College Conference Courtship
Although the World Cup is certainly sporting news du jour, I wanted to take some time out to discuss some other important sporting news (sorry NBA Finals, it’s not about you). No, this news item is near and dear to my heart as a raging Michigan fan.
The Pac-10, Big Ten and other behemoths of college sports have sent out the notes (do you like me? Check yes, no or maybe) and teams are beginning to answer the call. Nebraska eagerly accepted the Big Ten’s invite; their first date will be on July 1, 2011. Colorado just jumped in bed with the Pac-10 for 2012. What happens next will likely be a domino-like fall-out akin to the crazy world of teenage romance. We still like you Big-12, but I’m with xx now.
Now let’s not kid ourselves, while the conference mash-up will likely improve competition in the major conferences and certainly shake up how the BCS is managed (can we please go to a playoff system?); this is about money. As it always is. Super conferences rake in super dough. This is about television contracts. This is why the Big Ten is so hot to trot for Notre Dame. It would be great to get on that alluring NBC coverage.
What happens next, no one knows for sure. There’s bound to be a lot of heartbreak, many new relationships, but one thing is for sure: the college sports world will never be quite the same.
Photo courtesy of AP via Boston.com
The BCS - It’s Like They Almost Enjoy Making Us Miserable
The picture above (from Nick Anderson at the Houston Chronicle) pretty much says it all. Nobody in their right mind likes the bowl system. I’m particularly bitter this year as my team of choice (Michigan) is not even going to a bowl game, although to be fair, they wouldn’t have even made it to the playoffs in a playoff system. Next year…
Considering the fact that everyone and their mother is at the very least, discontent with the current system, it is surprising to me that the BCS would set up a Twitter account. According to Advertising Age, within no time at all the account had drawn angry tweets from those opposed to the current system. Advertising Age looked upon this as a bad thing, because the BCS was not protecting their brand. I beg to differ, at least from a sports fan’s perspective.
Sure the BCS was opening itself up to a world of hurt in the form of public criticism. This is nothing new to the BCS. The photo I posted above is from 2006. Come November the annual outcry against the current system gets its momentum and doesn’t stop until well after the Championship game. Year after year journalists, fans and some schools openly criticize the current bowl game system.
Opening a two-way path of communication with college football enthusiasts may prove to be useful in repairing a broken system. If the BCS is responsive to comments posted to them via Twitter and *gasp* maybe even takes some of what is said into account, it could work to create a better system for us all. Idealistic and unlikely, yes. Hey a girl can dream. At the very least they can’t as easily ignore our rage-filled shouts!
What the Heck is Going on with the NFL?!?
Well, baseball season is officially over (go Yankees, Cubs I’m still hoping for next year). I’m hoping to get back to a semblance of a normal life, which hopefully equals more posts! So with baseball put to rest for a bit, let’s talk football shall we?
What the heck is going on with the NFL right now? 13 teams are below 500. Thirteen! It is only a little past half way in the regular season, but still! In 2008, 11 teams finished below 500 for the entire regular season. In 2007, things were worse, but this is still astounding. Cleveland, St. Louis, Tampa Bay, Detroit (still a better year for them than 2008) and Kansas City have failed to win more than a single game. Oakland, Washington and Tennessee have just two W’s under their belt.
It would take a long time to break down exactly why each team has failed to rack up more wins (cough Jamarcus Russell, Oakland). One thing is for certain, this isn’t making for very exciting football. Aside from an occasional surprise like Tampa Bay’s win over Green Bay, the NFL has been nearly predictable. The sports books in Las Vegas are probably ready to throw in the towel at this point. Unless you’re playing fantasy football, where, depending on you league it could be anyone’s game, this is just ridiculous.
Saints/Vikings v. Colts, see you in the Super Bowl (yes, that’s my mid-season projection, sort of anyways). The rest of the league, get your shit together. In the mean time I am going to be watching college football. Hello Northwestern/Iowa upset!
For All You Haters Out There
What fun is football if you you can’t talk a little smack? None, that’s what!
Allstate created a great micro-site surrounding college football which includes these amazing e-cards. Nicely done Allstate! You’ve made heckling my friends just a little bit easier!
I know I’ve been talking about Michigan football a lot lately (I do promise to mix it up a bit), but there is no one in the football world that isn’t talking about Michigan football this Sunday following their epic late game win over ranked Notre Dame. Ivan Maisel of ESPN.com sums up the game so well, I’ll leave all the hard work to him. I’m just going to sit here and gloat for a bit.
Back in the top 25 baby!
Why I Still Have Faith in ‘09 Michigan Football
Michigan pummeled Western Michigan 31-7. Things are looking a bit brighter for the team that has been bogged down by controversy in the past week. They may still have a long way to go, but this video gets me pumped for the rest of the season. Bring it on other teams (ND I see you), let’s hear it for the underdog. (Michigan should never be the underdog, but that is another discussion for another day)
Hit the Road Jack
Week one of college football started off with a bang. From two consecutive blocked kicks to last minute interceptions there was no shortage of heart-pounding college football action to watch this Labor Day weekend. While watching key plays and and slow-mo highlights up close from the comfort of the couch is a miraculous thing (I did an inappropriate amount of this during the past weekend), there is nothing like seeing a college football game in person.
Dan Ackman of the Wall Street Journal, understanding the thrill of watching the game live and in the flesh, put together a list of super-charged college football weekend road trips. Two games, one weekend, non-stop madness. Of the five, my pick would be Oklahoma/Texas and Texas A&M/Texas Tech. match-ups. Football in the land where football is damn near a religion, yes please.
But then again I don’t have a car, or vacation days leftover for that matter. And really, did you look at the picture I posted above? Could there possibly be anything better than that? Ackman, I know we’re not ranked and still building the team under Rich Rod., but how could you leave Mich off the list? Loved the suggestions, but if I go anywhere is season it’s back to A2 and the Big House for me.
