wait Til Next Year

This month had been pretty consistent: a new team creeps into the top 5, then loses the next week. USC, South Florida, Cal, Kentucky, LSU. So everyone thought that Ohio State, Boston College, Oregon, or ASU would stumble this weekend. But a funny thing happened on the way to yet another weekly top 5 shake-up: everyone won. Even the three less-regarded unbeatens- UConn, Kansas, and Hawaii- managed to stay unbeaten. As a result, reading the BCS standings today was relatively boring by comparison.

OK- I'll admit it. Boston College actually deserves to be in the top 5 (not number 2- that should be ASU or LSU). For 56 minutes on Thursday in Blacksburg they looked lost and way out of Virginia Tech's league. But then Eagles QB Matt Ryan woke up and remembered which end of the football is up and led his team on two amazing touchdown drives, stunning the Hokie faithful into deafening silence.

OK- I'll admit it. And Chief, Geodog, and the rest of the State College clan will have to admit it. Ohio State deserves to be in the top 5 (and number 1 is fair). After thumping the Lions in the face of a white out in Happy Valley, they may not have another tough game before playing Michigan on the road to end the season. The Buckeyes are closer to New Orleans than anyone else. But in this crazy year of the dog, anything can still happen.

As ASU and Oregon prepare for this week’s game of the century, both can still dream of playing in the Rose Bowl or even the BCS Championship. And Oklahoma is eying Kansas for the Big 12 championship or maybe more. Will it be UConn or West Virginia in the Big East? But other teams, including my beloved Trojans, have lost that magical 2nd conference game, virtually eliminating them from the league title and certainly eliminating from them from BCS consideration. Fans of the Trojans, Hokies, Gators, Bears, and Lions have switched to “Wait til Next Year’ mode. They talk about returning starters, holes to fill on the defensive line, and that great transfer prospect we’re all dying to see in Spring ball.

The rest of this year becomes about beating rivals (UCLA, Florida State, Stanford, Michigan State) and getting to a “decent” bowl. Of course, the definition of a decent bowl is different to different schools. For Florida and USC, anything played in December is a disappointment. For Iowa and Wisconsin, anywhere warm will be just fine. And for perennial powerhouses like Western Michigan or Arkansas State any 13th game is a miracle.

Still, it could be worse- you could be Notre Dame.

Fight On,

Hans

PS: The banner photo was taken in South Bend in October 2005, before a game that ended in a “push”

Sunday, October 21, 2007

The Perfect Trip

Imagine the perfect road college football road trip.

It would have to take place on the Third Saturday of October: late enough into the season so that the conference races are shaping up but early enough so that plenty of expectations and questions remain. The weather would be clear and crisp; cool enough for a jacket in the morning and warm enough for short sleeves in the afternoon. The sky would be a robin’s egg blue, unadorned by clouds and infinite in its expanse. The leaves would be at peak color: red, gold, brown and crunching beneath your feet.

The game should be one between rivals. Not the bitter cross-town/cross-state backyard brawls that should only be scheduled in late November, but the competitive matches that grow out of geographic and demographic links between schools. A junior member of a state system playing its older predecessor (UCLA-Cal). Or a game within the round robin of the Pacific Northwest slugfest (Oregon-Washington). Or a legendary cross-border war in the South (Tennessee- Alabama). Or the annual battle between private schools that have valued Heismans over Nobels (USC- Notre Dame).

The match would have to take place on campus, not in a municipal pro stadium that just happens to be in the same city (sorry, South Florida and Tulane). The stadium should be at least 50 years old and feature a façade of brick; ivy covered walls are a plus. The field should have seen Heisman winners that “pushed” their teams to championship. Or great backfields that “galloped” their way into the history books on the backs of their workhorse offensive lines.

The game should be far enough away to require am overnight hotel stay. Ideally, the game takes place at a town where the college is the only significant feature of the town. Perhaps there is a major metropolis within an hour or two drive from the small college town; great for finding airports, 5 star hotels, and sushi bars, but separate enough so the focus is not distracted from the remote college town. Like how New York is close to Piscataway, NJ. Or how Tucson is not far from Phoenix. Or Lincoln is near Omaha. Or Madison and Milwaukee. Or Detroit and Ann Arbor. Or Chicago and South Bend.

The day would start with a hearty breakfast of game-day pancakes at a greasy spoon café. Fans would convoy to the small town, identifying their cars with alumni license plates or pom-poms spread along the back window. Honks at allies would be followed by flashing Hook ‘Em Horns or Tomahawk Chops or V for Victory. Arrival at campus should be about 3 hours before kickoff- enough time for beer and brats but not enough time to get so hammered you pass out and miss the game.

Tailgating would best be done in a field used for parking, rather than on a parking lot. Like the golf course at the Rose Bowl. Or Olive Court in Iowa City. Or the north visitor lots at Notre Dame. As the radio blares ESPN radio and the play-by-play from the game of a conference rival, the road trip participants would sit down to an elegant feast. Bratwurst (definitely not hot dogs) would be consumed along with chips, cookies, crackers, cheese, and plenty of wine or beer. Undergrads should stick to beer, preferably canned, cheap, and domestic. Alumni are expected to enjoy a bottle of wine (chardonnay from a bottle on the west coast and a generic red from a box in the Midwest).

About an hour before kickoff, strike the tailgating set and start walking to the stadium. On the way, pass through the most beautiful parts of campus and make a pilgrimage to the sites of the pre-game rituals. Kick the flagpoles on Figueroa on the USC campus. Visit Mike the tiger in his high-tech enclosure. Follow the footsteps of the players on the Gator Walk. See the sod-burial ground for road-dog victories by the Seminoles. And light a candle at the Grotto alongside St Mary’s lake at Notre Dame.

Get to the stadium before it starts (hear that, Minnesota?). Introduce yourself to your neighbors in the stands and marvel at the small-world stories that inevitably erupt. “You were at Mark’s Hall in Freshman year? Wow! So was I!” Stand for the National Anthem, watch the flag, think of our children in Iraq and Afghanistan, and sing along with your opponent. Once the whistle blows, however, nothing further is shared for the rest of the day. Shake your keys. Or make the hog call. Pass the Lion around the stands. Kiss your wife or girlfriend at each score. Fire the cannon from tightwad hill. Pound the world’s largest bass drum. Dance the Irish jig in the student section. Call for the horse while the band plays Conquest.

The experience of the road trip itself and the athletic contest on the field are two different but related items. Both should be enjoyed and valued as unique entities. But the sum of the two parts is so much greater than the whole. What is the perfect road trip? Traveling to South Bend the weekend the Trojans play the Irish is the standard by which all other road trips are measured.

Fight On,

Hans

PS: No, I was not “hedging my bets” by doubling on the Irish. I knew the underdog contest gods would never allow me to get 40 points in one week, so picking the Irish helped ensure that USC would emerge victorious. I consciously wasted two picks to guarantee a Trojan win. Yes, two picks is a small price to pay to avoid another Stanford.

PPS: Does anyone besides Kurt and Bill know the significance of the photo in the banner at the top of this blog?

Sunday, October 14, 2007

Overrated and Underappreciated


As this wacky heaven-for-underdog season continues to amaze, some of us are cashing in on the insanity. A big pat on the back is due for JimKeats, betting that Louisville would right their ship against Cincinnati. I never would have picked the so-far pitiful Cardinals, much less doubled on it! Another surprise that almost came true (close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades) was San Jose State pulling a shocker on national TV on Friday night over Hawaii.

For the record, I had picked this game initially, but changed it at the last minute, so I was rooting for Hawaii big time. Not because I like Hawaii but because I did not want to spend the weekend feeling like a total idiot. Hawaii is an interesting team. They have a relatively minuscule recruiting budget, face 1000's of miles traveling to every road game, and their last two starting QB's are 1 - 2 in career passing yards in NCAA history.

June Jones, Hawaii alum, former NFL player, and former NFL coach, came "home" in 1999 to take over the head coaching job. He instituted his "run and shoot" offense and turned an 0-12 Warrior team into a 9-4 conference champ. Jones copes with his recruitment challenges by being willing to give a player a second chance. He doesn't shy away from troubled or broken homes, or even from players with criminal records. This year's key passing connection is between Colt Brennan and Davone Bess. Brennan was kicked out of Colorado for illegally entering a coed's home (the sexual assault charge was dropped). Jones learned of Bess by watching tape from a penal league game!

As Hawaii tries vainly to become this year's Boise State (they will lose to Nevada on November 16th and possibly to Ian Johnson and the Broncos themselves the following week), they have received ample praise and criticism in the national press. Sure, they play lousy on the road. Maybe their defense is as bad as the numbers suggest. And, yes, their passing offense stats are boosted because they run a "system". Does this mean that Colt Brennan is not Heisman worthy? Perhaps.

So, with these questions in mind, I watched the Warriors battle back against the Spartans (Homer would be proud). Hawaii got the ball back, down by two scores, with about 6 minutes left. I thought, "that's plenty of time for these guys. Hawaii has scored more than that in 6 minutes before." How many teams in the country are so capable of that kind of productivity, that they are actually renown for it! When Brennan lined up under center with 60 yards to go for the tying score, I thought "Oh, no problem- I expect him to score." Think about that: Brennan is so effective at moving the ball, that we have come to expect him to make that winning drive. That's a level of mystique possessed by the likes of John Elway or Joe Montana.

Colt Brennan scored on that drive. And in overtime. And Hawaii won. A QB like that deserves a few votes for the Heisman.

Fight On,

Hans

Sunday, October 7, 2007

The Darkest Day

The Darkest Day

Yesterday was likely the darkest day in the history of Los Angeles Football. The UCLA Bruins, vacillating between brilliant (40-14, Oregon St) to pathetic (44-6, Utah) this season, saw their second-string quarterback knocked out in the first quarter by the Irish defense and handed the reins to a walk-on Freshman. As one might expect with such inexperience leading the veteran offense, the Bruins put up a fight but could not overcome the 5 turnovers, giving Notre Dame their first win of the year. The Irish shocked the Rose Bowl crowd as 21 point underdogs, leaving the Domers undefeated in Pasadena in two tries (the last was in 1925 against Pop Warner and Stanford.)

Speaking of Stanford, Notre Dame’s upset was not the biggest of the day. Nor the biggest in Los Angeles! Just 13 miles down the road (I know the distance because I’ve made the drive a hundred times), the Stanford Cardinal pulled off the biggest upset in College Footbal History. One source (Yahoo Sports) put the Cardinal at 41 point dogs, easily topping Syracuse over Louisville (37 points) and smashing the previous record (Oregon State over Washington in the late 80’s at 36 points). As I mentioned in a previous post, Appalachian State – Michigan had no official spread but some sources put it at 28 points).

What happened to USC? Good question. Certainly the 92,000 in Baton Rouge did not care how it happened; they cheered louder for the announcement of the USC score than they did for one of LSU’s touchdowns in their comeback win over Florida. The Trojan defense came to play, but the offense didn’t. Stanford stayed close into the 4th quarter because USC couldn’t punch it into the endzone. USC QB John David Booty threw 4 picks, keeping the Cardinal’s hopes alive. Stanford made the best of the opportunity, converting a 4th and 20 with less than 2 minutes left to get to the Trojan 9. Tavita Pritchard, the Stanford QB in his first career start, tossed a perfect lob on the ensuing 4th and goal to score the winning TD.

As Coach Jim Harbaugh ran ecstatically onto the field in front of 85,000 stunned into silence, I was reminded of his somewhat bizarre comments at the Pac-10 media day in August. He called USC not only the best team in the league, but possibly “the best team of the history of college football.” No doubt his players have been focusing on their date the Trojans since then and Harbaugh had them primed to play their best. On the other side of the ball, USC tends to play the worst against teams they expect to handle easily (UW, Oregon State, ASU). USC’s lackadaisical approach to a supposed weak opponent cost them again- big time. Jim Harbaugh won this chess match- Pete Carroll would be the first to admit it.

This crazy, underdog-friendly season continues to surprise. Three top 10 teams lost, although number 5 Wisconsin’s stumble in Champaign-Urbana is not technically an upset. Illinois was actually a 3 point favorite. Still, I counted at least 3 national TV broadcasters label it as such. Some folks just don’t do their homework.

There were plenty of other upsets this weekend and many of them were in the Mid-American Conference. That’s the silly Ohio-based conference with such nationally known powers as Akron and Kent State. Saltzman, our Columbus, OH- based underdog pooler aside, who really knows anything about these teams? Seriously? But week after week, our poolers defy the odds makers and dip into the MAC pool. Desperate? Absolutely. Random? You bet. Effective? Count on it. It might just get me back into the race. Because lord knows I can’t predict the Pac-10 anymore!

Fight On,

Hans
PS: What does a die hard Trojan fan do to cope with the loss? Stumble to Kells, a classic Irish pub in downtown Seattle and drown his sorrows in Guinness to the tune of live traditional music. Sounds good, Vjohnson?