Last Man Standing

It is about time for me to make my annual rant about how we need a playoff in College Football. Sure, this year has been fun. And, yes, we have effectively been in a playoff these last few weeks with team after team "controlling their own destiny" for the finals only to have their hopes dased by some unranked upstart (Arkansas, Florida St, Rutgers, Arizona, etc, etc). But at this point, can you really say that West Virgina and Missouri are more deserving to play for the title than Georgia or Ohio State? And would you really want to face USC or LSU in a early round game?

I am not proposing a massive "December maddness" with 16 or 32 teams. Good Lord, no! And I don't think anyone who is serious about a divison 1-A playoff wants that. But a 4 or 8 team series is perfectly reasonable. And it wouldn't disrupt the bowls- just use the bowl games to host the playoff matches. I've been over this ground a dozen times and I know most of you agree with me, so I won't rehash the same old argument. But one piece of good news is that with the BCS bowls adding a game at New Years and repeating in the Sugar Bowl a week later, the infrastructure is finally in place for a 4 team or "plus one" system.

The 2007 season will definitely be remembered as the Year of the Dog. In the last 8 weeks, the number 2 team is a horrible 2 -6, and most of those losses were at home! Why have there been so many upsets? The usual suspects: 85 scholarships standard across the board and parity for one. Overconfidence and rivalries are often the seed of upsets. But another big factor is injuries. One ESPN analyst pointed to the Kansas-Missouri game with two healthy QB's and pointed out that as QB's have fallen to injuries, so has their team's run at the champtionsip. He believes the team the QB who lasts the longest (the last to get injured) will be left standing come Janurary 7th. I agree that key injuries have played an important role this year, but it's not just the quaterback:

1) Oregon: Dennis Dixon. This team is so bad without him, that should be enough evidence to give him the Heisman

2) Oklahoma: Bradford. One game he goes down hard, Texas Tech walks all over them. Unfortunately for Missouri, he's back in the saddle after gunning down the cowboys

3) LSU: Glenn Dorsey (LB): After seeing Arkansas get a running game going only after Dorsey left the game, I am beginning to agree with the Tiger fans that are promoting him for Heisman.

4) Cal: Nate Longshore: DeSean Jackson can't do much to help the Bears if Longshore can't throw him the ball.

5) USC: Sam Baker and most of the starting OL: Baker finally played in the first half against ASU. That was the part of the game where the USC offense looked like classic Boise State run and shoot and not the anemic slugs that struggled with Stanford and Arizona.

Georgia should play West Virginia in the Orange Bowl and Missouri should get Ohio State in the Rose Bowl, then let the winners meet in New Orleans a week later. How sweet would that be!

Fight On,

Hans

PS: I told you the USC-ASU game on Thanksgiving would be the Pac-10 title game. Nice result, too. Now all we have to do is beat UCLA. Its like Deja Vu all over again.

A Butterfly in China

Dennis Dixon’s torn ACL will help Barack Obama win the Iowa caucus.

Outrageous? Possibly, but follow this twisted and convoluted trail of logic. Losing Dennis Dixon for the year bring the Oregon Ducks all the way down from the best in the nation to middle of pack in the Pac-10 (can someone explain to me why at the moment of injury he is immediately eliminated from the Heisman race?). This makes them vulnerable to mediocre teams like Arizona and, possibly this week, UCLA. Had Dixon remained healthy, his amazing feet and dazzling arm would have ensured the Ducks easy victories over both the Wildcats and Bruins. As it stands, however, Oregon permitted Arizona’s 5th win and may permit UCLA’s 6th, getting them both closer to previously improbable bowl bids. Before Dixon went down, it seemed certain that the Pac-10 would not have more than 5 teams qualify for post-season play. If the Pac-10 is unable to fill all 6 of their bowl tie-ins, then other at-large qualifying teams get a shot.

Iowa has qualified for a bowl by winning 6 games. But they lost their final match to Western Michigan, dropping their record to 6-6. Although they finished in the middle of the Big-10 with a 4-4 league record and are well known to carry a huge fan base that travels religiously, NCAA and Big-10 by-laws do not allow a 6-6 team to be selected ahead of a 7-5 team. There are 7 other Big-10 schools with better records than Iowa, effectively locking up the 7 bowl tie-ins that the league enjoys. If Arizona and UCLA fail to win a 6th game, Iowa, along with a few thousand Hawkeye faithful would likely be selected to take their place.

But a weakened Oregon team allows the Pac-10 their full allocation, keeping Hawkeye nation home for the holidays. Most Hawkeye fans plan their New Year’s holidays around the Iowa bowl game. The 2008 Iowa caucus is scheduled for the ridiculously early date of January 3rd. Had the Hawkeyes played in a game anywhere close to New Years (such as the expected Insight Bowl on December 31st), then a few thousand Iowans would have skipped the caucus in favor of a road trip to somewhere warm.

A big contingent of road-tripping Iowans consists of students and young urban professionals. This just happens to be Barack Obama’s best demographic- effectively his base of support. Had they been in Tempe, Hillary would have a bigger edge on caucus night.

All because of Dennis Dixon’s torn ACL.

Fight On,

Hans

The Year of the Dog

The year of the dog continues. I can't figure it out. Oregon and Oklahoma are the latest victims. At the rate we're going, 2 loss teams will have a shot at the finals!

This week is rivalry week- one of the best set of games in college football and a time to throw the records out the window. This translates to easy pickin' for the underdog poolers. But with the way this crazy year has been going, who knows?

Where will I be Thursday? At 7pm CST, I will be firmly planted on my couch watching the Pac-10 Championship from Tempe, Arizona. I really beleive that the winner will go to the Rose Bowl because with UCLA and Oregon State remaining on the schedule, a Dixon-less Orgeon is going down again.

Fight On and Beat the Devils,

Hans

Vegas, Baby, Vegas!

Remember all that romantic, sappy, nostalgic crap I wrote a couple of weeks ago about the perfect road trip? Midwestern college towns and changing leaves and bratwurst and all that?

Forgetaboutit.

The ultimate road trip for a gluttony of football watching is 48 hours in fabulous Las Vegas, NV. I managed to convince GoBlue and Wildcat (my step-brothers) to drive out to Vegas from LA to join me this weekend when I had to be there for a conference. The process of "convincing" them was me saying, "Do you want to go to Vegas to watch the Cal-USC game this weekend? " Apparently I had them at "Vegas".

I finished my official duties on Friday evening and went back to my hotel room at Bally's to dress for the night at the casinos; Dress jeans, grey/silver dress shirt, and sports coat. I met up with a few of the interns in my program and we headed out to the Hard Rock Casino, one of my favorites. We broke the ice with a little roulette: mathematically its a horrible game but I just can't resist. Then we decided to head downtown, so we went out to the taxi line. Since there were six of us, we would have to pay for two cabs. But for a few dollars more, we could all go together in a limo! Cab vs Limo: tough choice.

We emerged from the dark limo onto the outrageously dazzling lights of Fremont Street. The contrast enhanced the effect of awe. Just then my iphone buzzed with a text message from GoBlue: they had just left Barstow. I knew exactly what this meant and how much longer they had to drive. I gleefully informed my colleagues that my brothers had left Barstow!

I was met with completely blank stares.

Then I remembered that these were all Iowans who have only known Las Vegas as an airline destination. They have never experienced the privilege of fighting the I-15 from Southern California into Sin City. As a longtime veteran of this route, I knew the landmarks well. Close your eyes, Californians, and see if you can rattle them off in order:

1. I-10 and I-15 interchange in the Inland Empire (depending on your starting point)

2. Cajon Pass and the Mormon Rocks (movie and TV location- think Kirk versus the lizard man in the "Arena" episode of the original Star Trek. That was a different spot- Vasquez Rocks, but very similar)

3. Antelope Valley (zzzzzz . . . )

4. BARSTOW! (significant becuase it's the last In and Out before Nevada and a required pit stop)

5. Big Empty Mojave Desert (zzzzz . . . )

6. Baker, CA and the world's largest thermometer

7. Big Empty Mojave Desert (zzzzz . . . )

8. Zzyzx Road Exit (I kid you not- so weird it deserves its own wikipedia entryhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zzyzx,_California)

9. State Line at Primm, NV! (once a road sign, now a developed casino and amusement park)

10. The odd casinos at Jean, NV and the Nevada State Correctional Facility (don't pick up hitchhikers)

11. Crest the hill and see the cityscape of Vegas in neon and cesium light (the first light to be seen still the giant spotlight atop Luxor, but the change is less dramatic now that there are housing developments dozens of miles south of the strip)

As expected, a little over 2 hours after the message from Barstow, GoBlue and Wildcat arrived and dragged us back to Hard Rock, their favorite. . . OK, they didn't drag us back- I suggested it. More classic rock, more memorabilia, more beautiful people. Despite the tables being "unkind" to GoBlue, three AM arrived surprisingly fast. Once we realized that our friends from College GameDay would be coming to our city soon with a 7am wake up call (darn Pacific Time Zone), we switched from red bull/vodka to bottled water and headed back to the room.

GoBlue and I made it to breakfast following Corso's donning of the purple cow headgear from Williams college (first division III visit ever for Game Day). Wildcat was still recovering and did not share our requirement for Game Day Pancakes. As we shoveled in eggs and pancakes, we poured over the stat sheets and parlay cards, making countless notes with the keno crayon, conveniently provided at every table.

Armed with the collective wisdom of the underdog pool, the expert analysis of Kirk, Lee, and Chris, and our own shared knowledge, we developed individualized parlay strategies. We headed for the sports book. Where it lacks the plush seating of Bellagio or the expanse of Ceasar's, the pure functionality of the Bally's sports book is unparalleled. It is converted from a movie theatre that existed when Bally's was the original MGM Grand. In fact, my dad and I had been to that theatre; we watched the 1960 version of "The Time Machine" when we were there for a medical meeting over 25 years ago. The sloping floor and adjacent sports bar provide ample viewing space.



We had scoped out the ideal seat the night before and we were able to snag our first choice at about 10 AM. We settled into a corner table, in the first row of the sports bar overlooking the theatre. We were joined by the friendly folks from the Sooner Alumni Club. We placed our bets, ordered the first of many buckets of beer, and tried to get oriented to the media available.


On small screens below us, we had our choice of 4 channels. On giant screens above us, we had a view of about 4 more games. At any given moment, we could enjoy the action from 6 simultaneous events, not counting commercials. As one group in the bar would cheer, we would anxiously gaze around until we found the latest "Game Changing Performance." It quickly became disorienting, vertigo-inducing, and a general strain on already hungover brains. But it was so much fun we couldn't stop. Every hour brought more games of interest. Michigan-Wisconsin, Purdue- Michigan State, Alabama- Mississippi State, Tennessee- Arkansas, and Wake Forest-Clemson. Then, Kentucky-Vanderbilt and Notre Dame- Air Force. Then, Cincinnati-UConn, Georgia-Auburn, ASU- UCLA, and of course, Illinois - Ohio State (YES! GO ILLINI!). Then, Stanford-Washington State, Oklahoma- Baylor (much to the pleasure of Sooner Nation at the next table), and Miami- Virginia. Finally, Oklahoma State- Kansas and Cal-USC got started at 5pm. When it was all over, we managed to watch all or part of 24 games, sat for over 10 hours, and drank an unspecified number of buckets of beer.


Apparently, the Pac-10 fans were elsewhere in the city that day and Bally's was inundated with Big-12 fans. So USC-Cal was not the premiere game on the main screen as we had expected. We left the sports book at halftime of USC-Cal so we could enjoy the rest of that brilliant game in our hotel room, unfettered by the countless distractions of the sports book. But not before I collected my winnings for nailing a 5 team parlay! I would like to thank each and every one of the poolers for contributing valuable data towards my win. You rock.



How do you end such a gluttony of football? By driving to In and Out of course, to sober up on some cheeseburgers with grilled onions and the best fries in the west.



Fight On,

Hans



PS: Ohio State's loss puts us one step closer to Oregon-LSU in the BCS championship. But Kansas controls their own destiny and can jump to the top by winning out over Missouri and Oklahoma. Better fasten your seat belts, it's going to be a very bumpy night!

It's Beantown's World, We're Just Living In It

Thank you, Florida State.

Thank you for bringing one Boston team back down to earth. In the face of a raging Nor’ Easter, Matt “Ice” Ryan was following the script for yet another comeback when something entirely unexpected happened: he threw an interception that was returned for a game-clinching TD.

OOPS.

But Ryan’s small boo-boo aside, Boston is clearly ruling the sports world. Red Sox nation has replaced the Yankees as the world baseball brand in the face of their second World Series championship in 3 years. Tom Brady and the Patriots, despite being caught cheating earlier this year, are simply unbeatable, even by the defending Super Bowl champs (cost me a pick, darn it!). And now the NBA preview mags are picking the Celtics with their new trinity of stars (Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen, and Paul Pierce) as a favorite in the Eastern Conference.

The Celtics are back? Heaven help us.

I grew up in Los Angeles in the heady NBA-revival days of the early 1980’s, when Larry Bird and the Celtics battled it out with Magic Johnson and the Lakers. When Kareem and Magic and Worthy finally defeated their nemesis in green in 1985, it was a turning point for the Lakers and for LA sports. The 80’s are now remembered as the decade of Showtime and raising banners at the Forum in Inglewood.

Growing up in LA, I was also fortunate to have outfield seats at Game 5 of the 1986 ALCS between the California Angels and the Boston Red Sox, the only baseball playoff game I have ever attended. My beloved Angels were a mere one strike away from their first World Series, when Angel reliever Donnie Moore served up a 2-2 meatball to Dave Henderson, sending the ball over my head in right field. Boston went on to win the game and the series, and a bitter taste has accompanied the Red Sox name ever since.

My boss at Iowa is an unabashed Patriots fan, even slipping Tom Brady references into department motivational talks. Enduring their Super Bowl dynasty has been uncomfortable, but I accepted it with the understanding that they were fading and the reign was finally over. Then came this undefeated season and a triumph over Peyton Manning and the Colts. Now New England is being labeled as the best offense in history. Crap.

So you can only imagine my glee when Boston College became the latest number 2 to fall in the BCS standings. I was not looking forward to a Boston College- Kansas BCS final. Can you imagine the ratings for that stinker?

Keep winning LSU. Keep winning Oregon. We can still get the SEC-Pac-10 battle we all want to see.

Fight On and Go Blue (on Nov 17th),

Hans

PS: Nebraska has the greatest fans in College Football. They deserve a better team than the one that gave up 76 to Kansas. Bye-bye, Callahan.