Five Thoughts:
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Let’s save the
time, the effort, and the energy
By
Pete
Fiutak
1.
Bring
the national championship trophy to Columbus this weekend and just give
it to the winner of the Michigan – Ohio State game. Enough is enough
this year. Has Florida looked even remotely like a national title
caliber team? USC lost to an Oregon State team that just got thumped by
UCLA. Does Arkansas really belong in the national title considering it
got obliterated 50-14 at home by the Trojans? Sure, that was a lifetime
ago, but the loss has to still count for something. Notre Dame needed
everything in its bag to beat Michigan State and UCLA and, in case you
forgot, got its doors blown off by Michigan. Rutgers? I know, cute
story, but come on. Texas, Cal, Auburn … thanks for playing. And no,
there shouldn’t be a rematch no matter what happens next weekend. What
happens in Columbus, stays in Columbus.
Not only have Ohio State and Michigan had the two best teams all year,
there isn’t anyone else deserving to be in the picture. In the storied
history of college football’s greatest rivalry, and it is college
football’s greatest rivalry, this will be the biggest game ever played
between the two. That makes this, arguably, the biggest regular season
game in the history of the sport. So let this weekend be it. Crown the
winner the national champion, and let’s get the talk about the 2007
season going. USC, Florida or Arkansas as the preseason number one …
discuss.
How many ten wins
seasons is enough?
By
Pete
Fiutak
2.
I know,
I know, you’d rather invite Borat to Shabbat dinner than see Boise State
play in a BCS game, and you might get your wish with a trip to Nevada in
a few weeks, but it’s time to finally give the program more credit on a
national scale. If the Broncos beat the Wolf Pack, that’ll make for five
wins over bowl bound teams, or just as many as Rutgers (after it ends up
losing to West Virginia), will end up beating. Of more significance, and
what’s worthy to keep noting, has been the consistency over the last
several years.
With a not-that-bad, fired up San Jose State team having the upset in
its sights last week, the Broncos showed tremendous heart with a
sick-as-a-dog Jared Zabransky leading the team to a touchdown, a two
point conversion, and the game-winning field goal in the final few
minutes for the tenth win of the year. Say what you will about the
competition, but this year marks the program’s sixth ten-win season in
the last eight years, and if it wins its final two games, will have won
a ridiculous 85 games in eight years for an average of 10.625 wins per
year. Do you have any clue what focus a team has to have year in and
year out to do that?
It’s time to give the blue boys their shot. Even if they lose by a
bazillion to Texas in the Fiesta Bowl, they’ve deserved the opportunity.
The emergence of Rutgers
By
Richard Cirminiello
3. RU serious? Was that really Rutgers University occupying the
center stage of the college football universe on Thursday, if only for a
night? You bet, and it may not be another 137 years before the Scarlet
Knights capture the attention of the sports world. In one truly magical
night for the school and the sport, Rutgers did so much more than just
erase an 18-point deficit to upset No. 3 Louisville 28-25. Yeah, that
kept the Knights unbeaten and in lead for a Big East title, but the
bigger picture was even more profound. Rutgers, that perennial
punchline, has temporarily transformed that tough-to-sell,
set-in-its-ways New York metropolitan market from a pro sports town to a
four-lane frat house. Suddenly, college football matters in an area of
the map that only pays attention to amateur sports on New Years Day or
when the Big East basketball tournament is at the Garden. On Thursday,
the Empire State Building was decked out in Rutgers red and all highways
leading into the stadium issued flashing words of encouragement for the
Knights to go along with the usual traffic delays and warnings.
These are strange times in the Garden State. The media has noticed.
The rest of the sport has noticed. And when that happens, recruits
notice—blue chip recruits that used to shun the area for just about
every major program in the country; recruits, such as massive local
linemen Anthony Davis, who’s gotten offers from Ohio State and USC, but
was in attendance Thursday night, realizing he now has an option to
remain close to home, yet still play meaningful games in front of huge
crowds and a national television audience. What happened on Thursday
was the most powerful and persuasive sales pitch a teenager is ever
going to get—a terrific game and an electric crowd that celebrated with
literal tears of joy after Brian Brohm’s last gasp attempt at a comeback
was sacked. So just like that, with Greg Schiano as the understated
mason, Rutgers added its sturdiest ever brick to a foundation that was
crumbling just a couple of years ago. Beating a ranked opponent gets
the program one step closer to its 2006 goals, but doing it in such a
visible fashion will pay dividends for many years to come. Cinderella?
Forget about it. These guys had far more humbler beginnings than she
ever did.
It's shouldn't be just championship or bust
By
Matthew
Zemek
4.
It's sad but
entirely too predictable that in our culture, the thirst for the
national championship--being No. 1--overwhelms and overrides all other
accomplishments and achievements forged on the gridiron every Autumn.
Florida fans aren't thinking about the SEC title
or savoring their SEC East crown, which has come hard-earned and
richly-deserved through the efforts of a gallant and resilient bunch of
kids who have overcome their mistakes and prevailed.
USC fans aren't thinking about the Pac-10 title,
which can be earned with a win over Cal on Saturday. No, the buzz is
already emerging for the Notre Dame contest and a springboard to
Glendale on Jan. 8.
Arkansas fans are also thinking national title...
wait a minute: why not try winning the school's first-ever SEC title
before even thinking about suburban Phoenix?
Notre Dame fans actually get a free pass in this
discussion because they have no conference title to overlook.
Worst of all, though, is the fact that
Rutgers--instead of being celebrated after one of the most magical games
this columnist has seen in 24 years of viewing football, seven of them
as a columnist--will be talked down this week. Why? Because of the
obsession with a usually mythical national title that has no fair,
balanced, equality-laden, democratic system in place to produce it.
Instead of talking down Rutgers--or looking past
the significance of a conference championship at your own school (the
one title in this sport that is finite and measurable every year,
regardless of other circumstances)--try celebrating the magic and
momentousness of what Coach of the Year Greg Schiano has achieved in
Piscataway. If you've seen "Remember the Titans,"
"Rudy," or other inspiring feel-good football
movies, Rutgers should be the subject of the next one. To focus on the
national title debate--and talk down the Scarlet Knights as a
result--would miss the entire point about the source of college
football's lasting beauty and meaning.
The 2006 Rutgers team is what college
athletics--not just college football--are supposed to be all about. If
you're obsessed with their BCS ranking, you're not honoring the sport
you claim to love. Remember that before the Michigan-Ohio State buildup
reaches an apocalyptic frenzy.
The turnaround of all turnarounds
By
John
Harris
5. Two months ago, I was listening to Sportsradio 610 am in
Houston, Texas on-line all the while not paying complete attention.
That was until I heard a voice I didn’t recognize as the guest.
Eventually, I figured out it was first year Rice University head coach
Todd Graham, but even before I realized it was him, this guy had me
hooked. I was ready to jump through my computer and play for this man
and his program…okay, so I’m out of eligibility and way out of shape,
but that’s not the point. His enthusiasm was infectious and his belief
in this program was commendable, if not seemingly out of place.
Remember, this is Rice. Well, it was Rice.
Graham took the
downtrodden program and turned the program and the school on its ear.
He took a Texas legend Major Applewhite, all of 27 years old and made
him offensive coordinator. Great move, coach…four years from now
that’ll pay dividends, they all thought. He pushed to upgrade the
facilities. Yeah, right, like that can happen, Coach. He sold the
program to anyone who would listen. Sure, like we’re going to believe
in a first year head coach with his head in the clouds.
Eleven weeks into the
season, Graham’s Owls are at 5-5 including a seemingly improbable 41-38
overtime victory at 2005 CUSA champion Tulsa on Saturday, after winning
one of their last 16 games. Applewhite’s offense has averaged 37 points
per game over a 5-1 stretch. Rice WR Jarrett Dillard is one of the top
ranked receivers in the nation and has formed a strong pass/catch duo
with QB Chase Clement. Amazingly, had the Owls hung on against Houston
in their opener, they’d be in the CUSA West driver’s seat. Even with
that loss, Rice is still in contention for a bowl, something not thought
completely possible in 2006, but Graham has done the unthinkable. Rice
football has rarely mattered since the Jess Neely days in the early
1960s, but the city of Houston is taking notice. You should, too.
