Signing Day Brings Out the Best in ESPN's List-Making

Signing Day is today. I already talked about how much I don't like it.

But it also gave ESPN the opportunity to make a "Best of the BCS Conference List." The theory behind this is that in each conference, there is a school that is the "best" in that area. ESPN asks it's team of bloggers to rate a school in their conference in anything from the best recruiter to the best academics to even the best uniforms.

Most of the answers are ho-hum and relatively no-brainers.

So, here are my thoughts on the Best of the BCS Conferences. But since I went to a Pac-10 school (California) and live out on the West Coast, I'll give most of my attention to the Conference of Champions.

• Best Uniform category: Do kids really go to a school based on what the uniform looks like? And for all of those Oregon fans and alums screaming that Ted Miller didn't pick the Ducks, really? You think because you have so many combination that Oregon has the best unis? The all white is pretty sick, but other than that, they're ugly.

• Best Campus Life--Cal: So there was some objections to this in the comments made by ESPN readers. Here's an example:
  

  Have you ever been to Cal? Berkeley is the most rediculous "college town" in the country. Their are more 90 year olds biking around Berkeley than students. You should look towards Tempe. Aren't they annually in the Top 5 for party schools in the country?

  You need to do more research before writing these types of articles.
  

  Obviously, this reader is uninformed. These writers have been to every school and then some in the conferences they cover. Ted Miller is one of the best writers in all of college football and I'm going to say is the most talented of any of the bloggers that ESPN hired for their college football blog. And college life isn't about all about the parties. If that were so, wouldn't Arizona State not have finished 5-7 this year and sixth in the Pac-10?
  

  Also, being at Cal, even though it is considered a program that should compete with USC perrenially, there is a laid-backness to the student population when it comes to its football. Yes the fans come out, the students are crazy on Saturday, but that's on Saturday. During the rest of the week, the football players can just go around, acting like normal students, not being bothered by the faux-fame that comes to most athletes when they go to a school like, oh, ASU. On Saturdays, Cal is a football school. On every other day, Cal is just a school and a damn good one at that.

• I've been to Eugene, Ore., for a gameday and have to say I agree with Ted Miller. The fans and students there are crazy. And Autzen Stadium turns into an absolute zoo come kickoff time. And it gets so loud.
  

• Does Syracuse really have the best academics in the Big East?

• If recruits made their decisions strictly on playing time, then Wazzu and Iowa State should be signing five-stars left and right. Too bad (for the Cougs and Clones) that recruiting doesn't work that way.
  

Signing Day, the Circus it is

I enjoy signing day as the average person does--not really.

The only thing that signing day signals for me is that spring camps are set to open in a few months and I can't wait for college football to start going again.

But I never understood the fascination with college football's signing day. It's the only college sport where the signing day is treated as if it's the be-all, end-all to how a program will do in the next four years.

It's all about how many five- and four-star recruits a team is able to sign and whether or not those high school kids really deserve all that glory being promised to them.

The whole college football recruiting process is one where you see grown men (cue in Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy), get down on their knees and praise and promise and grovel in front of boys. It's degrading in both ways.

And I for one would support moving signing day earlier in the year. We need no more grandstanding from a bunch of kids with a god-complex who make grown men act like high school freshmen.

Who's Number 1?

Sixteen writers in the AP Poll and one lone coach (of course it was Utah's Kyle Whittingham) gave Utah No. 1 votes in the final polls of the year.

(I know this is a couple days late, but hey, better late than never).

Of course, this is the perpetual problem with the current system and one that many want to change with a playoff system.

Naysayers of the BCS system want a true number one team crowned at the end of the year. No ifs, ands or buts. No questions. No whatifs. No maybe-this-team-should-be-at-the-top. They want a playoff. They want it bad and they looking at the Utes' undefeated season (capped with that win over Alabama) and the debacle in the Big 12 as the rallying cry.

Guess what. That playoff ain't comin', no matter who says they want one (Barack Obama may be able to fix all the troubles in the world--or at least promise he can--but can't fix college football).

Sure Utah had an undefeated season, but really, a team from the Mountain West who's best win came against an uninspired Crimson Tide, that should be the No. 1 team in the country?

And don't give me that "oh the Mountain West is really good" bullshit. The mid-majors were overrated this year. Everyone of them. Except the Utes.

And what about Texas? Should the Longhorns not be considered? Why didn't any coaches break from the AFCA and vote for UT? Because the AFCA threatened to not count votes by coaches who didn't vote for Florida.

Should Utah be No. 1? No, but I would have voted for them. Because, at the end of the day, we all knew that there was no way that the Utes were going to be named No. 1 in the country.

FOX Asks "Where Did All the Offense Go?"

Update 11:02 p.m.: I'm watching ESPN's coverage right now, and it's the same stuff. Thanks sports media for making the whole world think that after Florida and Oklahoma breezed threw some powderpuff defenses that last month of the season, that both offenses are supposed to continue like a well-oiled machine. Right.

Florida won, as I predicted (though it isn't on record. You'll just have to ask my friends).

Not much to say about the game besides that Tim Tebow is a pretty good football player, Percy Harvin is amazing and Sam Bradford might have the softest touch in the college game (that's a good thing).

The game was pretty much ho-hum, which can be a pretty good characterization of all 34 bowl games this year, collectively. Collectively, this bowl season wasn't extraordinary. But that's a post for another day.

What I'll always remember from this BCS National Championship Game is FOX's team (play-by-play guy Thom Brenaman, color guy Charles Davies and the in-studio crew of Chris Rose, Eddie George, Barry Switzer and Jimmy Johnson) kept harping on the fact that both the Gators and Oklahoma were scoring at a lower rate than they normally do.

It's as if the entire FOX crew was expecting a 42-41 shootout. Please.

Look at what teams Florida and the Sooners have played the last couple of months. Oklahoma's last five opponents before the BCS title game was Mizzou, Oklahoma State, Texas Tech, Texas A&M and Nebraska.

The Gators played Alabama, Florida State, The Citadel, South Carolina and Vanderbilt.

The only quality defensive team in that group of 10 teams is...Bama.

Everyone else (even the Red Raiders) is a defensive pansy.

So when the best two teams, with two pretty good defenses, get together for the championship game, you--FOX--still expect a shootout? Really? And for godsakes, the Gators played THE CITADEL and dropped 70 points on them.

I didn't expect to see a 7-7 game at half. But I for sure didn't expect to see 48-46.

C'mon FOX, at least pretend to show some professionalism.

(There Will Be No) Extra Point:

My friend brought up a good point after the game. He wonders what does Urban Meyer think about Utah's 13-0 season and if the Utes should be given consideration as the No. 1 team in the country.

We both came to the conclusion that, given the circumstances, Meyer has to say Florida has to be given the No. 1 spot in the AP poll, even though he was saying different when he took Utah to a BCS win a few years ago.

The Headlines Week 9: What a Mess We've Got

We're pretty much through half of the Pac-10 campaign, and nothing is settled yet. Nothing.

Southern California might be the highest ranked team in the conference, but there are four teams with only one loss in conference play--including the Trojans.

November will decide who gets to coveted BCS bid--one that USC has held a strangle hold on for a really long time.

The Trojans and Oregon are atop the Pac-10 with 4-1 records, but Oregon State and California are right behind them with 3-1 records.

The Duck already lost to USC. The Trojans already lost to the Beavers. The Bears are the only one that hasn't played the other three yet, but that changes this Saturday. Cal starts a three-week journey against the Pac-10's leaders starting with Oregon, then at Southern California and then at Oregon State.

If the Bears survive, they'll be smelling roses.

The Headlines:

• Arizona: Just So Close
  
• Arizona State: I knew We Were Overrated
  
• California: Sometimes, the Offense Doesn't Need to Click
  
• Oregon: Running Roughshod
  
• UCLA: Stifled Craft-Work
  
• USC: No Monumental Upset in the Desert This Time
  
• Washington: Poor Tyrone
  

Since I've Been Gone...For A Long Time

Sorry I've been away.

Works been hectic and I've been everywhere. But hopefully, I get to sit down and blog some more.

So I'm back. I've missed a few things. I've missed a lot of things.

My thoughts of what's gone on since I've been gone...

• Thank goodness the Rays are in the World Series and the Dodgers are at home, sitting on their couches like the rest of us.
• This isn't the NFL we all thought we'd see.
• I still don't think the Titans are for real.
  
• The eyes of Texas are upon us and are upon the BCS title game.
• How the hell are USC and Ohio State rearing their ugly heads again?
• Stephen Garcia better be embarrassed.
• So, how about them Cowboys?
• The NHL is back?
• The Three Lions look might good under Fabio Capello.
• Mexico, on the other hand, does not.
• And wave of the future? Please, but those young Americans have to look better and fare better than they did against T&T
• It sucks to be a Chargers and Cal fan. It makes you pull your hair out.
  
• Don't trade Peavy.
  

A Sporting Economy

This whole economic free fall is also going to take its toll on the greatest of all great distractions that keep people sane in a harsh world--the world of sport may never be the same.

Now, the professional sports leagues and even the NCAA look like they'll be okay. There aren't going to be stories about how the NBA or the NFL will be cutting games from their schedules because of a lack of funds. The leagues and the teams (mostly) will be fine.

What might change because of this economic mess that we're in is the fan who attends the games. The common fan, the common fan family, may not be able to afford to go see a team that they've supported their entire life. The great guys at Sports Illustrated cover this (in a way that brings them back to their old glory days) and also cover how sports is dealing with this economic crunch with stories about NASCAR, the NBA, the NHL, high school and college sports.

The main article highlights how hard it is for true sports fans to go to games because of a shitty economy and rising ticket and food prices and ballparks and stadiums. The other stories, in this fashion, are a little bit more worthwhile to read.

The "changing face of the fan" story could have been written a couple of years ago or hell, even a decade ago. It's been a slow process, but this economic downturn has accelerated that.

How did this happen? Simple. The new state-of-the-art stadium/arena/ballpark. Don't get me wrong. Fans, teams and everyone enjoys these new facilities. And we kind of need them, especially in places that play in dark, damp, ugly things (like Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego).

But with these new facilities comes higher prices. Most of these new ballparks have smaller seating capacities, causing tickets prices and the like to go up. There are also luxury boxes, eliminating room for the averaging fan at these smaller parks.

And slowly, the demographic attending games went from the die-hard fan--who could be someone in the lower, middle or upper echelon of society--to the casual, almost not-even-caring fair-weather fan which mostly comes from that part of society where $100 bills are pocket change.

You can see it when you go to professional games now. The fans are muted. The fans may not even be watching. They're more interested in talking to their pals than to see "their team" win a game.

I've seen this in San Francisco at Giants games. Seen this in Chicago at (WTF?!) Cubs games. I've seen in Washington, D.C. and in San Diego.

Most of the fans there go to games for the stuff in the periphery. They're more interested in what kind of funnel cake the concessions stand has than who's pitching.

It's not all like that. Not yet. The die-hards, the true fans, they still exist. But now the process has been sped up. And now, it's only a matter of time before T.V. stations and radio crews have to pump artificial crowd noise into their broadcasts because the crowd at the game won't even know what the fuck is going on.

But thankfully, it's not like that now. Except for in Anaheim. Did you see all those Botox-injected, blonde, 40-year old, mothers at Angels Stadium during this playoff run? I sure did.

And in the future, all of our stadiums might be filled with'em.

Where Do We Go From Here? Part 2

No Pac-10 headlines this week. I feel I should give it a week off because there really was no buzz.

Sure, California redeemed the Pac-10 against the Mountain West by stomping on Colorado State, but other than Oregon State's upset of No. 1 USC, I saw who cares?

We'll care next week. Promise.

No more conference power rankings either. Why? Cause the rest of the year we're just going to see the mediocre conferences duke it out for spots 4-9. The SEC, Big Ten and Big 12 are by far the better conference's in the country. The MWC is the best mid-major and the Pac-10 is leagues better than the ACC and Big East...combined.

So I'm not even going to bother with that.

But, who would have though nine top 25 teams were going to go down this weekend (three top 25 teams were going to lose, since there were three top 25 matchups)? How about four top 10 teams?

If you didn't think this was going to happen, then you're not living in the right century.

Many thought that last year was an anomaly, with so many upsets and so many teams ranked No. 2 going down throughout the year. It was crazy! It was a roller coaster. But it couldn't happen again, could it? Nah. The powerhouses were going to take control.

Ugh. Wrong.

The days where you can count on the perceived top 10 teams from steamrolling through their schedules are done.

Yes, teams can still go undefeated, but it will be and is harder and more unpredictable.

Parity (a four-letter word to some) is real. It lets teams like Vanderbilt be ranked in the top 20! It lets teams like Ole Miss beat No. 4 Florida. It lets teams like Oregon State own USC.

It's why teams in the mid-major conferences are able to beat teams in the BCS conferences and why teams like South Florida and Mizzou are in the top 10.

It's why the Mountain West was 5-0 against the Pac-10 before this week.

Parity. It's here. It's time for the "traditional" powerhouses to deal with it.

And, oh by the way, with all those losses by top teams, USC was able to stay in the top 10. I still would have voted them out of the top 25, but if the AP is going to put Oregon back in the top 25, I guess Southern California can stay.

But if I were voting, no Pac-10 teams would be ranked. At least for now.

ARE YOU KIDDING?!

Mike Riley owns Pete Carroll. OWNS!

I don't know what it is about Corvallis, Oregon and Resar Stadium. I don't know what it is about Oregon State. I don't know why Southern California can't win...there.

There must be something in the water.

Or, more likely, the Trojans saw this date and were like "it's only Oregon State." I know I would. So the let down came, no matter how much bullshit Carroll talked the week leading up to this game.

It was all that "it's one game at a time," "every game is the national championship," BULLSHIT!


Well, it wasn't bullshit. The Beavers upset the No. 1 team in the country. But to the USC players, all that talk that Carroll did, to them, after this performance, they easily believed that all that was bullshit.

It ain't bullshit.

Now, is everyone ready to watch the SEC champ play the Big 12 champ for the BCS title?

Conference Power Rankings: Week 4

East Carolina, kiss your BCS dreams goodbye. How did the Pirates beat Virginia Tech and West Virginia earlier in the year? Well, ECU was at home. But lose to N.C. State? Really? Really?!

The Pirates definitely don't belong in the BCS--at least not this year. But if Skip Holtz sticks around, then ECU will be crashing the party soon. Very soon.

The Pac-10 isn't a sorry conference. It's just the conference where USC plays.

Speaking of the Mountaineers, they are done. And I'm sure Ohio State was thankful to play Troy at the Horseshoe after being embarrassed by the USC Trojans last week.

And don't we all love SEC football?

Week 4 Standings:	Record	Winning Pct.
1) ACC	6-0	1.000
2) WAC	4-1	.800
3-t) Big Ten	6-2	.750
3-t) MWC	3-1	.750
4) SEC	2-1	.667
6) Big East	5-3	.625
7) Big 12	5-4	.556
8) Pac-10	2-2	.500
9) C-USA	4-6	.400
10) MAC	4-9	.307
11) Sun Belt	1-4	.200

Season Standings	Record	Winning Pct.
1) SEC	25-4	.862
2) MWC	19-4	.818
3) Big Ten	31-7	.816
4) Big 12	31-8	.795
5) ACC	22-9	.709
6) Big East	14-13	.518
7-t) Pac-10	12-12	.500
7-t) WAC	13-13	.500
9) C-USA	13-18	.419
10) MAC	15-25	.375
11) Sun Belt	7-15	.318

Power Rankings

1) SEC Last Week No. 1

• Key Wins: No. 3 Georgia over Arizona State
• Key Losses: Georgia Tech over Mississippi State
  

2) Big 12 Last Week No. 2

• Key Wins: Colorado over No. 21 West Virginia, No. 7 Texas over Rice
• Key Losses: Louisville over Kansas State, UConn over Baylor, Miami over Texas A&M, UNLV over Iowa State

3) Mountain West Last Week No. 3

• Key Wins: UNLV over Iowa State, TCU over Southern Methodist, Colorado State over Houston
• Key Losses: Tulsa over New Mexico

4) Big Ten Last Week No. 5

• Key Wins: Michigan State over Notre Dame
• Key Losses: Pitt over Iowa, Ball State over Indiana

5) Pac-10 Last Week No. 4

• Key Wins: Stanford over San Jose State
• Key Losses: No. 3 Georgia over Arizona State, Boise State over No. 17 Oregon

6) ACC Last Week No. 7

• Key Wins: N.C. State over No. 15 East Carolina, Georgia Tech over Mississippi State, Miami over Texas A&M
• Key Losses: none

7) Big East Last Week No. 6

• Key Wins: Louisville over Kansas State, UConn over Baylor, Pitt over Iowa
• Key Losses: Navy over Rutgers, Colorado over No. 21 West Virginia

8) WAC Last Week No. 9

• Key Wins: Boise State over No. 17 Oregon, New Mexico State over UTEP
• Key Losses: Stanford over San Jose State

9) Conference USA Last Week No. 8

• Key Wins: Tulane over UL Monroe
• Key Losses: N.C. State over No. 15 East Carolina, Boston College over Central Florida, No. 7 Texas over Rice

10) MAC Last Week No. 10

• Key Wins: Ball State over Indiana, Akron over Army
• Key Losses: No. 5 Mizzou over Buffalo, Maryland over Eastern Michigan, No. 16 Penn State over Temple, UL Lafayette over Kent State

11) Sun Belt Last Week No. 11

• Key Wins: UL Lafayette over Kent State
• Key Losses: No. 12 South Florida over FIU, No. 13 Ohio State over Troy
  

Conference Power Rankings Week 3

Southern California reigned supreme, there were upsets and almost upsets. How about Mizzou? They look dangerous right now. And BYU, well maybe it was just a little motivated after how it won last week.

But still, the conference to beat right now is the SEC. And it does help that they've been playing these cupcakes the last few weeks, save, of course, of a few top matchups (like Bama beating Clemson and Florida surviving against Miami). And now, with Arizona State's loss to UNLV, Georgia's trip out west looks a tad easier. Just a tad.

While the SEC still sorts itself out, its the Trojans that have the straightest line and clearest road to the national championship. Every team left on USC's schedule is just a mere speed bump to Miami, especially if the Pac-10 keeps playing like it did Saturday.

Week 3 Standings:	Record	Winning Pct.
1) SEC	6-0	1.000
2) MWC	7-1	.875
3) Big Ten	7-2	.778
4-t) Big 12	6-2	.750
4-t) MAC	3-1	.750
6) ACC	3-2	.600
7) Big East	2-2	.500
8) C-USA	2-3	.400
9) Pac-10	3-7	.300
10) Sun Belt	2-5	.286
11) WAC	2-6	.250

Season Standings	Record	Winning Pct.
1) SEC	23-3	.887
2) Big 12	26-4	.867
3) MWC	16-3	.842
4) Big Ten	25-5	.833
5) ACC	16-9	.640
6) Pac-10	10-10	.500
7) Big East	9-10	.474
8-t) C-USA	9-12	.429
8-t) WAC	9-12	.429
10) MAC	11-16	.407
11) Sun Belt	6-11	.353

Powers Rankings:

1) SEC Last Week No. 1

• Key Wins: none
• Key Losses: none

2) Big 12 Last Week No. 2

• Key Wins: No. 6 Mizzou over Nevada, Baylor over Wazzu, No. 3 Oklahoma over Washington
• Key Losses: Iowa over Iowa State, No. 19 South Florida over No. 13 Kansas

3) Mountain West Last Week No. 6

• Key Wins: TCU over Stanford, No. 18 BYU over UCLA, No. 22 Utah over Utah State, New Mexico over Arizona, UNLV over No. 15 Arizona State
• Key Losses: San Jose State over San Diego State

4) Pac-10 Last Week No. 3

• Key Wins: No. 16 Oregon over Purdue, Oregon State over Hawaii, No. 1 USC over No. 5 Ohio State
• Key Losses: TCU over Stanford, No. 18 BYU over UCLA, New Mexico over Arizona, UNLV over No. 15 Arizona State, Maryland over No. 23 California, Baylor over Wazzu, No. 3 Oklahoma over Washington
  

5) Big Ten Last Week No. 5

• Key Wins: No. 17 Penn State over Syracuse, No. 10 Wisconsin over No. 21 Fresno State, No. 24 Illinois over UL Lafayette
• Key Losses: No. 16 Oregon over Purdue, No. 1 USC over No. 5 Ohio State, Notre Dame over Michigan

6) Big East Last Week No. 8

• Key Wins: No. 19 South Florida over No. 13 Kansas, UConn over Virginia
  
• Key Losses: North Carolina over Rutgers

7) ACC Lass Week No. 7

• Key Wins: Maryland over No. 23 California, Duke over Navy
• Key Losses: UConn over Virginia

8) Conference USA Last Week No. 4

• Key Wins: Southern Miss over Arkansas State
• Key Losses: Air Force over Houston, Tennessee over UAB, Vanderbilt over Rice, No. 12 Texas Tech over SMU

9) WAC Last Week No. 9

• Key Wins: Boise State over Bowling Green, San Jose State over San Diego State
• Key Losses: No. 10 Wisconsin over No. 21 Fresno State

10) MAC Last Week No. 11

• Key Wins: Western Michigan over Idaho
• Key Losses: Boise State over Bowling Green

11) Sun Belt Last Week No. 10

• Key Wins: Troy over Alcorn State, UL Monroe over Alabama A&M
• Key Losses: No. 24 Illinois over UL Lafayette, Kentucky over Middle Tennessee State, Southern Miss over Arkansas State
  

The Headlines: Week 3, The Pac Suck

What a banner day for the Pac-10, if you're Southern California and Oregon State.

We all saw Oregon squeak by Purdue (?!), California lost to Maryland (?!), Arizona State lost to UNLV (?!), Washington lost to Oklahoma, UCLA got thumped by BYU and supposed surprise team Arizona lost to New Mexico (?!).

What awesome week for the "Conference of Champions." To the headlines:

• Arizona: So...Goodbye Stoops?
• Arizona State: Uhhhhhhh...
  
• California: Back to Reality
• Oregon: Let's Leave on Thursdays For These Long Road Trips
• Oregon State: Things Aren't That Bad...When You Play Hawaii
• Stanford: Back to Reality, Part 2
• UCLA: Back to Reality, Part 3
  
• USC: Punching Our Tickets to Miami Already
  
• Washington: Why Us?
• Washington State: Officially the Worst Team...Probably Ever
  

Where To Now? The Aftermath: USC versus Ohio State

So Beanie Wells didn't play. It probably didn't matter. Southern California looked too good. That defense was ferocious. Quarterback Mark Sanchez looked amazing. Those stable of Trojans running backs were able to rip through the Ohio State defense.

And oh by the way, the Buckeyes didn't score a touchdown the entire game.

A few things about the game that I didn't touch upon earlier:

• Obviously, we will not be seeing Ohio State in Miami for the BCS title game. As for USC? It's a simple formula: win-out and punch those tickets for south Florida.
• Sanchez just entered the Heisman race in a big way: 172 yards-4 TDs-1 INT.
• Cliche alert: the only team that can beat USC is....USC.
• Here's the blueprint to beat Ohio State: blitz Todd Boeckman--all day, everyday. That's what the Trojans did and they didn't care what down it was, what the score was and didn't give a shit about who the skill players were on the field. When No. 17 was on the field, USC put him under so much pressure that Boeckman had no time to breathe.
• But speaking of Boeckman, I don't think it's time to bench him. Ohio State's season isn't over. While there's no title game to play for, there's still the Rose Bowl, I guess.
  
• I thought Ohio State was supposed to have a good defense? Maybe the Trojans are just that good. Okay, the Trojans are just that good.
• I'm going to go back on my "the season isn't over yet" for the Buckeyes. Maybe it is. That all depends on how Tressel is able to spin this for Ohio State. If the players start to not care after this loss, then this season will be over for them.
• The Big Ten sucks.
  

USC versus Ohio State Halftime Thoughts

So, this "game of the year" is just about to become a blowout, if Southern California keeps going at this rate. The Trojans look really unstoppable right now. As for Ohio State, would Beanie Wells really have made that much of a difference?

Who knows? But it's close, kind of. A few thoughts.

• Terrell Pryor isn't playing like a freshman. Maybe Jim Tressel is managing the game for him, but so far, the Buckeyes offense looks better with Pryor in the game.
• Speaking of that other quarterback, for someone who played in the BCS title game last year, Todd Boeckman looks like he's overwhelmed.
• Like I said, Beanie Wells wouldn't have made too much of an impact, unless he could play on the defensive end and stop Joe McKnight.
  
• The USC student section is kind of cocky and arrogant What a fucking surprise from a school like that. They were chanting "overrated" before the first half was over. Will karma come back to bite them in the ass? Maybe not in this football game, but, their degrees from 'SC might be "overrated."
• It is scary to think that this Trojans team can be better than the one that had Reggie Bush and Matt Leinart. This team is just so deep. So far, the USC offense reminds me of the Argentina soccer team's attacking abilities. Just way too fast. Way too scary. Way too creative. And they can strike from anywhere on the field.
• James Laurinaitis and Rey Maualuga are as good as billed
• Penalties are drive killers.

More to come at the end of the game.

Uhm, About Those Expectations...

I've got to talk about this, because it seems to happen every year.

I've got to talk about this, because I just graduated from there.

But two weeks weren't enough to give the California football team any expectations. After the Bears torched Wazzu last week to the tune of a 66-3 win, the national media, the Bay Area media, everyone was ready to jump on the Cal bandwagon.

And everyone was jumping on the Jahvid Best for Heisman truck. Best was in ESPN's top 10 Heisman list last week after scoring two touchdowns and rushing for 200 yards against the Cougars. Ray Ratto of the San Francisco Chronicle got on the bandwagon, and so did the campus paper, the Daily Cal.

After the first two weeks, why not? The Bears looked good. They defeated what many believed was a middle-of-the-road Big Ten team and throttled someone on the road.

But after losing to a Maryland team that barely beat I-AA Delaware (fuck this FCS bullshit) and lost to Middle Tennessee State, what do we know about this Cal team? Well, let's just say that maybe they aren't as good as we all thought they were and that Jeff Tedford can't coach a team to win on the east coast.

The Jahvid Jet for Heisman campaign and the Bears undefeated season came to screeching halt.

Sure, I'm disappointed. Sure, a lot of Cal fans are disappointed. But maybe we shouldn't have had high expectations after just two weeks of college football and wins against powderpuffs.

And for that, I put it on the media, for boosting this team, for maybe over-hyping this team and for creating this sense of high expectations.

The media should have known better. This was a squad that lost six of its last eight games last year. Sure, there aren't any egos and sure, the chemistry looks like it's there, but this team hadn't proven itself yet.

How can anyone declare Cal a team that could conceivably contend with Oregon and Arizona State and especially Southern California for Pac-10 supremacy?

Maybe the media could have taken it a little easy and maybe not get caught up in the excitement of what could still be a very good Bears football team.

I guess why this happens is because in the Pac-10, everyone is looking for someone who can dethrone the Trojans. And everyone is rooting for someone to knock USC off its pedestal. So when a team, even an unproven team, with a young quarterback and unproven receivers and two fragile running backs shows a glimpse and a glimmer of greatness (even against a really shitty Wazzu team and a so-so Spartans team) then the media will hail them as a contender.

And maybe Cal can be that contender. It's only one loss. It's an out-of-conference loss. The Rose Bowl and Pac-10 title isn't out of sight.

But if the Bears continue to play in that same uninspired fashion that it did today, there's no way they can contend.

The print and mainstream media need to point that out.

Beanie, Beanie, Beanie

It's as if this guy, Chris "Beanie" Wells, is some sort of savior for Ohio State.

Ever since going down against Youngstown State two weeks ago, the talk has been all about whether wells will play or not.

Apparently, he won't play today, according to Jim Tressel.

But if you've been around Tressel and this Buckeyes program as of late, apparently, this is all a little weird.

Tressel runs his media relations program as if it Soviet Russia in the Cold War. The players all know what to say. The media doesn't get too much access at practices. And after the Tuesday press conference, the team (and most other teams, by the way) stay quiet about any big news until Saturday.

So, to Tressel say on Thursday that Wells will play and then say Friday that he won't, all looks very covert and calculating to me.

But then again, there is so much hype and focus on this game, then maybe everyone is just blowing things out of proportion. If Tressel made that announcement last week before Ohio State's game against Ohio, no one would care.

But if you asked me, Wells is going to be on the field tonight.

Oh, by the way, if you're an Ohio State fan, you don't want your football team to give the kind of performance the women's volleyball team gave against Southern California last night. The Trojans swept the Buckeyes, 3-0. Just though I'd mention it.

Time to Give In to the Hype: USC versus The Ohio State

I come from Pac-10 county. I was born in it. I grew up in it. I went to school at one of its founding members.

The Pacific-10 conference truly does live up to its self-proclaimed nickname, the Conference of Champions. The conference, as a whole, as more national championships than any other in the entire NCAA. That's pretty impressive.

But Saturday's tilt between No.1 Southern California and No. 5 Ohio State really isn't about the Pac-10 versus the Big Ten, even though on the surface it is.

Yes, it's a matchup of two of the oldest conferences in all of sport. It's the traditional Rose Bowl matchup, so conceivably, the Trojans and Buckeyes can meet each other again in Pasadena on New Years' Day. And it's two traditional powers and two of the powers that have run college football in the first decade of the 21st century.

But what this game is really about is respect, and not respect for the Pac-10 or the Big Ten. But respect for USC and for Ohio State.

Alright, we already respect these teams as programs. Their history and tradition speak for themselves. But this is about the respect for the present.

The Buckeyes are done getting embarrassed by teams outside of the Big Ten. They were embarrassed last week in their win against Ohio. They have been embarrassed by two SEC teams in the last two BCS title games.

The Trojans are ready to get back to the BCS title game. They're ready to shed the shadows of Matt Leinart and Reggie Bush. They want to rid the stench of losses to Oregon State, UCLA and Stanford that the Trojans have incurred the last two years.

For both teams, their histories suggest that they belong, but in the eye of the public, do they really?

That's what Saturday's about.

And, yeah, there's that whole "the Big Ten sucks as a whole" thing. And sure, people are tired of seeing Ohio State in the national championship game.

But if the Buckeyes, someone how win Saturday, then they have a shot of going undefeated and, hey, we'll see them again in the BCS title game.

And apparently, that's something we all don't want to see again. Apparently. But if Ohio State wins, they'll have my respect.

Conference Power Rankings Week 2

Well, it was probably the most boring weekend of the college football season, at least on paper, and especially after week 1.

No ranked teams, in either the coaches or the AP poll, played each other this week. Congrats to the Big Ten for going undefeated in week 2--the best opponent the conference played was Oregon State, and even that isn't saying much because it was in Happy Valley. Good job Big Ten in scheduling those powder puffs.

There were some shockers, most notably East Carolina taking down No. 8 West Virginia.

And how about that stupid excessive celebration rule that gave pretty much screwed Washington out of an overtime game? Can we change that please? It takes part of the reason why college football is so fun away from the game.

Week 2 Standings:

11-t) Big 12 12-0 1.000 Winning Pct.
1-t) Big Ten 11-0 1.000 Winning Pct.
3) SEC 7-1 .875 Winning Pct.
4) MWC 4-1 .800 Winning Pct.
5) ACC 6-3 .667 Winning Pct.
6) Big East .571 Winning Pct.
7-t) Pac-10 2-2 .500 Winning Pct.
7-t) Sun Belt 3-3 .500 Winning Pct.
9) WAC 2-4 .333 Winning Pct.
10) C-USA 3-7 .300 Winning Pct.
11) MAC 2-9 .222 Winning Pct.

Season Standings:

1) Big 12 20-2 .909
2) Big Ten 18-3 .857
3) MWC 9-2 .818
4) SEC 17-3 .800
5) Pac-10 7-3 .700
6) ACC 13-7 .650
7) WAC 7-6 .538
8) Big East 7-8 .467
9) C-USA 7-9 .437
10) Sun Belt 4-6 .400
11) MAC 8-15 .348

Power Rankings:

1) SEC Last Week No. 1

• Key Wins: No. 5 Florida over Miami
• Key Losses: No. 20 Wake Forest over Ole Miss

2) Big 12 Last Week No. 3

• Key Wins: No.4 Oklahoma over Cincinnati, No. 14 Kansas over Louisiana Tech
• Key Losses: None

3) Pac-10 Last Week No. 2

• Key Wins: none
• Key Losses: No. 15 BYU over Washington, No. 19 Penn State over Oregon State

4) Conference USA Last Week No. 5

• Key Wins: East Carolina over No. 8 West Virginia
• Key Losses: No. 17 South Florida over Central Florida, No. 9 Auburn over Southern Miss, No. 13 Alabama over Tulane

5) Big Ten Last Week No. 4

• Key Wins: No. 19 Penn State over Oregon State
  
• Key Losses: none

6) Mountain West Last Week No. 6

• Key Wins: No. 15 BYU over Washington
• Key Losses: Notre Dame over San Diego State, Texas A&M over New Mexico

7) ACC Last Week No. 7

• Key Wins: No. 20 Wake Forest over Ole Miss
• Key Losses: No. 5 Florida over Miami, Mid Tenn. State over Maryland, Northwestern over Duke

8) Big East Last Week No. 9

• Key Wins: UConn over Temple, No.17 South Florida over Central Florida
• Key Lesses: East Carolina over No. 8 West Virginia, No. 4 Oklahoma over Cincinnati, Akron over Syracuse

9) WAC Last Week No. 8

• Key Wins: none
• Key Losses: Nebraska over San Jose State, Kansas over Louisiana Tech

10) Sun Belt Last Week No. 11

• Key Wins: Mid. Tenn State over Maryland, FAU over UAB
• Key Losses: Arkansas over UL Monroe

11) MAC Last Week No. 10

• Key Wins: Ball State over Navy, Akron over Syracuse
• Key Losses: No. 2 Georgia over Central Michigan, No. 3 Ohio State over Ohio
  

The Headlines: Week 2

The Los Angeles schools took the week off and they're going to need it for next week. Of course, newly minted with a top 25 ranking, UCLA has to go to Provo, Utah to play BYU and there is this game in the Coliseum between the Trojans and Ohio State.

But the rest of the Pac-10 was in action. The biggest story? The screw-job Washington got against BYU. Excessive celebration? Really? That was an excessive celebration? Okay, maybe, but, I think, in a game that heated, with the game that close, a little celebration would have been appropriate. It's an emotional game. The Huskies are playing for their coach's job and they get screwed because of excessive celebration.

Gimme a break.

In other news, Wazzu might be the worst team in the Pac-10 or California is really good and Jahivd Best might be the breakout player for the conference this year. Or maybe he is already. Stanford also gets knocked off as the "Best Team in the Pac-10" pedestal. It was good while it lasted.

To the headlines:

• Arizona: Keep Those Non-BCS Teams Comin'
  
• Arizona State: The Devil Heating Up
  
• California: Runnin' Wild
  
• Oregon: Still Looking Fine, Despite the Ugly Uniforms
• Oregon State: But We Thought it Was Called Beaver Stadium
• Stanford: Back to Reality
  
• Washington: Give Us A Fucking Break
• Washington State: At Least Wazzu Scored
  

Who's in the Top 25?

I know Monday's win over then-No. 18 Tennessee is huge for Rick Neuheisel and his UCLA football team.

It's so huge that I bumped up the Pac-10 as a conference one spot because the win was that big in this week's conference power rankings.

But it looks like the Associated Press writers loved the win even more. The Bruins broke into the AP Top 25 this week, debuting at No. 23. But let's not get too ahead of ourselves now.

Yes, I love it when there are a lot of Pac-10 teams in the top 25 of any major poll. I love it when I see the Pac-10 beating up on teams outside of the conference (except for Stanford. They can always lose).

But UCLA, after one good half of football, gets to be in the top 25? Why? Because they beat an overrated Tennessee team? (On that note, I don't know if I would ever vote for the Vols unless they can beat a top 25 team...on the road).

As ESPN's Ted Miller said, "but we're going to wait until win two."

What did we learn about the Bruins on Monday? They're physical upfront. They finally cemented that Pac-10 teams are just as physical as SEC teams. They proved that any team can still play pretty badly at home and upset at top 25 team. They proved that the Pac-10 is deep as a conference.

They haven't proven that they're for real yet. They haven't proven that they can slay, say, Ohio State at home. They haven't proven that they can win on the road.

Granted, they played with a lot of passion and heart--something that was missing the last two years. They proved that they believe in Neuheisel. However, I'm not buying it. Not just yet.

I guess even the media can hate USC and they are chomping at the bit for this UCLA-USC rivalry to get blown up into galactic proportions. I know I would. It's more fun to cover.

But let's not get ahead of ourselves--not until win number two.