Ok, so I’ll eat crow on this one after I predicted Alabama would run over Utah, the Utes went and proved me wrong and in doing so proved that mid-majors can play with the big boys.

It was a few years ago when another mid-major was headed to a BCS game and was given no chance at all against a BCS opponent.  The year was 2007, the bowl was the Fiesta Bowl, the teams were Boise State of the Western Athletic Conference and Oklahoma of the Big XII.  Boise State was given no chance against the mighty Sooners of Oklahoma, it was supposed to be a blowout of epic proportions, a BCS school would show why mid-majors don’t belong.  Boise State’s 43-42 upset of Oklahoma, four quarters later, would start a whole nother argument, one that would be brought up again in 2009 when the Utah Utes of the Moutain West faced off against the former #1 Alabama Crimson Tide of the SEC.  Again, the same things were said, the mid-majors don’t belong in the BCS and they can’t play with teams from the big conferences.  Well, again, the mid-majors proved the critics wrong once more as the Utes outplayed Alabama all night long in a 31-17 win.  Trust me when I say that game wasn’t ever as close as the score may show.

So, with Utah’s dominant win over a former #1, another argument has risen…does Utah deserve a piece of the National Championship as they are the lone undeafeated team in Division I football?  Don’t think their wins aren’t impressive either, they opened their season with a 25-23 win at Michigan, as well as knocking off 11th ranked TCU 13-10 and dominating 16th ranked BYU 48-24, so this team is not without it’s share of big wins.  Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham wasn’t shy when asked where he’d vote his team, “I know where I’m voting us. I’m voting us No. 1. End of story.”  Whittingham continued, “I don’t know why they wouldn’t deserve that consideration.  Somebody has to explain to me why they wouldn’t.  There is only one undefeated team in the United States of America right now in Division I football, and it’s these guys right here.”

I’m sure, when we start the 2009 season sometime next fall, the arogant so called “experts” will keep their bias against teams like Utah and Boise State and will contiue to say they don’t belong in BCS games.  This is directed towards a certain ESPN analyst for comments they made about Boise State a few weeks ago after the Broncos blew out Fresno State.  They were asked if Boise State deserved to be in the BCS, especially since they were undefeated.  Their response was as biased and, in my opinion, ignorant as I’ve ever heard, “No, Boise State wouldn’t survive if they played in the Moutain West or Pac-10.”  Say what?  Did this analyst forget that Boise State was the same team that went to Oregon and knocked off the Ducks at one of the toughest places in the country to play?  Has anyone looked at the records of the teams from the Moutain West?  So, do they mean to tell us that Boise State couldn’t play with San Diego State (2-10), Wyoming (4-8), New Mexico (4-8), UNLV (5-7) or Colorado State (7-6)?  How about if they played in the Pac-10, they already knocked off Oregon (10-3) earlier in they year, but they couldn’t beat teams like winless Washington (0-12), Washington State (2-10), UCLA (4-8) who was beaten by Fresno State this year, or Stanford (5-7)?  Come on, I know an “expert” with ESPN couldn’t have shot from the hip on that one, I know they couldn’t have thrown out an ignorant statement like that without doing their homework right?

So, here we are again, the BCS was suppose to be the savior of college football, it was supposed to pit the best two teams in the country in the national championship game.  Instead, we now have at least 4 teams that have every right to argue for a share of that championship.  USC after their dominant win over Penn State in the Rose Bowl, Utah with their undefeated season and domination of former #1 Alabama in the Sugar Bowl, possibly Texas if they prove themselves in a big way tonight against Ohio State in the Fiesta Bowl and the winner of Florida and Oklahoma on Thursday night in the BCS Championship game. 

So much for the BCS fixing everything huh?

First and foremost, Happy New Year 2009 to all and I hope you all had a safe and fun New Year’s Eve as I know I had a blast.  With that being said, how about we jump back into the sports world shall we?

For all of us who woke up New Year’s Day after ringing in the New Year late into the evening, we all had one thing on our viewing schedule, that being the Rose Bowl that featured USC and Penn State.  It was a game that showcased the two best defensive teams in the nation, one of the best college coaches in college football history in Joe Paterno, another coach making quite a name for himself in Pete Carroll, and a game that is the granddaddy of them all in the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, CA.  It was a recipe for one of the better bowl games so far this post-season, one that was destined to be close all game long, a defensive struggle, a low scoring battle, the Big Ten vs the Pac 10, it couldn’t possibly be one-sided.  Well, it turned out to be everything but all the those things.

The two teams made it look interesting after one quarter, tied at 7, but USC decided they were done letting Penn State hang around and ran up twenty-four unanswered points in the second quarter to build a 31-7 halftime lead, meaning all of us that were watching this were bored by the Trojans making it look too easy.  Penn State would score 17 points in the second half to USC’s 7, but it was too little too late for the Nittany Lions as USC would win their third straight Rose Bowl 38-24, yes the score looked close but this game was anything but close.

USC outplayed Penn State on both sides of the ball, getting turnovers, interceptions, pressure on the quarterback, offensive production, slicing up the Penn State secondary all game long with precision passing by quarterback Mark Sanchez.  The day belonged to USC and while fans were still in the stands, watching the trophy ceremony, USC head coach Pete Carroll decided he was going to send a shot across the bow of both Oklahoma and Florida who I’m sure were watching.  Carroll was asked by ABC’s John Saunders how his team would matchup with either Oklahoam or Florida if they were the ones playing in the National Championship game to which Carroll responded, “with all due respect, those are two great programs, but I don’t think anybody can beat the Trojans this year.”  USC running back C.J. Gable was asked the same kind of question and he wasn’t shy with his answer, “we know we would crush Florida and Oklahoma, we know that.”  Are you listening Oklahoma?  Are you listening Florida?  USC just said you don’t stand a chance, will either team respond after the game, oh you best believe someone will.

With USC’s domination of Penn State, to go along with the Big Ten’s 1-5 record in post-season bowl games this season, the BCS just became another argument, the same argument that’s been made year in and year out.  When are we going to see a playoff system in College Football?  It’s the only sport that is decided by a computer and the only sport that doesn’t have a playoff system in place.  The fans want it, the players want it, heck even President-elect Barack Obama wants it, so what’s the holdup?  Wasn’t the BCS put in place because it would bring fans the best games that would put the best teams in the country against each other?  If that was the case, there would have never been an argument about who the best team in the country is after the National Championship game is played, but that hasn’t been the case since this system was installed.  Never will the arguments be stronger than this time around, the top 5 teams in the AP and Coaches polls all had 1 loss, all 5 teams had every right to argue their case for playing for the National Championship.

With all that being said, here’s my side of things, whether you want to hear it or not, though I’m sure opinions will differ.

Florida: 1 loss at home to unranked Mississippi 31-30

Oklahoma: 1 loss at a neutral site (Cotton Bowl) to Texas (ranked 5th at the time) 45-35

Texas: 1 loss on the road against Texas Tech (ranked 6th at the time) 39-33

Alabama: 1 loss on the road against Florida (ranked #2 at the time) 31-20

USC: 1 loss on the road at Oregon State (unranked at the time) 27-21

Ok, so let me get this straight…Florida gets to play for a National Championship after losing AT HOME to an unranked team in Mississippi, but USC is told they don’t belong after their loss to an unranked team in Oregon State?  How about Texas and Oklahoma?  Texas loses to a lower seeded team in Texas Tech (#6 at the time) while Oklahoma’s loss was also to a lower seeded team in Texas yet the Sooners are in?  Why is Alabama on the outside looking in, I think they may have the best case next to Texas.  Alabama’s lone loss was to #1 Florida, on the road, but they’re told Florida deserves it more after losing AT HOME to an unranked team? 

So, if you’re going to read all this and still argue that Florida and Oklahoma are the two best teams in the country, you better have a darn good reason for it.  I would much rather see Alabama and Texas than Florida and Oklahoma, I think Alabama is still the best team in the country and I think they’re going to prove it by trouncing all over Utah tonight in the Sugar Bowl, while Texas is gonna make a mockery of the BCS by beating up Ohio State in the Fiesta Bowl on Monday.

Why is March Madness the most exciting tournament in sports?  Because anything can happen and anyone can win.  Win and you live to play another day, lose and watch the rest of the tournament from home.  What if college basketball decided to go to a BCS type system for their National Championship, would we be just as excited?  Any system that tells schools outside of the SEC, ACC, Big Ten, Pac 10 (for the most part) and Big 12 that they don’t belong in or get a shot at the National Championship isn’t a system that should be in place.

Hey Florida, hey Oklahoma, you’ve been called out…anyone care to answer?

Could Pat Hill be headed for greener pastures?  Are his days at Fresno State over?  According to Tom Deinhart of Rivals.com they very well could be.

Hill apparently interviewed for the vacant head coaching job at the University of Washington after his Fresno State Bulldogs were trounced by Boise State 61-10 last Friday night and he’s getting support from a big name in college football.  Who is it you ask?  It’s Nick Saban, head coach of the top ranked Alabama Crimson Tide.  Saban apparently has thrown his full support behind Hill and went as far as to talk with Washington president Mark Emmert and athletic director Scott Woodward who were both at LSU when Saban was the head coach there.

If Pat Hill does end up leaving Fresno State, who would be the names fans would float out there to take his place?  You could look at one of the current assistant coaches, under Pat Hill, John Baxter who has been on Hill’s staff from the very start, though I’m not sure he’s the right guy to be the next head coach.  If you want me to throw out a name, and this is completely from left field, but it might not be that far fetched.  He was Fresno State’s quarterback in 1992 when the Bulldogs knocked off USC 24-7 in the Freedom Bowl in Anaheim, CA, he also won a Super Bowl Championship with the Baltimore Ravens a few years ago…Trent Dilfer.   I know a lot of people would laugh that off, but watch that name make the rounds and he might even get consideration.  Will he get the job, eh, I doubt it but I don’t doubt that he’d have interest in coming back to Fresno.

Pat Hill should be Fresno State’s head coach through their bowl game, wherever that might be, even if he does land the Washington job.  But after that’s said and done, look for Fresno State’s “Hot Stove” to really start heating up in a hurry.

It has only been since August 1st, 2007 that the Big Ten Network has launched, but with the amount of frustrations experienced as a result of it, it seems like much longer to the average sports fan.

I’ve lived within the Big Ten footprint during this time, so naturally I’ve followed this situation carefully. My favorite team is not in my local area, so with this network I was supposed to be getting all of their games. All subscribers to both DirecTV and Dish Network have the network, while cable companies with the channel seem to be very few and very far between.

Frustrations and anxiety have been high as fans head out to bars/restaurants to catch games because they can’t get them at home. In the beginning, it seemed that most of the anger was focused on the cable companies for not making a deal, but now I’m mostly seeing anger directed at the Big Ten conference. After all, these games used to be broadcast for free on basic channels.

The few people that have the channel have now started to complain about the quality of their programming and announcers.

Another problem that has come about as a result of this channel is schools often now have to wait until 9:00 p.m. EST / 8:00 p.m. CST to start the games. As a result, attendance is down at most Big Ten games.

So where do you stand on this? Has the Big Ten Network been a success? If you are a fan of another conference, do you want your conference to launch their own network?

Recently the NFL combine kicked off and values began being placed on the heads of many future NFL athletes.   In addition to competing in all sorts of athletic situations that have nothing to do with their ability to play football on gameday, athletes are also put through some crazy mental challenges.

Unfortunately, the results of these tests will determine the “value” of these players, rather than looking at their on-the-field accomplishments over the previous 3-5 years at their respective colleges.   If you look over the players that have drastically increased their draft value at the combine based on the results of their drills, you’ll often find players that don’t live up to the higher draft slot.

What do you think?   How much stock would you place in the NFL combine if you were a GM/Coach?

January

• David Beckham announced he would be leaving Real Madrid to play for the Los Angeles Galaxy.
• Tony Gwynn and Cal Ripken Jr. elected to baseball hall of fame
• Florida Gators defeated the Ohio state Buckeyes to win the BCS National Championship in college football.

February

• Indianapolis Colts defeated the Chicago Bears in Super Bowl XLI.

March

• Morgan Pressell, at 18 years 313 days old, became the youngest woman to ever win a major in golf when she won the Kraft Nabisco Championship.

April

• Randy Moss was traded from Oakland Raiders to New England Patriots.
• The University of Florida became the first school in NCAA history to win a college football and basketball title in the same academic year, by defeating the Ohio State Buckeyes in the Final Four Basketball Championship game in Atlanta.
• Zach Johnson won his first major by winning at the Masters.

May

• Floyd Mayweather Jr. defeated Oscar De La Hoya by a split decision and took the WBC Junior Middleweight title.
• Diego Corrales (boxer) died in a three-vehicle car accident near his Las Vegas home.

June

•  The San Antonio Spurs won their fourth NBA championship when they swept the Cleveland Cavaliers.
• The Anaheim Ducks defeated the Ottawa Senators to win the Stanley Cup. 
• The Hamburg Sea Devils defeated the Frankfurt Galaxy to win the World Bowl XV in NFL Europa.

July

• The American League defeated the National League 5-4 in Major League Baseball.
• Bill Walsh (former NFL coach) died of Leukemia.

August

• Barry Bonds became the all-time home run king when he hit his 756th homer.
• Tiger Woods won his 13th major by winning the PGA Championship.
• Lorena Ochoa won her first major by winning the Women’s British Open.

September

• The 5th ranked Michigan Wolverines became the first ever division 1 team to lose to a FSC (formerly division 1-AA) team, when they lost at home to the Appalachian State Mountaineers 34-32.
• Major League Baseball rookie Clay Bucholz of the Boston Red Sox threw a no-hitter in just his second career start.
• Roger Federer won the US Open.

October

• The Boston Red Sox swept the Colorado Rockies to win their second World Series in four years.

November

• Adrian Peterson of the Minnesota Vikings set the single game NFL record when he rushed for 296 yards.
• Jimmy Johnson won the Nextel Cup.
• Roger Federer lost back-to-back tennis matches for the first time in nearly five years.
• Sean Taylor (NFL player) died after being shot in a robbery attempt of his girlfriend’s place of residence.

December

• The Mitchell report was released naming players such as Roger Clemens as being associated with purchasing and/or using performance enhancing drugs.
• Quarterback Tim Tebow of the Florida Gators became the first sophomore to ever win the Heisman Trophy.