Re: 2009 SportsJournalists.com College Football Poll -- Week 12, Page 22
Nov. 23, 2009
It’s A Marshmallow World and I’m Playing Too Many Cream Puffs
By SLAPPY4428
Uncivil Civilist
Gawd, this can be a pain in the ass.
Should it be Les Miles and his team’s wonderful clock management at the end of the Ole’ Miss game that left even Verne Lundquist going WTF?
Should it be Rich Rodriguez blaming the media, Lloyd Carr, the International Communist Conspiracy and everyone but himself for the continual transformation of 40-years of Michigan success into the national relevancy of Kent State? (Jeebus, even Frank Solich won 10 games four times)
Should it another harangue on how poll voters have the density of lead for their continual favoring of BCS conferences or a conversation between new BCS mouthpiece Ari Fleischer and the head of the BCS conferences?
No, there’s more important doings than being pissy for a change.
It’s time to take an objective look into the possibilities of which teams will end up in Pasadena for the CITI National Championship, also known as “Hey, we earned this $320 Billion-with-a-B bailout money and this is our way of sticking it to giving back to the American people in a nice way and not that APR hike to 24.9 percent” National Championship.
There are six teams with possibilities, ranging from solid to remote, of ending up in California and we’ll try to sort them all out. Or not.
-- SEC winner – Alabama or Florida: Seriously, was there any doubt? Both have big rivalry games coming up and both feature Heisman candidates (I’m still not seeing Mark Ingram, but he’s got a better shot than Tebow). Both have flaws – Tebow is still loopy from the LSU game and Alabama’s front line is like seven blocks of Silly Putty – but both have solid defenses. ODDS: Even.
-- SEC loser – Alabama or Florida: But don’t count on the loser going. There’s too much backlash over 2006 with Florida over Michigan. And let’s face it, the SEC isn’t all-mighty this year. In fact, it’s like Smilin’ Bob – still proud, can have some big night, but overall needs a dose of Enzyte. Losses by LSU and Mississippi this weekend will have every team other than Bama and Florida with four league losses or more. When that happens to the SEC, it’s called parity. When it happens to everyone else, it’s called suckitude. ODDS: 100-1.
-- Texas: You know, everyone assumes that the Steers will be there. Just kinda biding their time, waiting for these two wonderful teams above them to lose. But they still have to play the Aggies, who were smoked by Oklahoma which was smoked by Texas, and have to play Nebraska – which beat Oklahoma but not as much. And they also have Colt McCoy, who logic tells you has done all the right things in his quest for a Heisman after being voted Miss Congeniality in the last two chances. There’s no reason Texas and McCoy shouldn’t be here. And yet, the possibility exists for neither to get what they want. Beware the Huskers. ODDS: 4-1.
-- TCU: Dad-gum it. Big Ed Bookman is spinning in his grave. Them twin running backs Lime Jello and Orange Jello makes everyone forget Billy Clyde and Shake.
Wait. Those four are imaginary? OK, then you name four players off that team. Two? No? One? How bout the coach? See that’s the problem. Everyone sees wins over BYU, Clemson, Utah and Air Force and gets this “WOW! This could be the next bracket buster!” and forgets they beat cream puffs like Texas State, Colorado State and Virginia. Still, the best chance of the non-BCS teams – assuming they can beat 1-10 New Mexico on Saturday. ODDS: 10-1.
-- Cincinnati: If the best team in Ohio played in the Big 10 or Big 12 they might get more respect. If they played in a non-BCS conference, they’d get all the love of a bowl-buster like TCU or Boise. But playing in the Big East is like living in Grand Rapids – too big to be small and too small for anyone to take seriously. The Bearcats have beaten some teams that have flirted with the top 25, but not enough top 25 wins to be impressive – although the stock will go up if they beat No. 9 Pitt and Oregon State stops Oregon for the Pac-10 title, making a week 3 win more impressive. The Bearcats have made the most impressive run of any of the six, losing a quarterback and potentially losing a coach to other Midwest schools who have reached continued levels of fail. COULD make it to the title game with blowouts in the Big 12 and SEC title games and solid wins over Illinois and Pitt. ODDS: 25-1.
--Boise State: Let’s say up front that Boise ain’t going to the BCS title game even if every player on the other five teams are thrown out for NCAA violations. The Broncos are the Gonzaga of the BCS: cute at first, but as they win year after year every one finds a way to tear them down. They have the fewest top 25 wins of any of the six, but have logged the most frequent flyer miles to stay undefeated. Their closest win was a touchdown over Tulsa in the WAC Wednesday game of the week and beat Oregon by more than Oregon beat Purdue, Utah, Stanford and Arizona. The Broncos probably haven’t done enough to head to the title game, but deserve a seat at the BCS table – undefeated this year, undefeated last regular season (TCU was a bowl loss), 10 wins in 2007, undefeated and wins over Oklahoma and Oregon State in 2006. And yet if Pitt beats Cincinnati, Boise will wind up playing again in Bumfukistan, which is not only unfair, but sadly, just what we expect out of the system. ODDS: 75-1.
SportsJournalists.com COLLEGE FOOTBALL POLL
11/23/2009
RK. TEAM (1st) PTS Last
1. Florida (17) 797 1
2. Texas (6) 781 2
3. Alabama (7) 778 3
4. TCU (3) 729 4
5. Cincinnati 682 5
6. Boise State 680 6
7. Georgia Tech 602 7
8. Ohio State 561 10
9. Oregon 541 11
10. Pitt 540 8
11. Oklahoma St. 462 12
12. Penn State 382 14
13. Iowa 372 15
14. Virginia Tech 344 17
15. Clemson 313 19
16. Utah 283 18
17. Oregon St. 253 22
18. LSU 251 9
19. Brigham Young 236 20
20. Miami (Fla.) 219 21
21. USC 144 23
22. Houston 140 24
23. Mississippi 135 NR
24. N. Carolina 125 25
25. California 78 22
Also receiving votes: Stanford 75, Navy 54, Nebraska 43, Central Michigan 27, Wisconsin 21, Arizona 21, Temple 18, Northwestern 16, West Virginia 13, Rutgers 5, South Florida 4.
The SportsJournalists.com college football poll committee: Slappy4428 (chairman), 2muchcoffeeman, Agate Page, Azom, Bubbler BYH, Della9250, Dparker85, Elliotte Friedman, GB-Hack, Hammer Pants, Hank Scorpio, Huggy, Ishouldcoco, Joe Schmoe, KYsportswriter, Layman, Madhavok, Matt1735, Orville Redenbacher, Oz, Piotr Rasputin, Popedirkbenedict, Precious Roy, Red Smith Clone, Rumpleforeskin, spnited, Starman, Stormsurge, Sxysptswrtr,Trooper Bari, WS, Songbird. Not voting: Jesus Muscatel.
