tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37361142011-09-10T05:06:32.878-07:00An outsider look at college sportsSteve Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10819441983325861409noreply@blogger.comBlogger3551100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3736114.post-26708889382590258492010-06-11T10:50:00.000-07:002010-06-11T11:07:46.310-07:00

Mexico 1, South Africa 1: And so it begins. The Bafana Bafana narrowly avoid being the first host country to lose its World Cup opener, holding Our Neighbors to the South to a draw, causing great joy in South Africa and great consternation among teabaggers in Arizona. In fact, it was the Tricolores who needed to rally late, tying the game on a goal by Rafael Marquez in the final twelve minutes

Steve Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10819441983325861409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3736114.post-74612694829118086012010-06-10T12:28:00.001-07:002010-06-10T12:28:44.916-07:00

The NCAA Report on USC sanctions, here.

Steve Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10819441983325861409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3736114.post-21039972809754083602007-09-16T09:13:00.000-07:002007-09-16T09:50:02.194-07:00

Michigan 38, Notre Dame 0: After a rough start that featured losses to Div 1AA champ Appalachian State and Pac-10 power Oregon, the Wolverines finally got to a creampuff opponent on their schedule, and coasted. Before the game, Michigan received a motivational lift from Lloyd Carr's BFF, Russell Crowe.

Steve Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10819441983325861409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3736114.post-35682129644357728802007-09-02T19:55:00.000-07:002007-09-02T20:23:43.187-07:00

CAL [12] 38, Tennessee [17] 24: Unlike last season, when the Vols moved out to a 35-point lead in the third quarter, this game was evenly played, with a fumble return and a runback of a punt by Heisman-candidate Deshaun Jackson providing the difference for the Bears. By itself, the closeness of this year's game is enough to put the kibosh on the notion that CAL somehow "avenged" last year's

Steve Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10819441983325861409noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3736114.post-92059226961404225762007-08-18T13:32:00.001-07:002007-08-18T13:32:35.162-07:00

Gone, but not forgotten...the Dead Schembechlers:

Steve Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10819441983325861409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3736114.post-783500293607823262007-08-03T16:19:00.000-07:002007-08-03T16:22:34.008-07:00

The first USA Today coaches poll of the season is out, with USC ranked No. 1. With a road schedule that includes Nebraska, Notre Dame, Arizona State, Oregon and CAL, it is safe to say that someone else has a very good chance to win the national title this season.

Steve Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10819441983325861409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3736114.post-34724058315884541252007-04-11T16:14:00.000-07:002007-04-11T16:15:51.787-07:00

Ever wondered what a football game looked like, before the forward pass was legalized. Take a look at the oldest known footage of an American football game, from 1903, as shot by Thomas Edison:No passing, and the players are smaller than a high school JV team would be today, but you can still tell it's football.

Steve Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10819441983325861409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3736114.post-64606495513184763582007-03-26T00:35:00.000-07:002007-03-26T00:36:13.577-07:00

It's too bad I didn't discover it until after the Elite Eight, but the New Republic has an NCAA Tournament blog that's pretty good.

Steve Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10819441983325861409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3736114.post-62417023172016359792007-03-19T09:23:00.001-07:002007-03-19T09:23:48.275-07:00

Natalie Nelson, thou art avenged !!!

Steve Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10819441983325861409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3736114.post-26085519276738291822007-03-14T15:48:00.000-07:002007-03-14T15:49:08.613-07:00

For those of you who plan to drop off the face of the planet the next four days, in deep immersion in college basketball, here's a bit of arcana for you: John McCain's personal brackets. His Final Four are the four Number One seeds, and he picks the higher seed in almost every game. For a conventional pool, that's not a bad strategy, since it assures the player of consistent results throughout

Steve Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10819441983325861409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3736114.post-10309973789799223862007-03-11T23:07:00.000-07:002007-03-11T23:12:59.246-07:00

The 65: Kansas State and Syracuse were schools that I had assumed were in the field, so their omission this afternoon was shocking. But it's really hard to feel sorry for any at-large team. The only teams that really deserve to be in the tournament are the automatic qualifiers; they are the ones that took care of business when it mattered. Next most deserving are the conference regular season

Steve Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10819441983325861409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3736114.post-49799473671040121412007-03-06T15:08:00.000-08:002007-03-06T15:10:24.293-08:00

Charter Schooling: Those who call for privatizing our public educational system might well examine four model schools from back east: The N.C.A.A. announced Monday that it would no longer accept transcripts from two schools that had sent dozens of talented athletes to high-profile college athletics programs. Kevin Lennon, the N.C.A.A. vice president for membership services, said that Lutheran

Steve Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10819441983325861409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3736114.post-1169797890494735722007-01-25T23:39:00.000-08:002007-01-25T23:51:30.520-08:00

Sorry, but the headline, "Key Tapes Said to Exist in Bush Case," is particularly lame. It's not even hearsay evidence; it's the hearsay possibility ("said to exist") that hearsay evidence exists (that is, the "key tapes") that may circumstantially prove Reggie Bush's family was receiving money at some point during his career at U.S.C. And the underlying Yahoo!Sports story is even thinner gruel,

Steve Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10819441983325861409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3736114.post-1168214756503215852007-01-07T16:05:00.000-08:002007-01-07T16:10:20.936-08:00

Congrats to the Beavers on ending a 207-game losing streak, but when did Cal Tech become one word ("Caltech")? Have I been pronouncing it wrong all along?

Steve Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10819441983325861409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3736114.post-1165087122254290392006-11-28T11:16:00.000-08:002006-12-03T21:57:23.876-08:00

U.S.C. [3] 44, Notre Dame [6] 24: Dwayne Jarrett may well be the most hated Trojan in South Bend since Anthony Davis, coming up big again with some huge catches as USC staked its claim at a BCS berth with a convincing win over the Irish. Brady Quinn again came up short in a big game, whose bad overthrow of an open receiver on 4th down in the game's opening series set the tone for the rest of the

Steve Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10819441983325861409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3736114.post-1164349670608732262006-11-23T22:18:00.000-08:002006-11-23T22:27:50.813-08:00

Ohio St. [1] 41, Michigan [2] 38: In what had been touted as a college-football matchup for the ages, the top-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes defeated the No. 2 Michigan Wolverines 42-39 Sunday in a game that, while exciting, ultimately made no real impact on the football landscape and had no significant effect on the national rankings.(snip)"This was a tough game for us," (Ohio St. coach Jim) Tressel

Steve Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10819441983325861409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3736114.post-1164849542289195442006-11-22T17:08:00.000-08:002006-12-02T11:20:02.803-08:00

USC [4] 23, CAL [14] 9: Crap, crap, crap...for the forty-ninth straight season, CAL has found a way not to go to the Rose Bowl, blowing a second half lead and falling before two fourth quarter touchdown passes by John David Booty. This game was, oddly enough, the first time since their last New Year's Day trip to Pasadena that the Bears found themselves one win away from a title, but the

Steve Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10819441983325861409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3736114.post-1163809541987072312006-11-17T16:25:00.000-08:002006-11-17T16:25:42.010-08:00

Rest in Peace, Bo.UPDATE: The Dead Schembechlers disband.

Steve Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10819441983325861409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3736114.post-1163724284972976522006-11-16T16:22:00.000-08:002006-11-16T16:47:57.753-08:00

U.S.C. [6] 35, Oregon [21] 10: They're back...at least for a week. The Trojans played their most impressive game since Nebraska, easily handling the Ducks on both sides of the line to move back into the driver's seat for the BCS. The game was marred by a bizarre double-reversal of a call early in the 4th quarter, in which an Oregon TD was reviewed, reversed and called incomplete, then reversed a

Steve Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10819441983325861409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3736114.post-1163722690036271112006-11-16T16:14:00.000-08:002006-11-16T16:18:10.110-08:00

Dave Zirin, on this weekend's Game of the Century [Pt. 1]: This is farce carrying the threat of tragedy. The game should be an invitation to have some fun. Instead it becomes a backdrop for a raging bouillabaisse of testosterone and alienation. To the people of Columbus, and a university with a proud tradition of student organizing and solidarity, cheer yourselves hoarse for the Buckeyes on

Steve Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10819441983325861409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3736114.post-1163713430377833072006-11-14T13:39:00.000-08:002006-11-16T16:18:30.753-08:00

Arkansas [11] 31, Tennessee [13] 14: Their spot in the SEC Championship assured, thanks to Auburn's shock home loss to Georgia earlier in the day, the Razorbacks kept their outside hopes for a BCS Title berth with a convincing victory at home. It may well be that the opening loss to USC was as important to the 2006 NCAA football season as this week's Ohio St.-Michigan game; the one-sided victory

Steve Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10819441983325861409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3736114.post-1163462264145989682006-11-13T15:51:00.000-08:002006-11-13T15:57:44.160-08:00

Now it gets interesting. USC leaped forward to number 3 in the BCS rankings, and stands the best chance of benefitting from the misfortune of the Michigan-Ohio State loser. The Trojans still have home games with CAL and Notre Dame, followed by a visit to the Rose Bowl against crosstown rival UCLA, all in the next three weeks. Should they stumble, Florida(4) has the easier schedule down the

Steve Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10819441983325861409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3736114.post-1163199312490283812006-11-10T14:25:00.000-08:002006-11-10T14:55:12.510-08:00

Rutgers [15] 28, Louisville [3] 25: And suddenly, there was pandemonium. Winning their biggest game since they helped invent the sport more than a century ago, the Scarlet Knights rallied from an 18-point deficit to stun the Cardinals, and stake a viable claim for a BCS Title game berth. Jeremy "the Judge" Ito's 28-yard field goal with 13 seconds left, kicked after an offsides penalty had negated

Steve Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10819441983325861409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3736114.post-1163032830857446192006-11-08T16:31:00.000-08:002006-11-08T16:40:30.883-08:00

L.S.U. [13] 28, Tennessee [8] 24: Most Exciting Game of the Season. The Tigers ended the Vols faint national title hopes by passing up a chip-shot field goal with four seconds left and instead going for the win. JaMarcus Russell impressively drove LSU down the field, eating up almost all of the final seven and a half minutes before hitting Early Doucet (love those names !!) to win a rare game in

Steve Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10819441983325861409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3736114.post-1162588989492668912006-11-03T11:39:00.000-08:002006-11-03T13:23:10.220-08:00

Louisville [5] 44, West Virginia [3] 34: Well, that's one BCS semi down. The Cardinals exploded in the third quarter, taking a commanding 30-14 and then holding off a furious Mountaineer rally to move into the driver's seat for the other BCS position in the title game. Only road games against unbeaten Rutgers next Thursday, and Pitt on Thanksgiving weekend, stand between Louisville, which lost

Steve Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10819441983325861409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3736114.post-1162511463536194702006-11-02T15:13:00.000-08:002006-11-03T11:34:11.640-08:00

Oklahoma [19] 26, Missouri [23] 10: Breaking a regular season losing streak away from the friendly confines of Norman, the Sooners easily breezed past the resurgent Tigers. It was their first road win in over a year, and their first victory over a ranked team away from home in two years.About the game itself, I can speak little, since I spent much of Saturday afternoon staring, in a progressively

Steve Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10819441983325861409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3736114.post-1162341499439493212006-10-31T16:31:00.000-08:002006-10-31T16:38:19.470-08:00

The latest BCS standings, reflecting the overdue demotion of Southern California following the weekend's upset in Corvallis. Other than that, there was little change, with West Virginia moving up to third, and Louisville fifth, setting up what may be the first BCS semi on Thursday in Kentucky. The one-loss schools in the SEC maintained, as did Texas, but no one is likely going to remain ahead

Steve Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10819441983325861409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3736114.post-1161905220221888742006-10-26T15:51:00.000-07:002006-11-15T14:33:11.486-08:00

From AOL's new college football blog comes news that the NCAA is considering expanding into Canada, with the most likely applicants being the University of British Columbia and St. Clair College of Windsor, Ont. Either school would be a ten-point road favorite in Palo Alto this season.Having a much better season than Stanford is U.S.C., which took last week off after several close calls. The

Steve Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10819441983325861409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3736114.post-1161887242994686512006-10-23T12:49:00.000-07:002006-10-26T11:27:55.313-07:00

Texas [5] 22, Nebraska [17] 20: A late Husker turnover and last-minute field goal by walk-on Ryan Bailey maintained the Longhorns' outside shot at defending their national title. This game probably signaled to a lot of fans that Nebraska is back among the elite, but I would prefer to see them win games like this before so concluding. Still, a good defensive effort by the Big Red, particularly

Steve Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10819441983325861409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3736114.post-1161886817123085352006-10-22T11:17:00.000-07:002006-10-26T11:21:08.510-07:00

For what it's worth, the Miami-Duke over/under was 41.5.

Steve Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10819441983325861409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3736114.post-1161183352369654432006-10-18T07:42:00.000-07:002006-10-18T07:55:52.406-07:00

A heartwarming story, about the Miami-Dade Police Department's, "Join a Team, Not a Gang" program. It's culminating event: taking 700 at-risk youths to last Saturday's game between Miami and F.I.U.

Steve Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10819441983325861409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3736114.post-1160980506141075012006-10-15T23:24:00.000-07:002006-10-15T23:35:06.156-07:00

Auburn [11] 27, Florida [2] 17: The Curse of the Twos continues. Rebounding nicely from its shock loss last week to Arkansas, the Tigers rallied from a six-point halftime deficit and shut out the Gators in the second half. The big play: a Red Zone fumble early in the fourth quarter by Florida quarterback Chris Leak with Florida only down by a point at the time. In spite of having the deepest

Steve Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10819441983325861409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3736114.post-1160951350996902742006-10-15T15:23:00.000-07:002006-10-15T15:29:11.010-07:00

First BCS survey is out, with Ohio State ranked first, USC second and Michigan third. Louisville and West Virginia, the other major undefeated schools, trail one-loss Auburn. With the two Big-10 teams likely to remain unbeaten heading into their clash in mid-November, and the Trojans still to play Oregon, CAL and Notre Dame on consecutive weeks that month, everyone else is going to have their

Steve Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10819441983325861409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3736114.post-1160693603904224802006-10-12T15:25:00.000-07:002006-10-13T10:25:39.983-07:00

Tennessee [13] 51, Georgia [10] 33: The most exciting game of the day. The Vols rallied from a 24-7 deficit to win their second consecutive game in Athens, and decisively prove that the demons that afflicted last year's squad in route to a losing record have been exorcised. The Bulldogs conceded the second-most number of points at home in their school's history.Florida [5] 23, L.S.U. [9] 10:

Steve Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10819441983325861409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3736114.post-1160506532847310802006-10-10T11:50:00.000-07:002006-10-10T11:58:17.780-07:00

CAL [16] 48, Oregon [11] 24: Are ugly, tacky, headache-inducing unis supposed to be the new cash-cow for college athletics? Rolling up their fifth straight impressive win since the opening night debacle in Knoxville, the Golden Bears jumped out to a 28-3 lead in the first half and rolled over the Ducks, much to the relief of BCS bowls who might have been forced to pick a team with a glaringly

Steve Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10819441983325861409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3736114.post-1160234696961726652006-10-07T08:06:00.000-07:002006-10-07T08:24:56.993-07:00

Harvard, having barely survived the blow to its prestige from having given the incumbent President a post-graduate degree, now has to deal with a more banal problem endemic in college sports: the fact that its football team consists predominantly of football players. The team captain and the starting quarterback and running back have been suspended for various transgressions, including

Steve Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10819441983325861409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3736114.post-1159999648108586502006-10-04T14:58:00.000-07:002006-10-04T15:07:28.126-07:00

Ohio State [1] 38, Iowa [13] 17: The Buckeyes' D dominated from start to finish, holding Hawkeye QB Drew Tate to 19-for-41 passing, to convincingly beat their third ranked team of the season, the second on the road. The Ohio State University has only a trip to East Lansing before them to challenge their undefeated record before the annual clash with Michigan, which avenged last year's upset to

Steve Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10819441983325861409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3736114.post-1159408834940021892006-09-27T18:26:00.000-07:002006-09-27T19:00:35.270-07:00

Instant replay has been the grain of sand in the oyster shell this season, as officiating crews in at least two games have been punished due to questionable calls. This past week, an instant replay official was suspended for having overruled a fumble in a game between Houston and Oklahoma State, which the conference later determined should not have been reviewable in the first place. Last week,

Steve Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10819441983325861409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3736114.post-1159309507908233582006-09-26T15:22:00.000-07:002006-09-26T15:25:07.923-07:00

Did you know that MIT has a cheerleading squad? Who knew they even had a football team?[link via TMQ]

Steve Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10819441983325861409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3736114.post-1159223775023311642006-09-25T15:27:00.000-07:002006-09-25T15:36:15.026-07:00

CAL [21] 49, A.S.U. [18] 21: Dirk Koetter continued his streak of never having won a game in the state of California, as the Sun Devils conceded 42 points in the first half, including four touchdowns in less than seven minutes. Nate Longshore, who looked so dreadful in the pocket against Tennessee three weeks ago, threw for four touchdowns and was sacked only once, while his A.S.U. counterpart,

Steve Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10819441983325861409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3736114.post-1159223229787282322006-09-25T15:15:00.000-07:002006-09-25T15:27:09.803-07:00

Ohio State [1] 28, Penn State [24] 6: The nation's top-ranked team came from behind in the second half to avenge a tough loss last season, running back two interceptions in the final three minutes to ice the game. The Buckeyes have won all seven games against the Nittany Lions in Columbus since Joe Pa took the school into the Big Ten in 1993. This Saturday's game in Iowa City represents perhaps

Steve Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10819441983325861409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3736114.post-1159221275342615342006-09-25T14:53:00.000-07:002006-09-25T15:14:04.240-07:00

A blog with a rather, shall we say, unique, perspective, shutters its doors, perhaps forever. [link via Deadspin]

Steve Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10819441983325861409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3736114.post-1158862501771202012006-09-21T11:11:00.000-07:002006-09-21T11:15:01.790-07:00

King Kaufman of Salon ridicules the notion that Reggie Bush's violation of malum prohibitum regulations makes him a "bad guy": Bush is in the NFL. The NCAA holds no sway over him, can't even compel him to cooperate with an investigation. The coaches and administrators will either ride out any punishment or they'll move on to other jobs, Dennis Franchione style.The people punished when the NCAA

Steve Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10819441983325861409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3736114.post-1158861392966180552006-09-21T10:55:00.000-07:002006-09-21T10:56:32.980-07:00

Bloggingheads TV has its inaugural college football take, featuring Jon Chait and Matthew Yglesias.

Steve Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10819441983325861409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3736114.post-1158792616456836542006-09-20T15:23:00.000-07:002006-09-27T18:22:56.823-07:00

U.S.C. [4] 28, Nebraska[19] 10: Trojans barely break stride, in pushing aside the Cornhuskers in the first game between the national powers in 36 years. Rumors that Nebraska would show off the "forward pass" recently introduced by former Raiders head coach Bill Calahan proved false. A near riot marred the cakewalk, when an excess number of students without tickets stormed the front gate shortly

Steve Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10819441983325861409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3736114.post-1158622802460779132006-09-18T16:33:00.000-07:002006-09-18T16:40:02.463-07:00

Louisville[12] 31, Miami[17] 7: In a result that no doubt gave some serious wood to the rest of the Big East conference, the Hurricanes were slaughtered by the school that replaced it when they went to the ACC, and now find themselves out of the top-25 for the first time this century. The Cardinals, however, lost their second star in three games, when quarterback Brian Brohm left the game with a

Steve Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10819441983325861409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3736114.post-1158622318890440322006-09-18T16:19:00.000-07:002006-09-18T16:31:58.906-07:00

T.C.U.[20] 12, Texas Tech[24] 3: One of seven losses this weekend for Big-12 schools. Remember when the Red Raiders were the Thinking Man's darlings of college football, thanks to some lopsided scores and a puff piece write-up by Money Ball writer Michael Lewis? Well, in their last two games against ranked opponents, Tech has been held to ten points in the Cotton Bowl by Alabama and a mere

Steve Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10819441983325861409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3736114.post-1158621426874919842006-09-18T16:07:00.000-07:002006-09-18T16:17:38.986-07:00

Oregon[13] 34, Oklahoma[17] 33: Pac-10 Commissioner Tom Hansen said Monday that a review by conference officials of video of the game revealed that both the instant replay officials and the game officials assigned by the conference made errors in the final minute and 12 seconds of the game.Oklahoma lost the game 34-33 after Oregon scored two touchdowns near the end of the game.An onside kick by

Steve Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10819441983325861409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3736114.post-1158519792965586352006-09-17T11:52:00.000-07:002006-09-17T12:03:12.976-07:00

Michigan [11] 47, Notre Dame [2] 21: A massacre. The Wolverines had not looked impressive against Vandy and Central Michigan, while Notre Dame played like a legit national title contender last week against Penn State. Moreover, the Irish had controlled this rivalry, especially in South Bend, where Michigan had not won in twelve years. All that came to an end yesterday, thanks to a

Steve Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10819441983325861409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3736114.post-1158467493437213132006-09-16T21:22:00.000-07:002006-09-16T21:47:14.416-07:00

SEC (Non-Alabama) Recap:The two big games on the slate were what everyone expects to be the de facto West title game between LSU and Auburn, and the Florida-Tennessee tilt, which is only the de facto East title game if you don't believe in Georgia.LSU has to be frustrated -- even more than after your normal 7-3 loss. They outgained AU 309-181, didn't commit a turnover (Auburn committed one),

Machttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03092217234287469255noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3736114.post-1158465741142049472006-09-16T21:01:00.000-07:002006-09-16T21:06:24.673-07:00

ULM vs ALABAMA (Sep 16, 2006): Alabama 41, Louisiana-Monroe 7At last, a relatively easy win -- though it was 10-7 midway through the second quarter and still only 20-7 until late in the third. And it was only Louisiana-Monroe. Sure, they won the Sun Belt last year, but it's the Sun Belt. Sure, they gave Kansas a scare, but Kansas is no good. ULM had maybe 50 players in uniform.Bama was a little

Machttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03092217234287469255noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3736114.post-1158350417199630332006-09-15T11:53:00.000-07:002006-09-18T16:44:52.656-07:00

Who said L.A. doesn't have a pro football team? I can't imagine a less interesting story than how much money Reggie Bush made in college. Strip SC of the '04 Title? Take away his Heisman Trophy? Sorry, can't be done: those honors have already been awarded. This ain't like taking the Tour de France from a juiced champion, where there is a direct link between the cheating and the championship. You

Steve Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10819441983325861409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3736114.post-1157925764028877112006-09-10T14:43:00.000-07:002006-09-10T15:02:44.246-07:00

Ohio State [1] 24, Texas [2] 7: Avenging an early-season loss last season, the top-ranked team in the country took apart an outmatched, inexperienced opponent that showed exactly how important Vince Young was to last year's national title winning team. Colt McCoy, the Longhorns starting quarterback, was ineffective, throwing a crucial interception and averaging only 4.7 yards per pass. The

Steve Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10819441983325861409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3736114.post-1157922444883612682006-09-10T13:49:00.000-07:002006-09-10T15:03:34.583-07:00

Notre Dame [4] 41, Penn State [19] 17: The first of two games matching ranked BCS teams from last season. The Nittany Lions were a great fluke team last season; almost all of their tough opponents were at home, they played a soft non-conference schedule, and then got to meet the weakest of the eight BCS schools (F.S.U.) in the Orange Bowl. Of their two difficult road games, one required a busted

Steve Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10819441983325861409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3736114.post-1157855787701987432006-09-09T19:36:00.000-07:002006-09-10T13:49:40.426-07:00

VU vs ALABAMA (Sep 9, 2006)I don't get it. Why is it that a team can move the ball up and down the field but whenever they get inside the opponent's 25 they turn into bumbling incomptents afraid to do anything but run off-tackle? I hesitate to suggest that maybe it is the coaching.Alabama had four possessions in the first half, largely due to these stupid clock rules which the NCAA has foisted on

Machttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03092217234287469255noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3736114.post-1157855757079132822006-09-09T19:32:00.000-07:002006-09-10T13:48:58.693-07:00

A message for degenerate gamblers:When I was a small boy, my grandfather sat me down next to him, and he gave me some sound advice. I'm going to share it with you."Mac, my boy," he said, "Never bet on Alabama. This is the illegal gambling capital of the world, and there are so many bets placed on the Tide that they drive the lines up, and they're always favored by more than they should be. Only

Machttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03092217234287469255noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3736114.post-1157585157626687152006-09-06T15:39:00.000-07:002006-09-06T16:25:57.686-07:00

Yesterday was the 100th anniversary of the forward pass. I've just finished reading a book that traced the evolution of baseball in the U.S. with soccer everywhere else, and one of the interesting things that characterizes the sport the rest of the world calls "football"* is that it was developed by committee. Several committees, in fact; the early Football Association basically consisted of a

Steve Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10819441983325861409noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3736114.post-1157430611700247382006-09-04T21:17:00.000-07:002006-09-04T21:30:11.713-07:00

Florida State [11] 13, Miami [12] 10: For the second straight year, college football's most important rivalry of the past 25 years was decided by three points, as the Seminoles held the Hurricanes to only 17 total yards in the second half to pull off the upset. Gary Cismesia booted the winning field goal from 33 yards with just over eight minutes to play, ending a curse for FSU kickers going

Steve Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10819441983325861409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3736114.post-1157343577180605492006-09-03T20:47:00.000-07:002006-09-04T21:30:37.626-07:00

Tennessee [23] 35, CAL [9] 18: The only matchup of ranked teams turned ugly early in the second half, as CAL's lack of experience at quarterback and on defense proved costly. The Vols put constant pressure on Nate Longshore, and CAL's spread offense couldn't get anything going until the game was well out of reach, and back-up QB Nate Ayoob was inserted. Early blow-outs like this can often set the

Steve Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10819441983325861409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3736114.post-1154798885622255482006-08-05T10:24:00.000-07:002006-08-05T10:28:07.230-07:00

The first Coaches' Poll of the 2006 season is out, and Ohio State and Texas are ranked one-two. That seems to be the consensus, even though the Buckeyes have to replace almost their entire defense, and the Longhorns have to go without Vince Young. The schools play each other in week 2 at Austin. SC and Notre Dame are tied for third, and of course, play at the Coliseum at season's end. CAL is

Steve Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10819441983325861409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3736114.post-1136838126778244512006-01-09T12:21:00.000-08:002006-01-09T12:22:06.793-08:00

Texas 41, USC 38: The computers nailed this one...but I'm still trying to figure out this analogy:So the Trojans are denied a second straight championship. Not a third. USC and its fans have been talking a lot about a "three-Pete" -- as in Pete Carroll, you see -- because the Trojans were No. 1 in the final Associated Press poll in 2003.But the 2003 national champion was LSU. The Bowl

Steve Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10819441983325861409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3736114.post-1136422065242365882006-01-04T16:46:00.000-08:002006-01-04T16:49:22.693-08:00

O-Ver-A-Ted: Jonathan Chait, one of the new op-ed columnists for the local paper of record, has a fine piece on the 2005 USC Trojans. Considering that there is nothing to indicate that the PAC-10 was a particularly deep conference this season, or that the Big-12 was particularly weak, I don't see why Texas should be such a significant underdog next week. USC has a spectacular offense, led by the

Steve Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10819441983325861409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3736114.post-1135365422316124782005-12-23T11:08:00.000-08:002005-12-23T11:17:02.326-08:00

CAL 35, BYU 28: Playing in front of a sell-out crowd in Las Vegas, the Bears cruised to a three-touchdown lead entering the final quarter, then held off the Cougars in the ultimate Blue State v. Red State match-up. The capacity crowd probably saved the Las Vegas Bowl, or, to use the correct title, the "Pioneer PureVision Las Vegas Bowl", which has been played more often than not before half-empty

Steve Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10819441983325861409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3736114.post-1134326375044912552005-12-11T10:25:00.000-08:002005-12-11T10:49:18.683-08:00

MSNBC dissents as to the lack of controversy over the Heisman Trophy balloting:Opposing defenses were unable to do it all season, but Vince Young was finally tackled Saturday - by semantics.The star junior quarterback for second-ranked Texas, Young placed a distant second in Heisman Trophy balloting to Southern California tailback Reggie Bush, who received a record 87.9 percent of the first-place

Steve Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10819441983325861409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3736114.post-1133723154097098222005-12-04T10:47:00.000-08:002005-12-04T11:05:56.020-08:00

Disappointing piece on Texas Tech football, by Moneyball author Michael Lewis, in the New York Times Sunday Magazine. The focus is on this year's version of the Run-and-Shoot, or how the Red Raiders are able to compile the best offensive numbers in football by playing a joke schedule, in a weak conference. Their blow-out loss to Texas (ie., their one real opponent) is glossed over; 80% of the

Steve Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10819441983325861409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3736114.post-1133506284544462102005-12-01T22:48:00.000-08:002005-12-01T22:51:24.556-08:00

The Basement Tapes: The New York Times reports on the cult popularity of a collection of grainy videotapes of Heisman Trophy frontrunner Reggie Bush, from his days playing high school football in San Diego

Steve Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10819441983325861409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3736114.post-1131867302175594312005-11-12T23:33:00.000-08:002005-11-12T23:35:02.190-08:00

U.S.C. 35, CAL 10: Never talk smack about an opponent when your QB's last name rhymes with "A Boob"....

Steve Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10819441983325861409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3736114.post-1129833763803106422005-10-20T11:35:00.000-07:002005-10-20T11:42:43.810-07:00

Following the greatest weekend in college football in years, the first BCS numbers are out. As expected, USC is first, followed by Texas and Virginia Tech. The Longhorns surprisingly easy wins over Oklahoma and Colorado the past two weeks have been overshadowed by thrillers involving other teams, but for now they look like the team most likely to run out the string undefeated. SC's

Steve Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10819441983325861409noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3736114.post-1127427806929375432005-09-22T15:20:00.000-07:002005-09-22T15:23:26.936-07:00

Interested listeners in New Mexico will be able to listen to a broadcast of the CAL-N.M. State game Friday night in...Navajo. According to ESPN, "the challenge for (the announcers) is that Navajo is very different from English. For example, there's no word for first down. 'It takes nearly twice as long to say something in Navajo as it does English,' [Cuyler] Frank said. 'I've just got to

Steve Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10819441983325861409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3736114.post-1126422893031742572005-09-11T00:11:00.000-07:002005-09-11T00:14:53.036-07:00

Fantastic night of games. First, at the Horse Shoe in Columbus, second-ranked Texas rallies late to upend fourth-ranked Ohio State, 23-22, giving Mack Brown his second consecutive big-game win over a Big Ten team. Then, LSU and ASU played a fourth quarter for the ages, with the fifth-ranked Tigers scoring 28 points in final fifteen minutes to edge the Sun Devils, 35-31, in Tempe.And it would

Steve Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10819441983325861409noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3736114.post-1125340383672029712005-08-29T11:22:00.000-07:002005-08-29T11:33:03.690-07:00

Three days 'til the first games. Nothing but dog bleep on Thursday and Friday. Saturday features one overhyped matchup (Notre Dame @ Pitt). Other games of some note include Georgia hosting last year's mid-major darling Boise St., Bowling Green traveling to Madison to kick-off Barry Alvarez' last season, and USC starting its path to a three-peat against Hawaii.

Steve Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10819441983325861409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3736114.post-1121197868349628722005-07-12T12:51:00.000-07:002005-07-12T12:51:08.356-07:00

Terrific column denouncing racial discrimination at the college level, concerning the lack of black coaches, by former Auburn head coach Terry Bowden: There are 117 colleges participating in Division I-A football and there are only three black head coaches. You don't have to be too smart to know how stupid this looks.Let me lay it out for you:Fifty percent black athletes leads to 25 percent black

Steve Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10819441983325861409noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3736114.post-1110220202034651302005-03-07T10:25:00.000-08:002005-03-07T10:30:02.036-08:00

Faced with either a mistrial for discovery abuses, or even more likely, a huge judgment against them, the NCAA and the University of Washington have settled the wrongful termination/civil conspiracy lawsuit brought by former head coach (and law school classmate of the author) Rick Neuheisel for just under $5 million.

Steve Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10819441983325861409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3736114.post-1110135855710092742005-03-06T11:03:00.000-08:002005-03-06T12:03:26.423-08:00

And then there was none...Ohio State 65, Illinois 64. Thrilling comeback by the Buckeyes, who will be sitting out the Tournament due to probation. First-year coach Thad Matta, whose Xavier team ended St. Joe's unbeaten run in the first round of the Atlantic 10 tournament last year, has now upset the last perfect team for the second consecutive year.

Steve Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10819441983325861409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3736114.post-1109716738968049212005-03-01T14:35:00.000-08:002005-03-01T14:38:58.970-08:00

The NCAA has released its preliminary numbers on academically at-risk programs. Included among those programs, which could lose scholarships if they don't get things together, are the football programs at Ohio State, UCLA, and Penn State. The PAC-10, with six academically sub-standard football teams, has the ignomonious distinction of being Dumb Jock Central.

Steve Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10819441983325861409noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3736114.post-1104970168998848542005-01-05T16:02:00.000-08:002005-01-05T16:09:28.996-08:00

U.S.C. 55, Oklahoma 19: As they have so often this year, the Trojans looked sluggish and complacent on their opponent's opening drive, than turned up the jets to produce one of the most shocking blow-out wins in the history of college football. 2003 Heisman winner Jason White threaded the needle on several passes in the Sooners' first possession, including a touchdown pass that went past two

Steve Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10819441983325861409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3736114.post-1103589838353071352004-12-20T16:41:00.000-08:002004-12-20T16:43:58.353-08:00

It's official: Rick Majerus has resigned as USC basketball coach, less than a week after taking the position. This comical interlude (Mike Garrett being shocked, shocked to discovery his new coach had serious health issues !!) has been perhaps the low point in the history of Trojan basketball.

Steve Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10819441983325861409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3736114.post-1097431733709685462004-10-10T11:01:00.000-07:002004-10-10T11:08:53.710-07:00

USC 23, CAL 17: In what was perhaps the biggest game in the history of the school, CAL dominated everything but the stat that matters the most. Costly mistakes by the special teams, and two late drives stopped inside the Red Zone, were the difference. The closeness of the game was enough to keep CAL's BCS hopes alive, but the Bears now have an unexpected battle shaping up next week at home

Steve Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10819441983325861409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3736114.post-1096639874951783742004-10-01T07:07:00.000-07:002004-10-01T07:11:14.950-07:00

He may have lost the first debate, but President Bush hopes to regain some of his momentum following his receipt this morning of the endorsement of former Michigan football coach Bo Schembechler. No word yet on whether Bush has picked up the all-important Earle Bruce endorsement.

Steve Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10819441983325861409noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3736114.post-1094416168389127002004-09-05T13:09:00.000-07:002004-09-05T13:29:28.403-07:00

Week One is in the books, and already there is a likely shakeup in the national title race. Defending BCS champion LSU, playing at home and wearing their unlucky purple jerseys, had to come from behind in the last 90 seconds to defeat Oregon State, 22-21, in overtime, but only after the Beaver placekicker missed three extra points. The scrappy performance by OSU suddenly means that the

Steve Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10819441983325861409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3736114.post-1093833898903188242004-08-29T19:38:00.000-07:002004-08-29T19:44:58.903-07:00

USC 24, VA Tech 13: One testament to Pete Carroll's greatness as a head coach is that even though his team trailed at half to a fired-up opponent, playing what was, for all intents and purposes, a home game, it never appeared for a moment that the Trojans would lose. They played turnover-free ball, Matt Leinart moved the team when he needed to, and they benefited from an horrendous offensive

Steve Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10819441983325861409noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3736114.post-1091211472167232522004-07-30T11:11:00.000-07:002004-07-30T11:17:52.166-07:00

Defending AP national titleist USC has been tabbed the number one team in the country in the first ESPN-USA Today poll, with Oklahoma a distant second. Compared to last season, the Trojans play an easier schedule, with the two toughest non-conference opponents (Colorado State and Notre Dame), and their toughest Pac-10 rival (CAL), at home. They also host Arizona State and Washington, and their

Steve Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10819441983325861409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3736114.post-1090974480831069742004-07-27T17:25:00.000-07:002004-07-27T17:28:00.833-07:00

Only in the SEC: Phillip Fulmer will take a raincheck on this week's Media Day in order to avoid being served with a lawsuit complaining that he conspired to bring down the Crimson Tide football program several years ago when he agreed to speak with an NCAA investigator.

Steve Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10819441983325861409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3736114.post-1082412466664858822004-04-19T15:07:00.000-07:002004-04-19T15:10:43.153-07:00

The Court of Appeals has just stayed a lower court's ruling permitting Maurice Clarett and Mike Williams from entering the NFL draft this Saturday. Since both athletes have signed with agents, their schools would have to petition the NCAA for them to regain their eligibility.

Steve Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10819441983325861409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3736114.post-1080169323563104232004-03-24T15:02:00.000-08:002004-06-26T23:29:24.413-07:00

Good article on the "Drakes", a collection of rebels who seek to reform college sports from the ground up.

Steve Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10819441983325861409noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3736114.post-1079919003173470092004-03-21T17:30:00.000-08:002004-03-21T17:32:30.530-08:00

After a boring first round, a rouser of a second. For the second time since 1985, two number one seeds get bounced early, in both cases failing to hold late leads and coming up short on buzzer-beating shots. Not surprisingly, the West is all but out of it; no one who saw Gonzaga or Stanford play in the last few weeks of the season could have been surprised by their tepid efforts Saturday. More

Steve Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10819441983325861409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3736114.post-1079465180234888172004-03-16T11:26:00.000-08:002004-03-16T11:28:42.326-08:00

Final poll of the season is out, with Stanford reclaiming the No. 1 ranking, followed by Kentucky and Gonzaga. Utah State is 22nd in the coaches' poll, 25th in the writers', making the Aggies the first ranked team to be eligible for the tournament but not receive a bid since UNLV in 1993.

Steve Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10819441983325861409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3736114.post-1079304658237304812004-03-14T14:50:00.000-08:002004-03-14T14:53:18.890-08:00

Games are completed; just the suspense left. Did U-Dub do enough to overcome a slow start and a bad RPI? Will UTEP get a bid as a second WAC school in spite of a soft schedule (and a good RPI)? Will the Big-10 get four invites? Did Duke lose its one-seed? Or did Gonzaga sneak into that slot? Is Air Force going to get it's first ever taste, or are the Falcons one school too many from the

Steve Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10819441983325861409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3736114.post-1079295122339196422004-03-14T12:12:00.000-08:002004-03-14T14:49:18.296-08:00

Three hours away from the tournament selection. Most recent RPI figures here.

Steve Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10819441983325861409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3736114.post-1078761374868892652004-03-08T07:56:00.000-08:002004-03-08T08:00:08.966-08:00

Some editorials just seem to get spit out automatically; it's too bad this one came a week early, or I might have to take it seriously. [link via What Would Dick Think?]

Steve Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10819441983325861409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3736114.post-1078610861005478312004-03-06T14:07:00.000-08:002004-03-06T14:09:53.450-08:00

The first two participants in the NCAA Tournament have been named. East Tennessee State (a probable 14 seed) will attempt to play giant-killer again after winning its second straight Southern Conference championship. Liberty, the school run by Rev. Falwell, will get to experience the exotic pleasures of Dayton, Ohio due to its easy blow-out win over High Point (high point of what?) in the Big

Steve Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10819441983325861409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3736114.post-1077998077951291812004-02-28T11:54:00.000-08:002004-03-06T14:03:47.076-08:00

Ladies & Gentlemen: Your 2004 Songleaders!!!

Steve Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10819441983325861409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3736114.post-1073342877135700592004-01-05T14:47:00.000-08:002004-01-05T14:52:44.606-08:00

SUGAR BOWL: LSU 21, Oklahoma 14 Whatever chance college football fans had of seeing an undisputed champion fell by the wayside after this dull game. As expected, the polls have decided to split the difference, with USC and the Sugar Bowl winner, LSU, sharing the national title. Following a tradition going back to Tim Brown and Gino Torretto, Heisman Trophy winner Jason White looked awful,

Steve Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10819441983325861409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3736114.post-1073092328241929542004-01-02T17:12:00.000-08:002005-01-01T15:58:26.843-08:00

Hilarious take on the Ole Miss-Mississippi State rivalry by Alex Heard, as he unsuccessfully attempts to indoctrinate his girlfriend into Rebel fandom: "The Confederate flags were the first glitch—they were still street-legal back then. But more damning were the students. Rebel frat boys and sorority girls "dress up" for the games, the men looking like junior FBI agents in their jackets, ties,

Steve Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10819441983325861409noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3736114.post-1073081935021918012004-01-02T14:18:00.000-08:002004-01-02T14:25:48.543-08:00

ROSE BOWL: USC 28, Michigan 14 One of the interesting things about actually going to a game, rather than seeing it on TV, is that you watch a different event from the rest of the world. Leaving the Rose Bowl, I wondered if SC had done enough to hold onto the AP title. Both the score and the stats were superficially close, and although John Navarre spent a great deal of time on his fanny

Steve Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10819441983325861409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3736114.post-1072933080274019262003-12-31T20:58:00.000-08:002003-12-31T20:59:07.263-08:00

The one team that has been overlooked in the BCS controversy has been perhaps the best team in the country right now, Michigan. Ranked only fourth after two early losses, the Wolverines have dominated since rallying late to beat Minnesota (a game played simultaneously to the third game of the NLCS, and four days before Steve Bartman would become a household name). This article makes the case

Steve Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10819441983325861409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3736114.post-1072932301109249572003-12-31T20:45:00.000-08:002003-12-31T21:05:17.123-08:00

Holiday Bowl: Washington State 28, Texas 20 Continuing an impressive three-year run, the Cougars rallied in the second half to upset the fifth-ranked Longhorns, and in so doing, gained only their second-ever win against a Top-5 school. Sammy Moore put to rest what had been a disappointing season (no TD's since late September) with two scores and set up what proved to be the winning touchdown

Steve Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10819441983325861409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3736114.post-1072731547258196222003-12-29T12:59:00.000-08:002003-12-29T13:02:49.450-08:00

Insight Bowl: CAL 52, Virginia Tech 49 In a see-saw battle where both schools blew two touchdown leads, the only team to beat USC in the regular season prevailed once again in the last seconds. The Bears played without star receiver Geoff MacArthur, but it hardly had an impact on sophomore QB Aaron Rodgers, who threw for two touchdowns and completed his first twelve passes in the third quarter,

Steve Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10819441983325861409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3736114.post-1072376190443038462003-12-24T09:52:00.000-08:002003-12-25T10:17:30.826-08:00

PlainsCapital Fort Worth Bowl: Boise State 34, TCU 31 In the first post-season battle of Top-20 schools, the WAC champions rallied from a 21-7 deficit to knock off their hosts to win the inaugural match-up in Fort Worth. The Horned Frogs, ranked as high as sixth in the BCS rankings this season, saw a chance to tie the game in the final seconds go awry when a 50-yard field goal fell way short.

Steve Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10819441983325861409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3736114.post-1071646529548629382003-12-16T23:35:00.000-08:002003-12-16T23:39:02.420-08:00

The local jubilation that the Rose Bowl has an "old school" feel to it this year, with the Pac-10 champs playing their Big-10 counterparts, is ironic considering how that relationship began, back in 1946. At one time, the Rose Bowl usually pitted a Southern power against SC, UCLA or California, and the year the now-traditional match-up began, there was much bitterness about how the agreement

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