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.)
I'm a big
twelve fan and an OU fan. How long do you think the booster at
OU will put up with the poor game planning and play calling of
Bob Stoops? I know the Sooners won the title but that was with
Blake's players. He hasn't won since. Do you think Terry Bowden
would ever consider coaching OU?
– WA
A: You’re really a Texas fan, right? How else could you explain
having any interest in Terry Bowden over Bob Stoops? Not to
throw you under the bus and start ripping since this question is
hardly unique as Stoops has turned into the new Lloyd Carr, but
this is nuts.
All Stoops has done is win two straight Big 12 titles, play in
five of the last six Big 12 championship games, and win a
national title. There are more than 100 other teams out there
that would kill for the Oklahoma résumé over the last eight
years, bad times with good, as the “poor game planning and play
calling” has been good enough to go 90-17. Along with LSU, Ohio
State and USC, Oklahoma belongs among the elite of the elite of
the elite.
With that said, you’re right when it comes to the bowl games.
There was no excuse for losing like that against West Virginia,
and the Boise State loss will stick forever. That’s not to say
the Mountaineers and Broncos weren’t good, or to say the wins
were a fluke in any way, but they weren’t more talented than OU
and those were two major upsets considering the situations.
With some maturity, is Sam Bradford the type of Field General
that can lead the Sooners to the promise land by his junior
year? – JM
A: What more maturity do you need? All the kid did was lead the
nation in passing efficiency as a freshman. When he got time, he
ripped everyone apart. What he’ll have to figure out how to work
past is the pass rush, but that goes for 99% of all
quarterbacks, especially ones who don’t run much. If Oklahoma
doesn’t win the 2008 national title, it won’t be Bradford’s
fault. He’s good enough right now to win a championship with.
I was trying to find a stat on line but was not able and
hoped you could help. What is the longest streak of having a 1,000 yard
rusher at a school? I know Northern Illinois has to have one of the
longest active streaks, dating all the way back to the Thomas Hammock
days. Thanks for any help you can provide. - SG, Illinois
A: I couldn’t find it in the NCAA record book, so I’ll leave it up to
the readers to correct me for being wrong. If memory serves, either it’s
Wisconsin, rolling from Brent Moss through Terrell Fletcher, Carl
McCullough, Ron Dayne to Anthony Davis, with the string being broken
when Davis got hurt, or it’s North Carolina starting in 1974 with Mike
Voight and going through Amos Lawrence, Kelvin Bryant and Ethan Horton
on the way to 11 straight 1,000-yard seasons. Minnesota had a nice
string going for a while.
Why isn't the Reggie Bush scandal not getting much media attention?
It seems to me that the NCAA is hoping the situation just magically
disappears. Everyone in the country knows rules were broken while Bush
attended USC. Not to mention, USC was caught red handed when Pete
Carroll, Reggie Bush and Joe McKnight were involved in a three way phone
conversation while McKnight was being recruited by Carroll. All someone
had to say was "Um, Joe misspoke. He was just listening to a
conversation between Carroll and Bush." and the NCAA didn't even raise
an eyebrow. – Donnie
A: It’s coming. It has to. It seems like the NCAA is waiting for the
Reggie Bush case to be sorted out first legally, and then it can simply
rule accordingly. There isn’t that much of a national uproar over it
because no one really cares. Personally, I think they’re silly rules
that deserve to be broken, but fans of several other teams hit by
sanctions over the years are absolutely entitled to wonder why things
are progressing so slowly. If Oklahoma was forced to vacate wins because
Rhett Bomar took a few bucks, then USC’s record book might need a huge
eraser if all the Bush stuff is true. Even so, unless you can make
everyone forget about Bush’s career and the stomping of the Sooners to
win the 2004 national title, it really doesn’t matter except in a book
that no one reads.
Is the NCAA actually going to take a serious look at an eight team
playoff, or are they just blowing smoke? Is so, what are the chances?
50/50, higher? – DM
A: Take a look at a proposal, yes. Take a serious look, yeah, sort of.
Do anything about it? Yeah, right.
As a dejected yet loyal Buckeye, I wonder, is it possible the
pollsters will allow us to play in the NCG even if we are able to beat
USC, after the last two years? Also without a fullback, several
returning receivers, is it possible that we will see a more spread
offense (a la old school Purdue) with Todd Boeckman or a run and gun
with Antonio Henton? – SS
A: It seems like the coaching staff is going to do a little of both by
getting Henton more involved to add even more running to the overall
mix. Yes, the pollsters will “allow” little old Ohio State back in to
another national championship game if it goes 12-0 with a win over USC
at USC. Dog the Big Ten all you want, but the schedule is nasty from the
first game of October on. At Wisconsin, Purdue, at Michigan State, Penn
State, at Northwestern, at Illinois, Michigan. That’s six bowl teams in
seven games, and the strength of schedule will look decent. However, if
the Buckeyes lose once along the way, there might be a backlash because
of the last two national title games if there are other viable options.
Will anyone ever realize that the Buckeyes aren't as good as everyone
thinks they are? They lost to an Illinois team that was destroyed by
USC in the Rose Bowl and they have been destroyed in the previous 2 BCS
National Championship games, by LSU and Florida. Sure they won the Big
Ten, but it was a weak year for the Big Ten. Michigan was banged up
with Henne and Hart both missing time and the rest of the Big Ten
isn't very good. I thought it would be LSU and Oklahoma, who lost one
game without their quarterback against a strong Texas Tech team (I know
the disappointed against West Virginia, but they didn't play that
badly). In conclusion, I will restate my question: Will anyone ever
realize the Buckeyes aren't that good? – SL
A: “Didn’t play that badly?!” Oklahoma was awful against West Virginia
and lost to Colorado with Sam Bradford and Texas Tech with Joey Halze
playing relatively well. Did you forget that LSU lost to Kentucky and
Arkansas teams that were slightly above average and worse than Illinois?
USC lost to Stanford. That’s the big matzo ball that doesn’t go away in
the discussion. Ohio State was that good, but when LSU had time to rest
up, heal all their top players, and get everyone at near 100%, it proved
what we all knew at the beginning of the year that it was a killer.
Remember, Ohio State wasn’t supposed to be playing for the national
title last year. The team actually overachieved considering the
replacements made on offense. Also remember that there’s no shame in
losing to Florida and LSU. It gets glossed over for recent Sooner and
Buckeye teams that they lost in the NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP. Not the
Capital One Bowl, not the Sun and not the New Orleans.
Which college's NFL alumni would field the strongest pro team? You
need enough players in the league to have starters at each position,
which probably narrows it down to 10-12 programs with enough alumni to
insure enough starters to build a top 22 with no one playing out of
position... Given the importance of QB play, you'd have to think
Michigan with Brady would be at the top, but looking at the DL, it's
pretty thin (only 3 DL in the league, and 1 DE). Maybe Tennessee? –
DB
A: It’s always a fun argument that until recently was always won by
Miami. Now, as strange as it sounds for the former factory, there’s no
quarterback to lead the way. Tennessee is in the discussion, especially
with Peyton Manning, Jamal Lewis and Travis Henry in the backfield,
Robert Meachem and Donte Stallworth at receiver, Jason Witten at tight
end, but the O line would be a problem. The defensive tackle combination
of John Henderson and Albert Haynesworth would be a killer, the ends
would probably be Shaun Ellis and Parys
Haralson, the linebackers Omar Gaither, Kevin Burnett, and
incoming rookie Jerod Mayo, and the secondary Jason Allen, Gibril
Wilson, Deon Grant and I’d take incoming rookie Jonathan Hefney. USC
would pose a challenge.
Carson Palmer, Reggie Bush, LenDale White and Justin Fargas in the
backfield, Steve Smith (of the Giants) and Keary Kolbert at receiver,
incoming rookie Fred Davis at tight end, a line starting with Ryan Kalil,
Deuce Lutui, incoming rookie Sam Baker, and bust Winston Justice, a D
line of Mike Patterson, Shaun Cody, Frostee Rucker, and incoming rookie
Sedrick Ellis and/or Lawrence Jackson, a killer linebacking corps of
Lofa Tatupu, Junior Seau and incoming rookie Keith Rivers, and a
secondary starting with Troy Polamalu, and then being forced to play
Darnell Bing and Will Poole.
Would love to know your top picks for players that were stars in the
college game, but duds in the pros, and those who were simply okay in
college but went on to stardom in the NFL. – Ann
A: My top five all-time great college players but pro busts (and I’m not
talking about the Tommie Fraziers of the world who were never pro
prospects, and I’m also not talking about the pure busts who were good
college players, but not legends, like Ryan Leaf.): 1.
Charles Rogers, WR
Michigan State, 2. Tony Mandarich, OT Michigan State, 3. Peter Warrick, WR
Florida State, 4. Brian Bosworth, LB Oklahoma, 5. Kenneth Sims, DT
Texas. Desmond Howard probably belongs in there somewhere.
Best decent college players who grew into killer pros: 1. Tom Brady, QB
Michigan (although I seem to be the only one who thought he was great as
a Wolverine), 2. Brett Favre, QB Southern Miss, 3. Johnny Unitas, QB
Louisville, 4. Mike Webster, C Wisconsin, 5. Terrell Davis, RB Georgia