May 27th, 2008 Keith Godfrey
After getting in a mini debate over mid-major relevancy earlier today on my blog regarding that subject I have come to a conclusion ……… this time of year sucks for collegiate sports. Baseball and softball are wrapping things up and football doesn’t kick into high gear until the beginning of August. A guy can only come up with enough crap to say about Rich Rodriguez after all. So, some random thoughts.
1) No, mid majors aren’t overwhelmingly relevant into today’s collegiate sporting world. Sure, they can provide entertainment in certain areas … football especially …. like the West where the WAC is alive and well and some Conference USA teams draw well. An argument was made regarding hockey and baseball but in the grand scheme of things those are two different animals and still the absolute majority of those champions come from big time schools.
Listen, I am not trying to knock the athletes that play at these schools; I have known several who have. I am not trying to put these programs down and place them in their graves. After all, collegiate sports is still an entertainment industry and there are plenty of markets available for many teams. But in terms of national championships and truly astonishing teams … the mid major just doesn’t have many .. and that decreases their relevancy.
2) Desmond Howard is an idiot. Disagree with Kirk Herbstreit all day long but to question his integrity openly in public when you’re both employed by ESPN and he is clearly more important to their success. Bad idea. Desmond may still have his job but here is thinking his lips are sealed a little more tightly next time.
3) Jim Leyland is a big admirer of Rich Rodriguez. I wonder if ole Richy has any tips for really old Jimmy and his Tigers. Me thinks Leyland and the Tigers would be open to trying just about anything. Perhaps the Tigers could not worry about playing defense and develop an explosive offense …. oh wait.
4) Can August 30th take an longer to get here already?!?
5) Does anyone have any thoughts on USC-OSU on September 13th?! This is easily the most exciting out of conference game being played. Unless you’re a fan of the school in Ann Arbor. If so, I’d be really interested in Utah. First game under new coach and a team that could surprise some folks this year.
6) I really hope Chris Morris, who played at my high school and at Michigan State, can remain on an NFL roster. It’s a great story and this community ought to be very proud of that young man.
7) It’s 8:16 pm and Michigan still sucks.
Jay Bruce, the Red’s top prospect was just called up today and I watched him get his first hit. Finally something good!
Goodnight y’all.
Posted in NCAA | 3 Comments »
May 1st, 2008 Keith Godfrey
I apologize it has been so long; even if I am only apologizing to the 3 of you who visit the page 10 times daily. A lot has happened since my last post but I am happy to announce that the Michigan State campus has failed to burn to the ground at this moment in time and seeing as how school is letting out it may survive until football season. Yes, Mark Dantonio that is good news.
There is this recent hubbubaloo about the plus one model that was floated around for the BCS. A lot of people, like Matt Hayes from The Sporting News, want to quickly blame the Big Ten and the Pac 10 because they have for the longest time been the loudest opponents to any ‘playoff’ idea. Never mind that 1) the vote to continue discussions was shelved by a 4-2 vote with only the SEC and ACC voting to continue discussions and 2) the actual proposal would not actually solve anything. If anyone remembers last season’s final BCS standings were: 1) Ohio State 2) LSU 3) Virginia Tech 4) Oklahoma. Can someone explain to me how that alleviates those who feel that Georgia, USC, and Hawaii were somehow cheated out of their chance to win a National Championship? Really all a plus one model would accomplish is to open up the level of complaining by more and more teams.
I suppose I can be crucified publicly for being on the side of the argument that is against a playoff in college football at it’s highest level. The game, commerically, is slowly becoming more and more and more like the NFL every season; even the rules are progressively becoming more ‘professional’. I like that fact that essntially one, sometimes two, slip ups and you’re out of the discussion. Sure, it is sometimes fun to get behind a team like Davidson and their run through the most recent NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament, or, be proud when Pittsburgh with an 11-5 regular season record (and wild card winner) stormed to vctory in Super Bowl 40. But these instances are few and far between because let us face the music — for the most part the BCS formula generally gets it right.
The other topic I wanted to hit on is Big Ten football coming out of Spring practice. I had previously put out my pre-Spring Big Ten rankings and there has been a slight change. The new order, with estimated records will follow.
- Ohio State 12-0 (8-0)
- Wisconsin 10-2 (7-1)
- Penn State 10-2 (6-2)
- Illinois 10-2 (6-2)
- Mich State 9-3 (5-3)
- Purdue 7-5 (6-2)
- Michigan 6-6 (4-4)
- Iowa 6-6 (4-4)
- N’Western 5-7 (3-5)
- Minnesota 3-9 (1-7)
- Indiana 2-10 (1-7)
Now Michigan fan before you get all over me understand this … I think Michigan will be competitive but even the best coaches, including yours, have struggled in their first years at a new school - Urban Meyer, Pete Carroll, they both did. There are just too many questions offensively right now and maybe after Fall ball I’ll have a better grasp on things and how Michigan is going to stack up but with how thin they are offensively …. yikes. Of course, keep in mind, Ohio State was going to have to rely on their defense to get by and turned out to be quite good offensively. So maybe there is a surprise in the works.
My guesses for Big Ten Awards:
Offensive POY: Chris ‘Beanie’ Wells, Ohio State
Defensive POY: James Laurinaitis, Ohio State
Freshmen of the Year: Sam McGuffie, Michigan
So, I believe I am somewhat caught up. Time will tell what is in store for this upcoming season and I tell ya, I cannot wait!
Posted in Big Ten, NCAA | No Comments »
March 24th, 2008 Keith Godfrey
It’s the most wonderful time of the year. Yeah, that’s right …. forget Christmas, this is the most wonderful time of the year. It’s excusable to sluff off at work on Thursdays and Fridays. It’s completely reasonable to discuss sports and let paperwork slide for a few moments. In fact, it’s completely okay to slide a fiver under the table to your coworker in hopes of winning the office prize. It’s the one time of the year that people turn their heads and enjoy what time of the year that it is.
While we may not ALL partake in the glory that is the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament you cannot deny the power it holds over this country; its popularity undoubtedly sprung due in part to Vegas and the interest of a few extra bucks.
I helped a buddy at work this year with his bracket and right now after the first weekend Adam and I sit in 3rd place - only 1 point out of first (and it’s my fault for forgetting to fill in one game, arrrrgh!). Nevertheless, we’re sitting pretty, all of our Elite Eight picks are still alive.
Our bracket started off pretty good. We hit 25 out of the opening 32 games but the second round bit us some going 10 for 16. If we push through the round of 16 pretty, look out. Our Elite 8 looks like this:
- UNC versus Tennessee in the East
- Kansas versus Wisconsin in the Midwest
- Memphis versus Texas in the South
- UCLA versus Xavier in the West
Our Final Four stacks up:
- Tennessee versus Kansas
- Texas versus UCLA
The Championship Game will feature
And the winner will be ……..
We’ll see what happens but this is one of the things I absolutely love about the NCAA tournament … we all have a chance at looking like geniuses at the end of the tourney. Even if you are the bosses daughter who thinks UNC wears a pretty shade of blue but you’ll put Davidson in the Final Four because that red would look fantastic on your lips.
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January 27th, 2008 Keith Godfrey
Earlier in the football season the ever so infamous Mike Hart of Michigan eluded to the Spartans of Michigan State as being the University of Michigan’s little brother. Hart will long be remembered for his mouth but what he said in this instance actually made sense to me; albeit in an entirely different context. If MSU is the younger brother of Michigan well then the mid major schools are the step children of the top dogs. What is the relevancy of a mid major program anyway?
Before I move on let me preface the argument with this. It is entirely understandable if” you played your sport at that school, a family member plays a sport there, you hold a degree from there (although this ranks much lower on the scale). Moving on …..
Sure, schools like Boise State, Toledo, Hawaii, George Mason, etcetera have all served a purporse. Typically it is the role of whipping boy, however, lately the mid major has made some in roads to the top. The 2006 football Broncos of Boise State being the most recent (no we won’t debate one-loss Hawaii from 2007).
To me though, their relevancy ends there … right there. It’s fun to have an underdog to cheer for and by golly its fun when it’s not Northwestern all the time. Outside of their underdog role though I see no reason to be a huge fan of a mid major school. Sorry, just can’t.
This past football season I attended the Toledo - Iowa State football game at The Glass Bowl in Toledo with my wife and some friends of ours. I had picked this game out due to the fact that a Big 12 team was coming into the Glass Bowl and I find Gene Chizik to be one heck of a coach. That was the extent of my interest. I did not take the game very seriously nor had I ever taken a Toledo game very seriously; its Toledo for crying out loud!!
So as we’re sitting there (mostly bored by the terrible play mind you) I couldn’t help but be astonished at the fandom sitting in front of me. These three men were absolutely holding on to every play like it would be the deciding factor if their oxygen machines ceased working and therefore they ceased ….. oh, you get it. I don’t understand, its Toledo!
We’re talking mid majors here … not a game …. but mid majors … not the game I have grown to love and die for but mid majors. Oh, nevermind, Allen Iverson’s ‘we’re talking ’bout practice’ bit will always be better than any parody I can attempt. But seriously … mid major. They’re never going to win a national title and I am not just talking football.
So what’s the point … why get all worked up over a mid major if you’re not bringing home NCAA hardware? Who cares if you can make the dance if you don’t stand a chance!
What was the last mid major school to win an NCAA football title? Good God, I can’t think of that off the top of my head either (it was 1984 BYU). Over the past six years the highest average ranking of a mid major school is 9.8 in the AP poll with 2004 Utah being the highest rated in that period at fourth.
Surely, it must be different in other sports … right? Nope. March Madness is no different. Sure, George Mason (whoever he is) made a Final Four run in 2006 but no mid major has won the dance since UNLV in 1990 and in the last ten years the Madness has been conquered by a team from either the SEC, ACC, Big East, or Big Ten.
Hockey … nope. Wrestling, forget about it. Did you know since 1989 either Minnesota, Iowa, or Oklahoma State has won the NCAA Wrestling title. Yeah, three schools. Suck on that parity.
Well surely, women’s sports must be different. Forget about it. Women’s basketball hasn’t seen a mid major win it since 1985 with Old Dominion. Heck, UConn tore off the threepeat from 2002-2004.
I even went looking for oddball champions, baseball and softball because of the perceived advantage by southern and western schools due to weather being nicer and getting better practice time. Not even there do you find a lot of success for the mid major. In baseball only twice in the last ten years has a school not represented by one of the big six conferences won the title. Softball over that same time period …. once.
So clearly, yes, there is that flash in the pan chance that a school might pull a 1984 BGSU NCAA Hockey Championship like season but it’s nothing more than that. When was the last time BGSU was relevant in the CCHA let alone the NCAA?
Point to budgets, point to TV access, point to whatever it is you want. I am pointing to championships and pride. I will always take pride in reaching the summit, the NCAA title. While the view from the plateau is always nice the view from the top is always finest.
Posted in Mid Majors, NCAA | 8 Comments »
January 25th, 2008 Keith Godfrey
I was going to start out on something else and then I stumbled across this little number about attractive, young, female co-eds who will be paid $25-$50 per hour to attend Super Bowl parties around Glendale, AZ and … well …. look pretty.
Now, don’t get me wrong … I enjoy good looking women as much as any other guy (please God don’t let my wife read this!) but how incredibly vapid is this? How overwhelmingly shallow! Perhaps I am just frustrated by my years of inability to achieve financial success by showing off my good looks. I mean, there is a market for slightly overweight married guys is there not?!? Could it be the fact that I have two daughters who, in spite of their father’s looks, very well may grow up to be beautiful young girls who could make a significant amount of money attending parties? Although that is admittedly much better than appearing in a Girls Gone Wild video. So girls if you ever happen across this blog please go with the former … attend the parties.
Sometimes even I am surprised at what some people are capable of. Like …..
Urban Meyer who is being investigated by the University of Florida and potentially the NCAA for a recruiting violation. Furthermore, the rumor is that Heisman Trophy winner, Tim Tebow, could also be connected to this mess. It seems Meyer was interested in bringing a junior college wideout to Gainesville and when he discovered there was no chance of bringing this guy in unless his girlfriend came along too Meyer devised a plan. Said girlfriend just happened to be a star gymnast … and … well … UF has a women’s gymnastics team (I’m certain if they didn’t at the time they would have created one … anything for football after all). Well Mr. Meyer decided he’d also contact the young man’s girlfriend which is a potential recruiting violation because a coach of one sport cannot recruit for another team as the NCAA limits the number of coaches who can recruit for a sport and some other rules I admit I don’t know. It’s long been rumored that Urban Meyer is shady and I always chalked it up to jealousy but if this story holds any validity at all .. and I mean any .. I think there needs to be some consequences up to and including the loss of scholarship(s) and potentially suspensions.
Speaking of messes … this whole Rich Rod and West Virginia thing just won’t stop. I feel pity for Bill Stewart as he has to feel like the red-headed step child here. Roddy finally responded in a letter to WVU Athletics Director, Ed Pastilong and what a doozy it is. I don’t practice contract law but I still think anyone with half a brain understands that written agreements stand up in court; oral and handshake agreements don’t necessarily stand on their own. Good luck Rich but even I am tiring of this back and forth.
Finally, should we feel sorry for Terrelle Pryor at all? After all, we’re talking about an 18 year old kid who is presumably about to make the biggest decision of his life and people are hanging on his every word. I can’t fathom the pressure. Supposedly, according to Pryor, newspapers, representatives from Rivals, etc. are calling him daily saying things like, “you know where you’re going … just tell us.” Apparently people are screaming at school officials because they won’t give up access to Terrelle during school hours. I understand … we all love our college football and yes, I would love to see him a Buckeye. However, my life doesn’t hang in the balance because of his decision. Terrelle, I at least feel for you and wish you the best whether you’re in Columbus, Ann Arbor, Eugene, or Baton Rouge come next year.
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