By
Pete Fiutak
Fire over your questions to me at
pete@collegefootballnews.com. I might not be able to answer them
all, but I promise they're all read. Any e-mails sent to this
address may be published or edited unless requested otherwise.
(Please put ASK CFN in the subject line, and PLEASE keep the
questions short ... it makes my life easier.)
On the internet
message boards I have noticed a lot of people whining about Todd
Blackledge's "Taste of the Town" segments and how they don't belong in
the broadcast. I usually hate the "fluff" pieces, ie interviewing a
player's aunt, phone interviews during the game, etc., but I really
enjoy watching Todd jack his cholesterol up 50 points every Saturday. Am
I the only one?
– SB
A: Yes, you’re only one. It’s the type of piece that seems like a
great idea in a meeting, literally trying to get the flavor of the
campus, but doesn’t really work in practice. Not only does it sort of
kill the flow of the game, but it’s teasing us poor souls who had a
dinner of baked chicken, steamed broccoli and cous cous. Basically, Todd
gets to mock us by eating some of the greasiest, tastiest looking food
in the world from each college campus, and we get to sit there watching
the gluttony. It doesn’t work, and it actually makes me angry to watch
it. What they should do is tell us how we can order some of the cuisine,
cook one of the recipes, or be able to benefit in some way.
Thoughts on
Kevin Smith (UCF) for Heisman?
– JM
A: That you had to write the (UCF) after Smith’s name should
answer your question. I’ll make the world a deal. I’ll vote for
Smith for the Heisman, and leave the rest of the ballot blank,
if it means the other Kevin Smith is forced to sit through a
marathon of his own craptacular films, with an extra helping of
Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back and Jersey Girl.
UCF’s Smith has been amazing, rushing for 217 and two scores
against NC State, 149 and two scores against Texas, 124 and
three scores against Memphis, and 223 yards and three touchdowns
against UL Lafayette. More important than his stats is how well
UCF is playing. After an awful year, this is a legitimate
Conference USA title contender again.
Say, # 2 USC and # 1 LSU are playing for the National title.
Which bowl gets the first replacement pick? Which leads to my
main question. If the Sugar Bowl gets the first replacement pick
can they Pick California and mess up the Tradition Rose bowl
Match between Pac 10 vs. Big Ten? – MM
A: Short answer to your question is yes, but LSU would have to
be No. 1, and it’s not quite that simple. Here’s the procedure …
- The ACC champion goes to the Orange, the Big Ten and Pac 10
champions go to the Rose, the SEC champion goes to the Sugar,
and the Big 12 champion goes to the Fiesta. Whichever bowl loses
the number one seed to the national championship gets the first
at-large choice. So if it’s LSU 1 and USC 2, the Sugar Bowl gets
the first pick, and the Rose gets the second. Flip-flop that if
it’s USC 1 and LSU 2.
- Outside of the bowls that lose the national title teams, the
pecking order this year as far as at-large pickups is 1) Orange,
2) Fiesta, 3) Sugar, 4) Rose
- The bowls basically have to ask permission from everyone to
take the same at-large team two years in a row, create a rematch
of last year’s bowl, a regular season game, and they can adapt
and adjust if some matchup looks more appealing. So yes, if LSU
is number one and playing for the national title, the Sugar
could take Cal, but Fox, the Rose Bowl, and the American public
would likely put pressure on for the Bears to play the Big Ten
champion in Pasadena.
- One other thing to watch out for is Hawaii. A “mid-major” gets
an automatic big if it finishes in the top 12 of the final BCS
standings, or is in the top 16, and one of the major champions
is ranked lower. Ex: Hawaii finishes 16th, but Colorado wins the
Big 12 title and finishes 17th, then the Warriors get an
automatic spot.
So Jeff Tedford and Cal are finally getting their big chance. If
they win out, they go to the national championship. If they
don't beat USC, will it be time for Jeff Tedford to leave Cal
for a better program? Some ACC and Big Ten jobs might be a good
match. – Mike
A: Here’s my beef with this theory: if Cal goes to the BCS
with one loss to USC, then what program would be bigger? I know
what you’re saying, Michigan or Clemson might be considered
bigger than Cal, but that doesn’t mean they have better
situations than the one Tedford has created. It’s not like
Tedford will go anywhere else where he can go unbeaten every
single year; there’s always going to be some monster in a big
conference to deal with. However, the good match is the NFL,
where the rumors have always been swirling around Tedford.
Which team in the top 5 is surprising you the most so far this
year? And then for fun, one of the reasons I love college
football more than any other sport is how big of a role emotion
plays in the sport. Does Ohio State have more to play for than a
lot of other teams this year? Who else has a lot to play for
emotionally this season? – DG
A: 1) No one in the top five (USC, LSU, Cal, Ohio State and
Wisconsin) is all that surprising. Just outside of the top five,
obviously South Florida is a bit of a stunner, but the real
shocker was Kentucky. I guess with its schedule that it
shouldn’t be a shock to be so high, and it'll change after the
loss to South Carolina, but it was a bit of a stunner. 2) I’m
not going to say Ohio State is playing with more emotion than
anyone else, but from the coaching staff on down, there
certainly appears to be plenty of fire. Right now, if you’re in
the top ten, you have a lot to play for no matter who you are.
3) I’m not a fan of getting so vague to say emotion has
something to do with every team, but certainly Virginia Tech is
having the most emotional baggage/issues to deal with. South
Florida is certainly playing like a team on fire.
Is Boston College overrated? Of all of the teams they have
played (NC ST, Wake, G. Tech, Army and Umass) only one has a
winning record, none are in the top 50 for scoring offense, all
in the bottom half in total offense. On the defensive side,
G.Tech and Wake (barely) are in the top 50 for total defense.
It's not like BC has blown out any of these teams and only beat
I-AA Umass by 10. It seems like they are in for a big crash at
the end of the season playing at V.Tech, Maryland and Clemson
and getting FSU and Miami at home. – JB
A: I’m not quite there yet, but I want to see more. That win
at Georgia Tech was far more impressive than you’re giving it
credit for, and all good teams (LSU vs. Tulane) go through the
motions against clearly inferior opponents. When the lights go
on, this appears to be a real deal team that has to be
considered the favorite for the ACC title. There’s no glaring
weakness right now.
How many skill position players from BCS Conferences would put "Heisman
type" numbers against Hawaii's schedule? 20? 50? Seriously,
I'm not speaking hypothetically, I think this is a valuable
question. You're telling me Terry Grant of Alabama couldn't run
for 200 yards a game and put up "Heisman quality" numbers
against that schedule? I think so. What about Jonathan Stewart
or Dennis Dixon of Oregon? Justin Forsett at Cal? Darren
McFadden? He'd have 2500 yards rushing. They'd all put up
ridiculous numbers against that schedule. I'm not saying
Brennan isn't a great player. I really have no idea. My point
is that all there is to go on are great numbers against weak
opponents. How can a player in that scenario even be considered
for the Heisman? – BD
A: Outside of a few exceptions, didn’t the guys you
mentioned already have a shot to put up big numbers so far
against weak opponents? Brennan is an NFL-caliber quarterback,
and not Timmy Chang running a system. I asked Brennan the same
thing, wondering what USC would do with the Hawaii offense, and
he pointed out a few different factors that make Hawaii
different. First of all, the facilities are a joke compared to
the top notch programs. This is a program just trying to make
ends meet. Second, it gets the under-the-radar talents. The
troubled guys, the ones looked over by the Pac 10, and the guys
from the area. That tends to form a bond that gives these guys
huge chips on their shoulders that goes beyond mere talent.
Third, the offense really is that good. Take a look at what it
did to Oregon State, Purdue and Arizona State last year.
Remember, we’re talking about a guy who might be the greatest
statistical quarterbacking monster of all-time, and he’s doing
it while sitting out large chunks of blowout games.
As a Texas fan, I'm disappointed with the scheduling by Mack
Brown and DeLoss Dodds. Future schedules include either
Arkansas, UCLA, or Mississippi as a respectable out of
conference opponent, but I think Texas would be better served to
add an addition huge opponent every season (Michigan, LSU, Notre
Dame etc). The beneficial hype associated with these matchups
far outweighs the additional loss Texas would incur every couple
seasons, in my opinion. In fact, if I were Texas' AD, every
year I'd open with a cupcake, then play Arkansas (home and
home), then play another cupcake, then play LSU in Houston much
like the Red River Rivalry in Dallas, and then go on to the Big
12. Texas is already a powerhouse but such scheduling could
potentially make Texas the leading rival of four top programs (OU,
A&M, Ark, and LSU- they need a rival!), which would thereby make
Texas the running-away most visible program in the South, the
country's most fertile recruiting region, and potentially make
Texas a MONSTER. Am I on to something or do Mack and DeLoss
have it right? - AP
A: It’s not like Texas ducks a challenge, unless it has to
go to Hawaii. As a fan, I love to see all the top teams play all
the other top teams. If I’m Texas, I don’t touch a rough
non-conference matchup with a ten-foot pole. Why would you? I’m
not saying I’d schedule a bunch of FCSers, but start off with
Arkansas State, play a UCF, take on someone like Ole Miss, and
then dive into the Big 12 season. Remember, if you’re Texas and
you go unbeaten, you’re almost certain to be in the national
title game no matter what your non-conference slate.
I would like to know why teams like Florida and OU did not get
knocked out of the top 10 when losing to an unranked foe but
teams like Purdue, Kentucky, and South
Florida are all 4 or 5 and 0 unbeaten and are still in the
picture for the national title got ranked below them. Is this
just another example of the BCS and the polls being completely
off base with the real world or is there more to it than just
being unbeaten and the best team?
– Jason
A: Right now, you have to bet the house, the farm and the
kids on Purdue or Kentucky vs. Oklahoma … make your pick. Right
now it’s South Florida vs. Florida on a neutral field … make
your pick. Yes, if all things are equal, and if there is a way
it works out (an unbeaten South Florida beat Auburn, Auburn beat
Florida, USF should be ranked ahead of Florida), then you do
have to rank accordingly, but very soon, that gets to be tough
to do. Should Colorado be ranked ahead of Oklahoma right now?
Then where do you put Florida State? Clemson? It’ll all quickly
shake out.
Did the ACC manage to get a measure of national
respect back this last weekend with wins over ranked Rutgers and
Alabama? Also that win by FSU over Colorado seems a lot more
impressive now after their defeat of OU. Will people still view
the Big East as the “better” conference with all its top teams
losing except for USF? – BS
A: Yes, but every conference has its moments. The Big East
looked great a few weeks ago when Cincinnati blew out Oregon
State and South Florida beat Auburn. The Pac 10 looked great
when USC beat Nebraska, Cal beat Tennessee and Oregon blasted
Michigan. Yeah, the ACC made a big statement last week with
Florida State beating Alabama, Miami beating Texas A&M (two
weeks ago), Maryland beating Rutgers and Virginia beating Pitt,
but the league also got roasted when the Terps lost to West
Virginia, Virginia Tech got stomped by LSU, Miami was flattened
by Oklahoma, and Virginia lost to Wyoming. Everyone views
conferences by what they’ve done lately, unless it’s the SEC,
and then it gets its butt kissed no matter what.
Has there been any freshman receiver (redshirt or otherwise)
that you can recall who has made such an impact and put up such
monster numbers right off the bat as Texas Tech’s Michael
Crabtree? - AD
A: I can’t remember any freshman rocking like Crabtree right off
the bat, but for a season, how about Hawaii’s Davone Bess? In
2005, he caught 89 passes for 1,124 yards and two scores with
seven 100-yard games and five games with two touchdowns. That’s
not Crabtree-like, who has made 60 catches for 920 yards and 14
scores in five freakin’ games, but it’s not bad. If Crabtree
keeps doing this in the meat of the Big 12 schedule, then it’s
time to truly take notice. Right now, the Texas Tech star would
be in my top three in the Heisman voting.
,llll