Sep 18

Weeks 2-3 Review: Pac-12 Picking the Winners Recap

The second and third weeks of the 2012 college football season featured plenty of surprises. Here’s a quick look back on the past two weeks of Pac-12 action, centered around my 12th Annual Picking the Winners Pac-12 preview, which appeared prior to the season on USCFootball.com. To recap my initial picks:

Week 2=At least I’m not a Buff. Week 3=However, I am a Trojan.

After a shaky second week (7-5) – mainly due to a series of big Pac-12 surprise victories – things returned closer to normal in week three (8-2). Let’s take a look back.

Week 2

If it was possible for Colorado to be more embarrassed than it was after losing to Sac State, they might have accomplished it last weekend in Fresno.

Cal over Southern Utah, 50-31 (picked at 44-10); Oregon over Fresno State, 42-25 (picked at 49-14); Stanford over Duke, 50-13 (picked at 38-13); USC over Syracuse, 42-29 (picked at 41-20); LSU over Washington, 41-3 (picked at 31-17): While these four were winners, all by predicted double-digit margins, I only came within 10 points of the final spread on the Trojans’ sloppy victory over the Orange. On the other hand, the Huskies did the conference no favors by laying a massive egg in already provincial SEC-land. My other two wins, Arizona State’s 45-14 whipping of Illinois and Washington State’s too-close-for-comfort 24-20 win over FCS Eastern Washington, were flip-flopped from predictions (I had ASU tight and WSU big).

Two of my five losses were pretty disappointing for the conference. Utah’s horrific performance in a 27-20 loss at Utah State was only overshadowed by Sacramento State taking down a Pac-12 foe for a second consecutive season in a 30-28 win over Colorado (the Hornets toppled Oregon State in 2011).

UCLA’s Johnathan Franklin has been spectacular through three games.

The other three losses in week two were all Pac-12 upsets that gained the conference some national respect. As I said in my preview, before picking Nebraska in a close one against UCLA, “this type of game – early September, traditional football power opponent, at the Rose Bowl – has been when the Bruins play their best.” That they did, notching a 36-30 upset. Arizona gained a measure of revenge for a pair of blowout losses to Oklahoma State the past two seasons by hammering the Cowboys, 59-38, in Tucson – and also serving notice that the Rich Rodriguez Regime is truly underway. And Oregon State, opening its season after the postponement of a Sept. 1 game vs. Nicholls State, stunned two-time defending Big 10 champion Wisconsin, 10-7.

Week 3

Washington over Portland State, 52-13 (picked at 56-10); Oregon over Tennessee Tech, 63-14 (picked at 69-6); UCLA over Houston, 37-6 (picked at 34-14): It’s always intriguing to me to see how close my picks come in games with an overwhelming favorite. In week three, I did pretty well in the Huskies’ and Ducks’ victories over FCS foes, as well as in UCLA’s win over Houston. Not so impressive were my picks in a couple of other victories that also appeared to be lopsided. I underestimated Arizona’s firepower, picking them only by 27 in an eventual 56-0 win over FCS South Carolina State. In reverse, Washington State’s closer-than-expected 35-27 win at UNLV was far less than the three-TD win I’d called for.

I’m not sure if this is right before the second or third time Ute fans stormed the field against BYU.

My other victories included a pair of hard fought losses for the conference. I picked Ohio State to whip Cal by 18. The Bears fought hard, dropping a 35-28 decision. I also picked Missouri to notch a 10-point revenge victory for last season’s loss in Tempe, but the Sun Devils rallied to make it close before losing, 24-20. I also had Utah over BYU, 31-21 – not the craziest call in the Utes’ eventual (and, by eventual, I mean Utah fans rushed the field three times before the game was officially over) 24-21 win.

This was a familiar site on the Farm last Saturday.

Speaking of rushing the field, it’s time to wonder when Stanford’s fans will come to expect a win against USC as their coaches and players seem to? The Cardinal’s fourth consecutive win in the series, 21-14 in Palo Alto, was an upset – sure (I had USC, 38-27, in my preseason picks). But, No. 16 beating No. 3 in an ugly, error-filled early season game sure didn’t seem like a rush-the-field moment. My other Week 3 loss featured, unsurprisingly at this point, Colorado. What was surprising was the score: a lower-divisionesque 69-14 loss to Fresno State. The Buffs will have to pull off one heck of an upset during conference play to avoid an 0-12 season.

Record through three weeks: 24-9

Enjoy this weekend’s games!

Sep 07

Week 1 Review: Pac-12 Picking the Winners Recap

As we close in on week 2 of the college football season, here’s a quick look back on Week 1 of Pac-12 action, centered around my 12th Annual Picking the Winners Pac-12 preview, which appeared last week on USCFootball.com:

Click here for wisdom.

I kicked off the season with a 9-2 weekend (plus an abstention from Nicholls State, which was unable to avoid Hurricane Isaac and travel to face the Mighty Beav in Corvallis). Who was up? Who was down? And who was an ultimate disappointment?

Marqise Lee took Matt Barkley’s first 2012 toss 75 yards for a score.

USC over Hawaii, 49-10 (picked at 49-13) and Utah over Northern Colorado, 41-0 (picked at 38-0): Obviously my two best picks of the week, though I was helped by some dropped USC passes to keep the Trojans under 50.Other decent calls included Oregon over Arky State, 57-34 (in a game that I picked 52-10 Ducks, but UO led 50-3 in the second quarter before pumping the brakes). Oregon wowed a lot of people with their early outburst. Was the second half defensive lapse indicative of some depth issues? You’d have to be reading an awful lot into it to reach that conclusion. I also had UCLA topping Rice by 21, but in a much lower scoring game than the Bruins’ eventual 49-24 win. Even if it was against a horrific Owl program, Bruin fans had to be heartened by QB Brett Hundley’s first performance.

Surprises and disappointments that still worked out ok? How about Wazzu’s ugly performance in a 30-6 loss at BYU. In picking a narrow BYU win, I definitely expected more from Mike Leach in his first game. Obviously, he and the Cougs have a ways to go. In opposition, Todd Graham’s debut in Tempe went far better than expected as the Sun Devils put the hammer to FCS foe Northern Arizona, 63-6. At the same time, Stanford narrowly avoided catastrophe (to channel chronic overstater and Olympic gymnastics “commentator” Tim Daggett) in a 20-17 Friday night fright against San Jose State. Think

DeAnthony Thomas was up to his old tricks in Oregon’s whipping of Arkansas State.

Andrew Luck meant much to the Cardinal?

Also too close for comfort was UW’s 21-12 decision in Seattle over San Diego State. The Huskies’ high-powered attack more closely resembled a late-90s Paul Hackett USC offense. At the same time, the statistics showed an absolute blowout in favor of Arizona over Toledo, but some missed opportunities (and field goals) forced the Wildcats into overtime before they notched a 24-17 win.

Oski wasn’t the only one to leave the new Memorial Stadium deflated.

Finally, my two losses: Colorado dropping a 22-17 decision to in-state rival Colorado State in their annual Denver showdown; and California bellyflopping in the debut of the newly refurbished Memorial Stadium, losing to Nevada 31-24. While CU’s loss isn’t overly shocking – this wasn’t a good football team last year and it won’t be this year – Cal’s Jeff Tedford absolutely must be on the firing line after the Bears’ embarrassing performance. As time goes on, it seems like Tedford loses more and more touch with his players. While Cal should recover easily this weekend, the same can’t be said for most of the rest of 2012.

Enjoy this weekend’s games!

Aug 25

Countdown to College Football: 75 Reasons to Love CFB (from July 4, 2001)

The second entry in my Countdown to College Football series this week takes me back into the archives for a column that initially appeared on the now defunct PigskinPost.com on July 4, 2001. (PigskinPost was swallowed up into the larger — and still existent — CollegeFootballNews.com after the 2003 season).

In this piece, I celebrate the Americana of college football, and those people, places and things that many of us so love about the game and all of its trappings, even in this era of NCAA deceit, BCS chicanery and more. Enjoy! (and keep an eye out for a couple more pieces in the coming days)

(Originally published July 4, 2001 on PigskinPost.com)

College Football: Ain’t That America, Too?

The 4th of July is a time of celebration. No matter our political leanings, religious affiliations or positions on the social ladder, as Americans, the first week of July is an important reminder of who we are and where we’ve come from as a nation. It’s also usually a time for barbecued hamburgers and hot dogs, family picnics, beer and baseball.

It’s this last note that got me thinking. I know baseball is the “national pastime.” I enjoy going to a ballgame probably more than the next guy, and have loved spending the fourth at Dodger Stadium as long as I can remember. But, really, what is more American than a Saturday afternoon with 65,000 of your closest friends watching your college play one of its rivals?

College football is a major part of American culture, and since today is Independence Day, what better day to celebrate its place in our shared history. Therefore, in no particular order, here are 74 (plus one) reasons college football gives America to celebrate every fall.

  1. The hopes and dreams in every stadium in America just before the opening kickoff of the season …
  2. The beers you drank to fuel those sadly desperate dreams that will likely be quashed by the end of the first quarter …
  3. The Rose Bowl in Pasadena’s Arroyo Seco …

    There’s nothing like the Rose Bowl on New Year’s Day.

  4. The Hokies vs. the Wahoos. Sure it’s a great rivalry, but this note is all about the nicknames …
  5. Marching bands from Michigan, Ohio State, USC and on and on …
  6. The Tournament of Roses (the whole day, from a 7 a.m. parade to the 6 p.m. finish of the game — which, incidentally, will be ruined this year by big money) …
  7. The roar of Northwestern’s fans when, before the coin-flip before the 1996 Rose Bowl, the referee explained the coin, saying, “On one side is the logo of Northwestern University…” At that moment, 48 years of frustration was released from the north end zone that rocked the San Gabriel Mountains …
  8. Ralphie the Buffalo …
  9. The Horseshoe …
  10. Clemson vs. South Carolina …
  11. “Fuuuuuummmmble!” …
  12. “Hail to the Victors” …
  13. Uga …
  14. Strawberry Canyon …
  15. “The Ramblin’ Wreck of Georgia Tech …”
  16. The Civil War (Oregon-Oregon State) …
  17. The Golden Dome …
  18. Bevo …
  19. Schools that share a fight song, but act like they’re two different songs …
  20. Florida-Florida State …
  21. Late-night MWC games on ESPN2, when you can’t even peel yourself off the couch to change the channel …
  22. At the same time, wondering why the Pac-10 relegated itself to Fox Sports Net …
  23. Michigan Stadium …
  24. Oklahoma-Nebraska …
  25. The Swamp …
  26. “Wooooo! Pig! Soooooooieeee!” …
  27. Cheerleaders …

    Song girls or cheerleaders? Understand the difference.

  28. Song girls. At ‘SC, we know there’s a big difference between these two groups …
  29. The Heisman pose …
  30. Texas A&M’s “12th Man” …
  31. Michigan’s helmets …
  32. “Conquest” …
  33. Orange-and-white checkerboard end zones …
  34. The Iron Bowl (Alabama-Auburn) …
  35. Weekender driving trips for a conference road game …
  36. Hospitable fans when you reach your destination. On a roadie, there are few things better than weekend-long drinking buddies who can get past the fact you’re rooting for the opposition. Especially if they’re girls …
  37. That giant papier-mâché looking head on the Nebraska mascot …
  38. USC-Notre Dame …
  39. Camp Randall Stadium …
  40. Touchdown Jesus …
  41. Whatever the hell that “U” logo represents on the side of Miami’s helmets …
  42. LSU’s white jerseys at night in Baton Rouge …
  43. The Orange Bowl stadium in Miami …

    Hmm, I wonder why so many photos of Bobby Petrino came up when I Google Image Searched “coaches with state troopers.”

  44. The Sooner Schooner …
  45. Those state troopers that surround coaches only, it seems, in the south …
  46. Ohio State-Michigan …
  47. Death Valley …
  48. Happy Valley …
  49. Keeping track of the Stanford band’s suspensions …
  50. The World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party, a.k.a. Georgia vs. Florida …
  51. Dotting the I …
  52. Thousands of red-clad fans singing “On Wisconsin” …
  53. Keith Jackson saying, “Live from Tuscaloosa” …
  54. Keith Jackson saying, “Live from Los Angeles” …
  55. Keith Jackson saying, “Live!” from just about anywhere …
  56. Traveler …
  57. The Game (Harvard-Yale) …
  58. The Big Game (Stanford-California) …
  59. Horned Frogs, Terrapins, Boilermakers and Ragin’ Cajuns …
  60. The fact that changing the facial expression of your team’s animal logo can cause consternation and controversy among your school’s most vociferous alumni …
  61. Nebraska’s home crowd …
  62. The Seminole mascot’s pregame ritual …
  63. “War Eagle!” …
  64. Army-Navy …
  65. Michigan’s “Go Blue” banner at midfield …
  66. Bobby Bowden saying “Dadgumit!” and sounding smarter than the president …

    The Red River Rivalry in all its glory.

  67. Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum …
  68. USC-UCLA …
  69. Joe Paterno’s flood pants and white socks …
  70. The Washington Husky …
  71. Between the hedges …
  72. Texas-Oklahoma at the state fair in Dallas …
  73. Those dudes with the homemade “Roll Tide” contraptions …
  74. “…a share of the national championship.” …
  75. Notre Dame Stadium.