Now this is an outrage!

I just ran across this in a CSTV piece:

It's that kind of carnage that has opened the door for Ohio State, which has yet to play anyone of note and could go the rest of the season without facing a ranked opponent. In spite of that, it appears that the Buckeyes are the only team that controls its own destiny in the BCS. If Ohio State wins out and wins by the margins voters like, it will get another shot at winning the BCS title.

So help me, if that happens, I am done with college football until they fix this unacceptably broken system. In a perverse way, I almost hope it does, because the outrage from the SEC, Big East and probably a couple of other conferences will should be deafening.

College basketball teams get to the national championship mostly on merit. Only in the deranged world of college football can you get by solely on past performance, reputation and pre-season positioning. As you can see in the piece just below this one, mostly due to work done by others, this entire football-BCS arrangement is a gigantic fraud, and whether or not by design, the powers that stand to benefit the most from continuing this deception are the ones who would appear to benefit the most, and continue to support the BCS. I know, knock me over with a feather.

If SEC officials sit still for allowing Ohio State to stroll through a pathetically weak schedule (at least by national championship standards) to the national championship game without demanding meaningful change, well ... they should be ashamed of themselves. In fact, they should be ashamed for taking no action last year. People have been warning for years that just this sort of thing was possible with the BCS -- what will happen if it becomes a reality?

But lest that not convince you, consider this paragraph from later in the same CSTV article:

Note that I am not lumping Ohio State in with USF and BC in this scenario. Even though the Buckeyes may play the weakest schedule of the three, they are a college football blue blood. Ohio State could go undefeated and only play one opponent that was ranked at the time it played them, and that is Purdue, which was No. 20 when it faced the Buckeyes on Oct. 6. Of its remaining five opponents, only Michigan is currently ranked in either BCS poll (No. 25 in Harris).

Oh. Well. That makes it all right then. We can't be worrying about such trivialities as schedule strength and merit when we are talking about royalty, now can we? I say, why wait? Let's just declare the "bluebloods" the only eligible teams, pat the "serfs" and "peasants" on their pointy little 2-star heads and send them to the Astro-Bluebonnet-Chick-Fil-A-Frito-Tostito bowl, and turn our attention to more important things. No way those lesser teams deserve a shot at the title. Fugghitaboudit.

The BCS is about (God willing) to be exposed for the incredible farce it truly is. The really sad thing is that we all fell for it for so long, as if we can't go futzing with the all-important pursuit of lucré such as TV contracts and what not. Noooo, buddy! We have already sacrificed the integrity of the game on the altar of expedience once. What matter if we send it's head rolling down the guillotine one more time, even if the victim is already as stiff as Houston Nutt after a text message?

Upset Saturday: Will this be the year the BCS dies?

Once again, the SEC has proven itself to be the toughest conference in the land. And once again, it looks like they will suffer for it.

As a Kentucky fan, I am still giddy from the huge upset of LSU last night by my Wildcats. It was a great game, and from my standpoint at least, a great result. I think at this point, the Wildcats have proven to everyone in this league that they are not a fraud. More than that, they now have an argument, albeit a convoluted one, that they are the best team in the East.

But what I want to talk about today are a couple of articles I ran across at the Washington Post and on Yahoo. The first, the WaPo article, suggests that the SEC is "Too good for its own good":

Watch a game from another conference on television and then watch a game in the SEC and note the difference in speed and overall physical brutality. No conference makes it more difficult for its teams to emerge from a season with an unbeaten record.

Well, we've all heard this before, and not just from the SEC. The Pac 10 keeps telling us that they are really better, and the Big Ten keeps asking us to watch it's network, claiming you will see the best football in the nation there.

This debate is no nearer being resolved today than it was in the summer, when Pac 10 commissioner Tom Hansen claimed, when asked if the Pac 10 would walk away from the BCS over a "plus one game" answered "Yes, no question."

First of all, this response strikes me as cowardly. Hansen and Big Ten commissioner Jim Delaney claim that they are all about protecting the "integrity of the Rose Bowl". But what integrity does the Rose Bowl have, in terms of its history, under the current BCS system? The Pac 10 and Big Ten sold out the integrity of the Rose Bowl eleven years ago. Hansen's statement is a dodge, because he knows that in a plus one system, there are much better odds that two SEC teams will be playing for the national championship than a Big Ten or a Pac 10 team. And he would rather take his football elsewhere (where is unknown) than do that.

Stewart Mandel has already accused Hansen of not dealing in reality, and suggests that more likely, Delaney and Hansen are just staking out a stance for negotiation. It really isn't in the interest of either of the two traditional Rose Bowl schools to actually pull out of the BCS, as it would create a schism in college football that would be way worse for the game than their original sell-out of the Rose Bowl.

But to be fair (or hypercritical), many of the SEC schools have also opposed a the plus one model, although their reasons must be quite different. But that was before this strange season happened.

It's early, of course, but let us suppose that Ohio State wins out it's remaining soft schedule and winds up the #1 team. Let us further suppose that USF wins out (a bit more of a stretch) and becomes the #2 team. LSU, South Carolina, and every other SEC school who played a much tougher schedule would wind up on the outside looking in.

There is still a lot of football to be played, and all this may sort itself out in the end. If so, that would almost be a shame, because a major catastrophe seems to be the only thing that will get these conservative college presidents off their duff and into a system that is less controversial and more fair. A plus one game is a start, although to be honest, I am not convinced it won't create as many problems as it solves. They may be different problems, though, and I am very much for giving it a try.

And ultimately, I have been persuaded by Mergz at Saurian Sagacity who argues convincingly that an NCAA national championship in football does not, and never did, exist. Mergz goes on to conclude that the BCS has made the entire system of selecting a national champion worse by continually changing the criteria for selecting the national champion. No less than 5 times has the BCS formula changed. By changing the formula for selecting the participants every year or so, how are the teams supposed to have any confidence that the system has any integrity whatsoever?

As Mergz points out, the very fact that the system can be changed by lobbying efforts on behalf of conferences and/or teams is proof of it's utter failure as a system for determining accurately and with unbiased objectivity the teams that should play for the national championship.

Mergz conclusion is the same as mine -- some form of playoff is required to produce any real plausibility to the system of selecting a national championship. The BCS is really no better than what we had before it, and the reason is it lacks integrity and year to year process continuity. They change the selection criteria at the whim of powerful interested parties, and the selection system itself is so opaque that the BCS cannot truly demonstrate any semblance of fair or objective judgment. It is a mess.

So if your team plays for the "national championship" this year, just realize that yours is no more legitimate than the 300-odd claims by various schools to a piece of that distinction over the years.

Gameday! Week 7

Time for a quick look around the SEC blogosphere to see who is saying what about today's games. Let's get right to it:

The Hog Blogger reports on some kind of weird soap opera going on in Arkansas, and suggests university involvement in supressing "Fire Houston Nutt" aerial banners via a third-party detective service. Wow, Houston Nutt's situation over in Arkansas appears to be approaching the definition of "untenable".

Save The Shield, a Vandy blogger, seems to be pulling against the Wildcats in the game with LSU:

LSU -9.5: This one I went back and forth on, but 9.5 isn’t that much given the talent gap between the two teams. Hope LSU isn’t flat after last week’s Game of the Century of the Week though.

Frankly, I hope the Tigers are very flat. But I'm not counting on it.

GatorPilot at Orange and Blue Hue claims he has sworn off Florida State schdenfreude, but I think I detect some.

Henry Gomez, Saurian Sagacity:

Close observers of the Gators know that last year's BCS Championship was the result of a stingy defense and not offensive fireworks. I've been having an ongoing debate with a friend about the reasons for the the two Gator losses we've suffered this year. I contend that the fault lies largely with the defense, while my friend blames the offense.

The Tide Druid talks to his gut, which seems to be arguing with itself about Alabama's chances against the Ole Miss Rebels today. His conclusion?

For some reason, I think Ole Miss might win. Still, I think the Tide can win easily if we actually play a more consistent game. Not to dis Ole Miss, but I think Alabama controls the outcome of this game more than the Rebels. Just watch the game and see.

Kyle King at Dawg Sports has a bottom line prediction for Georgia at Vanderbilt:

In five games this season, the Commies have scored 19.5 points per game against Division I-A opponents. In six games this season, the Bulldogs have allowed 21.0 points per game to Division I-A opponents.

In six games this season, the Red and Black have scored 24.3 points per game against Southeastern Conference competition. In five games this season, the Music City Sailors have allowed 25.3 points per game to Southeastern Conference competition.

My Prediction: Georgia 24, Vanderbilt 20.

Jerry Hinnen at The Joe Cribbs Car Wash finds our newsfeed here useful, and takes MSNBC's article lauding the SEC to task:

Accuracy, please. Snatched off the useful Best of SEC newswire is this piece of fluff from MSNBC. On the balance I agree that the SEC is still the nation's best conference, blah blah blah. But honestly? I think the league might have been a bit overrated entering this season. LSU is all that and a bag of cajun-style potato chips, of course, Florida is a worthy No. 2 as anyone who saw their slugfest last Saturday would attest, and if this were a chessboard South Carolina would make a fine bishop alongside LSU's queen and Florida's, like, almost-queen ... but who else? Kentucky is not a contender until they start allowing less than 12 yards a carry. Auburn has potential, obviously, but could likely lose to a Sun Belt team if they put their mind (not) to it. Tennessee rolled over and died in Gainesville, but are apparently still light years better than the toothless Dawgs, themselves road winners over the reeling Tide. MSNBC guy touts the number of SEC teams in the top 25, but I'm not sure even in this insane season more than those top 3 belong in the top 20. I hope I'm wrong. We'll see.

I think Jerry has a good point. Yes, we may still be overall #1 here in the SEC, but arguably not nearly as strong as the pre-season pundits predicted (try saying that 3 times fast). Perhaps Kentucky can step up and prove themselves worthy today, and perhaps we go 1-0 out of conference this weekend. But right now, we are very top-heavy.

Rocky Top Talk takes UT fans to task over Fulmer, and (reasonably, if you ask me) asks the Vol Nation for patience:

The most danging piece of evidence I have against Fulmer, though, is this picture. Just look at it. What is he doing? Going for a fist bump when obviously the assistant is leading with a high-five? Can't he get on the same page as the coaches on his staff? And is he wearing a championship ring? How dare he, when he hasn't won one of those in ten, er, nine... what is it, eight years! The audacity!

This is eerily reminiscent of Kentucky fans and Tubby Smith, and we all know how that worked out. Can you see Fulmer preemptively taking a job at, I don't know, Michigan (should Miles say no) or TAMU or even Arkansas (Nutt is very likely to be unemployed after this season, in my opinion) to get away from the hot seat he has now in Tennessee? Well, at least the Vols won't get accused of racism, at least until they hired a replacement. Then, all bets would be off.

Seth at the Hotty Toddy Blog says it's time to beat 'Bama, and they've done it before -- 8 times in 50+ attempts. I'd say they are due, and this year is certainly a year where it is very possible.

Enjoy gameday, folks.

Some quick SEC previews from around the blogosphere

Today, we'll be letting some of the SEC's best bloggers tell us what they expect this Saturday.

Georgia at Vanderbilt

Hunker Down Dawg Blawg, Georgia:

We need this game in a bad way. We have to right the ship and get out of Nashville with a win. At this point, after what I saw last week, I don’t even care about style points or anything like that. While a stylish blowout win a la Ole Miss two weeks ago (my how two weeks can certainly change one’s perception of this team) would certainly make me feel better about things, at this point, I just think we all need a win. We can’t let that complete meltdown last week result in the spiral out of control we saw last year.

Nashville Ballerz, Vanderbilt:

Here’s the truth: Vanderbilt is good enough to play in a bowl game this season but not good enough to overcome shoddy quarterback play. Whether it’s Nickson or Adams at the controls Saturday, one needs to get the VU offense moving again and keep this season on track while there’s still time.

LSU at Kentucky

A Sea of Blue, Kentucky:

Our offensive line will face a challenge of Davidian proportions. If they can find some formula to protect Woodson and create holes for our backs to hit through LSU's mighty defensive front, great things can happen for UK. LSU can't win a shootout with anybody, but normally, they don't have to face one.

LSUPhootball, LSU:

Monica Says: In order for Kentucky to win this game, LSU has to tackle the same way they did against Florida during the 1st half, Jarmon and Woodyard need to stop LSU’s rushing attack, and Woodson needs to be mistake-free, which isn’t that much of a stretch considering he’s thrown 18 TD’s and 2 interceptions. Coach Rich Brooks also needs to mix up the play calling and utilize Little and not rely on Woodson as much as he has this year.

Tennessee at Mississippi State

Rocky Top Talk, Tennessee:

Vols to the Wall asks the question on every Vol fan's mind: Can Tennessee run the table? College Football News apparently thinks we can at least get to the SEC Championship game because they have us slated for the Capital One Bowl (as the SEC No. 2) against Wisky. And yeah, Mississippi may be Josh McNeil's home, but Dave Hooker states the obvious anyway: There's nothing sexy about Mississippi State, but cautions us to not take the Bulldogs too lightly. Indeed, Mississippi State's defensive front presents some problems. And finally, on the Vols' front, Ghost of Neyland is headed out for vacation, but he's left a poem in his wake.

Kyle Veazey, MSU:

In today's Clarion-Ledger, the main Mississippi State story is on the offensive line. It has played well thus far, sure, but J.B. Grimes thinks it can play much, much better. The notebook is led with some of the MSU staff affiliations to UT — Pat Washington, Woody McCorvey, Brad Pendergrass.

Alabama at Mississippi

Roll Bama Roll, Alabama:

Nico:
I feel strongly that we'll win, but that it won't be an easy layup by any stretch of the imagination. We just aren't a team that's capable of blowing mediocre teams out of the water yet, and until we're there, I'll be nervous. This one will probably be down to the wire as usual.

World Class Glass, Ole Miss:

So this game is a toss up for me. I feel like it can go one way or the other. I think the Rebels will come into the game fired up like they have the past several home SEC games and will be in this game for a couple of quarters. On the other side Alabama will probably be more focused for this game than any other one this season. If the Rebels are going to beat Saban while he is at Alabama, they better do it now before he begins to recruit his players.

Auburn at Arkansas

Track Em Tigers, Auburn:

You can bet Darren McFadden and Felix Jones will get their yards. The key for the Auburn defense will be stopping the big play. Last year, McFadden reeled off a 63 yard run that broke Auburn’s back. In all, Arkansas had six runs that accounted for 144 yards of rushing. Things will have to be different this year for Auburn to have a chance.

The Hog Source, Arkansas:

I reluctantly admit it. This game carries our season in it’s hands. It just seems like if we fail as this one task, the significance of all that follows dwindles to dust.

What's the buzz?

With all the chaos in the top 25 this season, you have to wonder who if anybody is going to rise to challenge LSU, who is the only top team so far who has demonstrated the consistency to be ranked at the top. USC, subject of most of the pre-season hype, has fallen to lowly Stanford and in the process, promoted a redshirt freshman to starting QB for the Cardinal. This weekend, LSU brings its powerful, athletic team into Commonwealth Stadium to try to tame the Kentucky Wildcats. Some are wondering about a letdown by the Tigers and a surge by the recently-defeated Cats.

But there is a lot more going on than #1 playing this week. First of all, we get to find out if last Satuday's game between the Vols and the Dawgs was a fluke, or the real thing. Tennessee travels to Starkville to visit the other Bulldogs of the conference. This is MSU's chance to show the SEC it is much better than expected, and Tennessee's chance to return to relevance in the race for the East.

Then, there is Georgia at Vanderbilt. It is easy to lose whatever faith we had in Vanderbilt after their meltdown on the Plains. Still, Earl Bennett hasn't left the squad, and Chris Nickson, as bad as he has been lately, could still rise up to bite the Dawgs in Nashville. Diezba at Star and Stripe has discarded the sack cloth and ashes and takes a frank look at the Commodores' problems. He also notes that Georgia seems preoccupied with the thumping delivered to them by Vanderbilt's arch foe, but still hasn't forgotten about last year:

Down in Georgia, they're trying to find time to spare from their Tennessee-debacle recriminations (remember their score against Yew Tee was barely better than our score against the Tigers) to focus on previewing us.

In the Columbus Ledger-Enquirer, David Ching writes that the quarterback who led Vanderbilt to shock the 'Dawgs at homecoming last year may not be starting this game. So much for hoping they'd forgot about that little win between the Hedges.

Kyle King at Dawg Sports definitely hasn't forgotten, and describes an outlook reminding me very much of Vandy fatalism:

UGA 24, Vandy 17. These teams are each coming off a road game in which they got dominated to the tune of a 28-0 halftime score, and lost by nearly identical final scores (us to Great Pumpkin U. and the 'Dores to the Tommy Tuberville School for Oversized Prosthetic Aural Devices). This one will be a dogfight, and Bulldog Nation's mood afterward is likely to be either continued trepidation (because a close win against Vanderbilt doesn't prove much) or outright meltdown (back-to-back losses to Vandy would send our fans, me included, into spasms of animalistic rage which can only be sated by the destruction of some cheap handtools). Back tomorrow with Thursday's cocktail and some recruiting news. Until then . . .

"Animalistic rage." Well, that sounds fearful, indeed, and handtool destruction is never pretty. But if I read Kyle correctly, only a dead-bang blowout of Auburnian proportions would yield any positive feelings whatever to the Dawg faithful. A simple victory would be joyless.

Speaking of Auburn, they are visiting Darren McFadden and the Razorbacks in a Western division showdown that neither team can afford to lose, but one of them will. Walking on Sunshine at Razorbloggers thinks the Hogs are going to have to go "all in" on this one:

Is it just me…or does anyone else like watching poker on TV? From ESPN’s World Series of Poker to Poker Superstars and the World Poker Tour, you can watch it all day if you want. For the Razorbacks, the game with the Auburn Tigers on Saturday is essentially an ‘all in‘ bet: a chance to double up…or go broke.

I think he's right. The Hogs lose this, and they go 0-3 in the SEC, 0-2 in the West, and McFadden's Hiesman hopes start to fade into the sunset.

Jay Coulter writing for Track Em Tigers knows that Arkansas will be a tough out, and notes that Tuberville is only .500 against the Hogs in Fayetteville. He also notes that ace Razorback receiver Marcus Monk looks doubtful for the game -- advantage Auburn. But Quentin Groves, Auburn's talented defensive end, is also questionable for the game.

Halfway through the season, where do we find ourselves?

We've reached the halfway point in the 2007 SEC season, so it's time to review where we are, and what lies ahead.

Surprisingly good

Three SEC teams have been surprisingly good so far:

• Kentucky
• South Carolina
• Mississippi State

Kentucky was expected to have a good season by Kentucky standards, but few expected them to have only one loss after six games. A doormat since the mid-1960's, Kentucky is usually lucky to have two or three wins at this point.

Mississippi State was expected to have a weak team this year. But at 4-2 with a victory over perennial SEC contender Auburn who owns the East's West's only victory over Florida, MSU is looking at a reasonable chance to reach bowl eligibility. They are even picking up AP top 25 votes.

South Carolina was expected to be a mid-pack performer this year, but suddenly finds itself in the lead in the SEC East with 4 conference games under its belt and only one loss to #1 ranked LSU. Spurrier's declaration that his team could contend for the East this year is looking very prescient at the moment. Spurrier is doing so well, USC even changed its admissions policy to make it easier to admit poor students as football players.

Surprisingly poor

Three SEC teams have been surprisingly bad so far:

• Tennessee
• Georgia
• Arkansas
• Vanderbilt

Tennessee was expected to contend for the East, and although they theoretically still can, they have not lived up to pre-season expectations. This team was expected to be very good, and while they may have turned it around, still have a lot to prove, and I think it might take more than 15 minutes.

Georgia started the season strong, but two losses in conference have put it in a tough position. Losing to South Carolina between the hedges and getting crushed by an underperforming Tennessee team do not bode well for the Dawgs chances in the East. Every remaining game for the Bulldogs is losable.

Arkansas, with Heisman favorite Darren McFadden, was expected to push LSU in the West. That hasn't happened, and the Razorbacks current 0-2 mark must have the Fayetteville Faithful concerned about a possible November end to their season. Hog fans are not happy, but as long as they have McFadden, anything is possible

Vanderbilt was supposed to threaten some of the big boys this year with their many returning players and all-SEC receiver Earl Bennett. So far, though, they have failed their only real test in dramatic fashion, being overwhelmed by Auburn, and looking less than stellar against cupcake Eastern Michigan. The loss to Auburn was so utterly devastating that not even a 3-2 record gives the Commodore faithful much to cheer about, and they seem to be doubting if Vandy is good enough to compete in the league this year. They need a win over underachieving Georgia this Saturday to return to relevance.

More about this weekend: Georgia at Tennessee

I would be remiss if I didn't examine the Georgia at Tennessee game and it's aftermath. I did watch about half of this game, and figured (correctly) that the game was over after Tennessee scored 28 points in the first half.

From what I saw, Tennessee dominated Georgia in every meaningful aspect of football in the first half. They ran and scored almost at will, and the UT defense held the Georgia offense to 5 three-and-outs in the first half, aided by numerous untimely drive-killing penalties on the Dawgs. Georgia played ugly football, and looked more like Vanderbilt did against Auburn than anything else. Tennessee racked up yardage on the ground and through the air, almost doubling up the Dawgs in total yards and nearly tripling their ground total.

I was very surprised at the futility of the Georgia ground game, and the sternness of the Tennessee defense. It was a surprise, in every aspect and nuance of the sentiment, to find this Georgia team utterly woebegone against a Vol team that had not proven anything so far this year. Georgia fans must be unhappy, and that's where we'll go next.

The irrepressible Kyle King at Dawg Sports has something to say about everything, and you can bet, he had something to say about this debacle:

What I know, though, is that Georgia went to Knoxville and got embarrassed. The Bulldogs didn't just lose . . . they got embarrassed. I will assume my share of the responsibility---the two times I have declared game co-captains (against South Carolina and Tennessee), the Red and Black have lost; you may rest assured that there will be one and only one honorary game captain from now on---but there were many more problems with such fundamental matters as blocking, tackling, discipline, coaching, and execution.

Indeed. It appeared that the Dawgs either thought this would be no contest, or were simply otherwise preoccupied or simply unprepared to deliver. Senator Blutarsky blames complacency, and fears the '07 version of this team has become irrelevant to anyone but Dawg fans:

Complacency is a bitch. With this loss today, though, I don’t think Georgia has any laurels left to rest on. The shot at the East title is gone. There won’t be a top 25 ranking for this team for a while, if at all, this season. There isn’t a team left on Georgia’s schedule that the Dawgs can’t lose to. The program, in other words, is likely to be irrelevant to everyone except its fan base for the rest of this season. That’s not where anyone wants things to be, obviously.

The loss places Georgia in a precarious position in the East. I'm not ready to declare the patient dead, as Blutarsky seems to, but at this point, they do look like they are comatose and on life support as far as the SEC championship is concerned.

Doug at Hey Jenny Slater wants to thank Southern Cal, Wisconsin and UCLA for ringing up so much embarrassment that it distracted the nation from Georgia's calamitous misadventure in Knoxville. He also finds more than a little incredulity at Mark Richt's rather dispassionate evaluation of the loss:

Some of the statements Richt made I had to grudgingly concede were true, but others -- such as the following quote, recounted with no small amount of incredulity by by Jeff Schultz in his dumbfounded column in Sunday's AJC -- made me wonder what a toaster oven would look like if it was hurled out the window of a Volkswagen Jetta traveling through downtown Atlanta at about 85 mph:

“It’s not that surprising to see Tennessee’s D-line handle our guys like that,” coach Mark Richt said Saturday.

Mark, you keep using that word, "surprising" -- I do not think that word means what you think it means.

Now, to the undoubtedly more satisfied Volunteer fans. Jon at Fulmer's Belly says that Knoxville felt just like home for the first time in a while:

That is the Tennessee team that the residents of Knoxville expected to see. The team that came out and passed, rushed and scored at will, and more importantly, the team that tackled, wrapped up, stayed in their gaps, and got off blocks. The defense was markedly better after a mere 15 minutes of tackling practice as mandated by Coach Fulmer. If Fulmer can do that in 15 minutes, the rest of the SEC had better watch out if he ever decides to spend any time on the offense.

Joel at Rocky Top Talk lists some "best of's" and "worst of's" the Georgia game. I liked this one:

Worst response to a spectacular play. Ellix Wilson, whom officials tagged with one of two 15-yard penalties following the blocked punt for removing his helmet in celebration. Son, you don't dance out of the bank you just robbed.

Heh. Finally, Big Orange Michael says that maybe all the coaching staff at Tennessee needs is a little motivation:

If threatening to fire the coaching staff will get the Vols to respond like they did today, then I say we threaten at least one staff member with termination every week....

Congrats to the Vols, condolences for the Dawgs. Keep in mind another Saturday comes again in just a few days, and the season is only half over.