Understanding Ohio St President Gordon Gee

“If you think otherwise, then stop reading. You’re too naive to save.”

Can somebody please tell me how Dan Wetzel’s convoluted article about how Ohio State President Gordon Gee’s comments regarding Boise State and TCU not deserving to play for the National Championship ends?  I stopped reading right where he told me to stop, and not a moment too soon as his argument is about as confusing as he claims the BCS to be.

Not really, the man just assumes entirely too much.  Let’s forget about his assumption that he is right and if you disagree, well he just doesn’t want to hear from you, and look at what Mr. Gee said. 

Gordon Gee points out, from his experience having been a president at both a Big Ten and an SEC school, that those teams have to go through a gauntlet (slight exaggeration, but okay) and that every week they play very fine schools.  He further states his belief that if you don’t play a comparable schedule, then you don’t deserve a spot in the National Championship game.  He does make the very offensive mistake of calling Boise and TCU’s opponents Little Sisters of the Poor, which I just found out doesn’t even have a football team.

Dan Wetzel interprets this as: “Gee clearly has no idea what he is arguing about, or for, let alone how the BCS formula works, why it exists or how a playoff could actually operate.”  Bold stuff!  “Gee may think he’s arguing for the BCS, but he’s actually arguing against it.”  Really? Tell us more Captain Extrapolation!

See you can go from “I disagree” to “You’re stupid and you don’t know what you’re talking about,” but that’s a pretty shitty thing to do if you are over the age of 18.  Nowhere in Mr. Gee’s statements can we really gauge his grasp on the BCS or its formula. 

To me his statements are not much different than when Nick Saban said on National TV (minute 2:45 on) that, and I’m paraphrasing, it is not about the quality of team that Boise and TCU have, but consideration has to be given to the difficulty of what others have to go through to get to a 12-0 record.  Or as Dan Wetzel would put it: Nick Saban has no idea what he is arguing about, or for, let alone how the BCS formula works, why it exists or how a playoff could actually operate.

Wetzel actually gets to something that sort of resembles a point at around the 17^th paragraph when he says that the reason Gee is actually arguing against the BCS is because the system would, and could be about to, let a 12-0 WAC (or MWC) team play for its National Championship game, which is exactly what Gee is against.  BUT THEN WHAT IS THE BCS OUTRAGE ALL ABOUT?!

If the BCS system is capable of allowing teams like Boise or TCU to play for the National Championship then it is not systematically excluding any team.  The system is designed to make it difficult for them to get there, but that is a fair compensation for playing weaker schedules.  Yay, I got to my point in the 9^th paragraph!!!!  But I won’t ask you to stop reading, even if you disagree with me, because I got more to say.

The actual outrage should, of course, come from undefeated teams that are left out of the National Championship game.  This outrage, however, cannot come from any undefeated team.  Nick Saban is correct in saying that consideration should be given to teams whose path to 12-0 is inherently difficult (read: teams from AQ conferences and Notre Dame).  A playoff system is unfair in that it rewards teams for having weak schedules, not only by making it easier to go undefeated, but by keeping those players in better physical condition by the end of the season.  The only team that can be legitimately outraged is the 2004 Auburn Tigers.

Wetzel believes that money is the reason a playoff system hasn’t been implemented; he believes that wealthy bowl organizers want to continue to profit handsomely, even at the expense of the schools.  He’s right, but who is being naïve now?  Money just so happens to be the reason for EVERYTHING! 

Blaming something on the power brokers behind the scenes is just a very cheap way to gain support for your argument.  Hey, that Kanan guy is only writing this because he makes money if people click on ads on his blog!  Oh wait, so does Wetzel, only he makes more, so he’s the evil one!

Yes, bowl organizers are making a lot of money, and I will agree that requiring schools to purchase seats at face value is egregious, but the fact is that the bowl system has not always been the cash cow it now is.  Indeed College Football history is littered with failed bowls.  To think that a playoff system will be by its very nature a fair one where nobody profits more than anybody else, is, well, naïve.

College Football Predictions - Week 13

Pro Football Predictions - Week 12

-Kanan

How Strong is the SEC?

I don’t think Boise State deserves to play in the National Championship game, and frankly I’m not too comfortable with the idea of TCU doing so, though I prefer them over Boise.  This is the fight I’ve been preparing for since the pre-season rankings were released, and now consensus in the sports media (led by ESPN) is that a WAC or MWC schedule has nothing to do with whether a team deserves to play for the Championship.  Arguing that the quality of a College Football team is not dependent on the quality of it’s conference is not only wrong, but it also contradicts the idea that SEC teams merit special considerations because of their schedule.

For years now there seems to be only one thing that College Football analysts and commentators unanimously agree on: the Southeastern Conference is hands down the premier conference in College Football.  That belief went as far as to vault a 2-loss LSU team from #7 to #2 and into the BCS Title Game after winning the SEC Championship against an unranked Tennessee team.  As of right now there are three SEC teams in the Top 10, however the likelihood of an undefeated team coming out of the SEC is slim; only Auburn remains unbeaten with a trip to Alabama still on their schedule. 

If the SEC is indeed the best conference then it follows that a win versus an SEC opponent carries more significance than a win versus a WAC or MWC team. The idea of equality is nice, but not all wins are created equal, and that is what fuels rankings, both human and computer.  Yet the sports media insists on measuring teams based on the 'eyeball' test!  

I don’t believe the SEC is the best conference this season, my pick is the Pac-10, but it is a toss-up for second best conference between the Big Ten and SEC.  An SEC win should remain more valuable than than a WAC win.

Saying that a team like Boise State deserves to play for the National Championship regardless of their schedule, after years of insisting on the idea of the SEC’s superiority, makes about as much sense as “Keep Your Government Hands Off My Medicare!”

College Football Predictions – Week 10

Pro Football Predictions – Week 9

NBA Predictions – Week 3 (Lines Not Available)

Boxing

-Kanan

College Football Mid-Season Review

I am the only Texas fan I know who wasn’t outraged at the release of the initial BCS standings, which placed oklahoma at #1.  It is a gut reaction, of course, you never want to see your rival succeed and be ahead of you.  The reason I wasn’t surprised was because I’ve seen this movie before, in fact, the sooners have been ranked #1 in the BCS more weeks than any other school, yet they have only won one National Championship in four tries.  The story goes like this: ou beats Texas in the Red River Shootout, Texas then goes on to finish the season in stellar fashion, boosting the sooners’ rankings, so weirdly enough ou being ranked #1 is a compliment to Texas.

The other reason I’m not upset about oklahoma being ranked #1 is this: Have you seen the Oregon Ducks lately?  Oregon simply looks better than any team in College Football, period.  The Ducks are not just doing it on offense, they are also playing very good defense, and while Stanford is their only ‘major win,’ they still have to face very good teams in Arizona and USC, as well as Oregon State, who pollsters insist is a top team.  Even an undefeated oklahoma will have trouble holding rank over an undefeated Oregon.

Boise State is quickly becoming a victim of their weak schedule, at least in the poll that matters.  The press is going to have a heck of a time justifying ranking a 1-loss Nevada team just so the Broncos have another ranked victory, but they will nonetheless try.

Why is Boise State ranked ahead of TCU?  Right, because they beat them last year, but this is a new season and TCU has played better teams in the Mountain West.  That will change if they beat Utah, who isn’t getting any press love because they sold out and are moving on to the Pac 12.  It’s no surprise TCU is considering a move to the Big East, which makes about as much geographic sense as them being in the Mountain West.  My guess is, if the Big 12 survives, they’ll join the Big 12, but my guess is also that the Big 12 has about 3 more years of life.

I still very much believe Michigan is on the right track and will upset Ohio State this year.  Even in their losses their offense has been amazing, people calling for Rich Rod’s job clearly aren’t remembering what his West Virginia teams were about.  The Big Ten is surprisingly deep this year, but the way Iowa is playing, they will run the table.

Auburn is the biggest surprise in the SEC, well maybe second biggest after what’s happened to the Gators.  Cam Newton is a tremendously talented player, unfortunately, it often seems like he’s the Tigers’ only offensive weapon, his Heisman stock hinges on him being able to keep Auburn undefeated.  Alabama is still the best team in that conference, it will come down to the Iron Bowl to determine the champion.  Thankfully the computers will vault a 1-loss Bama team over Boise, TCU, or Utah.

The ACC and Big East remain nationally irrelevant, which isn’t very surprising.  Florida State looks good one week and lousy the next, but they’re still on track to reclaim the ACC, and boost ou’s ranking while at it.

College Football Predictions – Week 8

• #7 Michigan State -6 at Northwestern – Spartans could be caught looking ahead to Iowa next week, but I doubt it.
• #4 Auburn -6 over #6 LSU – Auburn has proven a tough place to play, and LSU is a team that should have 2 losses.
• #15 Iowa -6 over #13 Wisconsin – The Badgers played great against the Ohio State, but I expect them to be hung over and lose big to Iowa.
• Texas Tech -3 at Colorado – I expect the Red Raiders to give a nice farewell gift to Colorado and win big.
• #11 Missouri +3 over #1 oklahoma – ou’s defense, despite their shutout of Iowa State, isn’t great, I expect Mizzou’s balanced offense to give them trouble.
• #16 Nebraska -6 at #14 Oklahoma State – Nebraska’s defense will contain the Cowboys, and Martinez will bounce back and have a big game.
• Miami -6.5 over North Carolina – UNC’s off field issues will finally catch up to them and the ‘Canes will win big.
• Georgia -4 over Kentucky – The Wildcats beat South Carolina, but Georgia is much improved with AJ Green back, they should cruise on this one.
• Notre Dame -7 at Navy – The Irish are not losing again this season, Navy is not as good as it has been the past couple of years.
• Penn State -9.5 at Minnesota – Minnesota just fired their coach, that usually leads to a big loss.

Pro Football Predictions – Week 7

• Steelers -3 over Dolphins – Pittsburgh is just too good.
• 49ers -3 over Panthers – San Francisco finally got their win, and Carolina will have to wait for theirs.
• Seahawks -6 over Cardinals – Seattle looks better than expected and plays much better at home.
• Bears -3 over Redskins – Cutler will be back in form and Chicago will begin winning again.
• Cowboys -3.5 over Giants – Desperate times call for desperate measures.

UFC 121 Prediction

• Brock Lesnar over Cain Velasquez – He may have survived Carwin, but he will dominate Velasquez.

NBA Predictions – Week 1 (lines not available)

• 10/26 Miami over Boston – No way the Heat start with a loss.
• 10/26 Portland over Phoenix – Trailblazers will be in rare, full health mode, and the Suns begin life after Stoudemire.
• 10/27 Dallas over Charlotte – Homer pick
• 10/27 Denver over Utah – I’m not expecting much out of the Jazz without Boozer.
• 10/28 Orlando over Washington – The Magic will keep up with the Heat until their first matchup… the next day.
• 10/29 Dallas over Memphis – Dirk’s first 40 point game of the season, bank on it!

-Kanan

The Timely Return of His Airness

Legendary Washington Wizards guard Michael Jordan is finally a playable character in a video game, and not a second too late!  I was never a big fan of MJ, to the surprise of no one, but I can appreciate finally being able to play him in this year’s NBA 2K11 because I never could.  Growing up the NBA was second to none, but Basketball games lacked all of the league’s personality by not featuring Jordan (Of course I just wanted the chance to beat MJ).  The lack of a game to extend the fan’s brand engagement, like Madden with Football and FIFA with “Football,” surely played a part in the NBA’s popularity decline.  It’s hard to believe that Jordan is still a relevant figure in a sport whose culture notoriously skews young, and yet he’s still the ultimate ‘get.’ 

I found it amusing how EA (and I like EA) is scrambling to compete against the 2K series, it delayed the release of its game NBA Elite 11 and its now trying to revive NBA Jam.  A few years back EA took 2K out of the Football game business by signing an exclusivity deal with the NFL, and while NBA games will never be the cash cow that Madden is, Karma is still kind of a bitch.  I give this game a solid ‘alright.’

My college picks last week also get a solid ‘alright,’ I went 8 for 13 for 62% picking against the spread, but only went 33.33% picking the pros.  Alabama has been a good team for a while now, but I did not expect them to destroy Florida like they did last week, they’re truly a scary team.  Fortunately my National Championship pick, Oregon, is an equally scary team, any of you AP clowns still want to see Boise State play for the National Title?  I didn’t think so.

College Football Predictions – Week 6

• Baylor +1.5 at Texas Tech – A couple of years ago Baylor came oh so close to upsetting the Red Raiders and sending Texas to the Big XII title game, like most of my wishes this one’s also a few years late.
• #1 Alabama -7.5 at #20 South Carolina – The Gamecocks’ strength is the running game, something Alabama doesn’t have any problems with.
• #18 Stanford -10 over USC – Last week showed that the Trojans have clearly checked out of this season early, Stanford wins big at home to prove they’re still one of the elite teams in the nation.
• #13 Arkansas -6 over texas a&m – I wonder how the crowd will split at Dallas Cowboys stadium, traditionally a sooner stronghold. Hogs are done licking their wounds and are dedicating the rest of their season to gaining a BCS at large.
• #17 Michigan -4.5 over #16 Michigan State – Finally, a spread the Michigan defense can cover!  Robinson is going to run all over the Spartans.
• #12 Florida -6 over #9 LSU – I don’t think the Gators can make enough mistakes for the Tigers to steal another win.
• #25 Northwestern -9 over Purdue – The Wildcats like to keep games close, but without Marve I think a 10 point win over Purdue is doable.
• #8 Auburn -6.5 at Kentucky – Cam Newton is a great athlete, and enough to beat Kentucky by at least a touchdown.
• Iowa State +6 over #10 Utah – Anybody else get the impression that Utah isn’t getting all the Boise and TCU hype because they ‘sold out’ and are moving to the Pac 12?  It’s okay, they’re losing this one anyway.
• #3 Oregon -36.6 at Washington State – Screw it, make it 48!

Pro Football Predictions – Week 5

• Colts -7.5 over Chiefs – Indy is at home, sorry KC.
• Falcons -3 at Browns – A suspiciously easy pick, I wonder if it’s a trap….
• Packers -3 at Redskins – Redskins haven’t won back-to-back and I don’t expect them to start now!
• Raiders +6.5 over Chargers – San Diego is about to get McFaddened!
• Saints -7 at Cardinals – A would be trap game if New Orleans weren’t playing so crappy and Arizona had a starting QB.
• Lions -3 over Rams – I doubt Stafford will play, but Ndamukong Suh will be hunting Bradford all day!
• 49ers -3.5 over Eagles – No Michael Vick means trouble against San Francisco’s D!

-Kanan

Save Us, Boise State!

A recent Yahoo!Sports column laments the backlash against Boise State from fans of automatic BCS conference schools due to the Broncos' prominent position in the pre-season polls (3rd in the AP, 5th in the Coaches').  It argues that Boise State's predicament, which could put them in the BCS title game should they once again go undefeated, is in fact a result of the so-called broken BCS system.  As I understand it, the article is basically saying we (BCS supporters) deserve to have the National Championship 'crashed' for not having a system that gives every team a fair chance to win.

College Football is broken indeed, but it has nothing to do with the fact that teams from six conferences and Notre Dame are the only ones with a 'clear' path to the Championship game.  The problem IS NOT the BCS!  The real problem is that the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) is littered with teams that do not belong there.  Boise State clearly is not one of those teams!  Most of the teams in its current conference, the WAC, are (except for Fresno St.).  Their next one, the Mountain West, is only slightly better with BYU and Utah leaving the conference.

Pre-season polls are the other major problem with college football because they influence the opinion of the human polls throughout the season, doing things like giving the Broncos a fast track to the title game should they remain undefeated.  I believe, however, that a more even field allows the pre-season polls to better correct themselves.

The upcoming conference re-alignments provide the perfect opportunity to correct whats ailing the game, let's get rid of the teams that do not belong.  This improves the quality of the game all around, we not only get a more accurate championship game, we get a better season all around!  It also gives teams that are unable or unwilling to invest the resources it takes to be competitive in FBS to actually be competitive in another division.  There would be absolutely no backlash to Boise State playing for the National Championship if their schedule wasn't littered with the Utah States and NMSUs of the world.

This is not to insult teams in mid-major conferences, but there is an extremely high level of delusion out there regarding teams' ability to compete.  Sure Boise State and Utah can compete with and beat teams from BCS conferences, but why is it that pro-playoff BCS bashers always seem to forget that Hawaii was slaughtered by Georgia in the Sugar Bowl?  I'm not going to list which teams I think should be cut from FBS, that's obviously the hard part, but I'm not proposing a drastic cut, going from 120 to 100 schools would make a big difference.

An even more awesome solution would be to cap it at 100 and promoting champions from other divisions while dropping bottom feeders on a regular basis, the way many soccer leagues function.  Like that would ever happen!

Bottom line: I don't think BCS supporters deserve to have Boise State crash the championship game to teach us a lesson in fairness.  I think playoff proponents deserve to have Boise State in the championship game, maybe even against a team from that other media darling, the SEC.  The result will hopefully shut them up for a couple of weeks.

A college football playoff is a popular idea, and that is because the sports media wants to condense the sport into a neat little package that can be sold to the masses every December the way March Madness is sold.  Real college football fans: Texas fans, Alabama fans, Florida fans, USC fans, Ohio State fans, Michigan fans, Boise State fans, and all other fans that have something to root for other than their bracket, think a playoff system is a bad idea.  The college football season is the most perfect season in sports because every game matters.

Week 1 Predictions:

• #2 Ohio State -28.5 over Marshall - OSU had an opening day scare last year against Navy, but they're coming out of the gates to prove they belong at #2, Marshall lost 52-10 at Va Tech last year, a good comparable. 
• #15 Pitt +3 at #24 Utah - Pitt has a hell of a team, they're my pick to win the Big East
  
• #14 USC -22 at Hawaii - 22 points is a real bargain here, HI can't score like they once did
• #4 Texas -30.5 over Rice - UT playing a home game at Reliant Stadium
• Michigan -3 over UConn - Rich Rod's redemption year begins
• Mizzou -11.5 over Illinois - Last year Missouri crushed Illinois on the road in their 'transition' year, I expect them to be better this year
• #16 LSU (pick) over #18 UNC - Expected to be a close game, LSU wins on home field advantage
• Northwestern -5.5 at Vanderbilt - Vandy has a new coach, Northwestern has a very good one
• #12 Wisconsin -20.5 at UNLV - Wisconsin is another team that starts the season with something to prove
• Texas Tech -14 over SMU - SMU is a team on the rise, but I think Tech approaches this game as a must win to start the Tuberville era
• #6 Virginia Tech +2 over #5 Boise State - If someone's tired of hearing about how great Boise State is and how they're going to the championship game, its Va Tech.  I do think its a close one.

And I know what I'm talking about, because I briefly walked on the smurf turf before a groundskeeper politely asked me to leave :)

-Kanan