Congrats, You've Been Invited to the Beef 'O' Brady's St. Petersburg Bowl

It doesn't matter what side of the fence you fall on, pro BCS or longing for the NCAA FBS to go to a playoff system, you can't argue that the point of college gameday is to represent your school and your conference come bowl season.  Whether you're Oregon, Auburn or TCU fighting for a bid for the National Championship; or a school like Northern Illinois trying to earn your conferences top bid, bowl season is a reward for giving your all throughout the regular season, well, at least it used to be.

Over the past two decades, the college bowl system has fallen victim to a constantly growing bottom line, a sponsorship buzzsaw.  Fans crave as much football as they can get and the NCAA is quick to oblige, creating a new bowl game any time there is a sponsor that is a big enough player waiting in the wings.  As it stands right now there are 35 bowl games, 70 teams that have the honor of playing December or January football.

But how much of an honor is it to make a bowl game when nearly 60 percent of the 119 teams playing receive an invitation? 

Back when I first became enamored with bowl season, it was necessary to win more games than you lost in order to become bowl eligible.  As the amount of Bowl games expanded, the requirements loosened as well.  It became a matter of simply having a .500 record to earn an invite.  Further expansion meant the NCAA would allow teams to begin counting games against non-FBS opponents towards your eligibility.

After the 2009 season ended, there were only 71 teams that were eligible to participate in 34 bowl games.  In other words, only 3 teams that earned a record of .500 or better did not get invited to a bowl game, one of which was Notre Dame who opted not to play in a bowl game at all. 

Now that the TicketCity Bowl is in the fold, the NCAA may actually have to allow a team with a losing record to play in a bowl game for only the fourth time ever, at least the previous 3 were because of mandatory tie-ins.  Funny to think that as little as 20 years ago, there were only 19 bowl games.  Now if this dilution of talent and competition isn't enough of a cause for concern, this same sponsorship expansion is ripping the soul from Bowl season as well.

Every Jan. 1, the Big Ten and SEC send their No. 2 teams to Orlando to compete in what used to be the Citrus Bowl.  Then Capital One stepped in as its most recent sponsor, shortly thereafter electing to remove the title of Citrus Bowl and call it the Capital One Bowl.  Even smaller bowls like the Motor City Bowl celebrate it's 10th year in existence by changing its name to the Little Caesars Pizza Bowl.

There is no need for this to happen. The importance of a bowl game should be placed on the teams involved and the traditions they are continuing.  Go back to the days where the bowl itself takes center stage and not the company sponsoring it. Let the fans watch the Tangerine Bowl and not the Champs Sports Bowl.

If these sponsor's feel the need to be present in the name of the bowl game, one simple suggestion: The bowl game should be in front of the sponsor - like the Rose Bowl Presented by Vizio.  We may never be able to return to the competition level of yester year, but at least we can give the bowl system its integrity back.

Checking In on the Ole' Soap Box

If you have been in the Bleachers at all this college football season, it's safe to say that you've noticed I have a particular topic I'm fairly passionate about.  I have gotten up on the soap box and gone to bat more than a couple times for the Boise State football program, follow me on twitter if you want to see the entire Guiding Lights routine (@ToTheBleachers).

Now I know I've been away for a little bit and my blog has suffered, as has my ability to watch football on the weekends, so I figured I'd go ahead and check in on my favorite topic as sort of a easing back into the whole blogging thing.

In Idaho, the sky is falling and everything has gone to hell at Smurf Village.  The Boise State Broncos started the year ranked Number 3 in the AP Top 25 college football poll.  Since then, they have done nothing but been stellar.  Prior to today's match up with Hawaii, the Broncos boast a perfect 7-0 record and have climbed to the 2nd spot in the AP poll.

Led by Quarterback Kellen Moore, who has the nations best QB Rating at 188.3, the Bronco offense finds itself in the top 5 rankings for both Yards and Points per Game.  Boise State's average margin of victory in its 7 games this year, a whopping 36.3 points, a number that is limited by a 3 point season opening victory against then number 10 Va Tech.

The Bronco defensive unit has been even more impressive.  Led by a monstrous Defensive Line that has racked up a robust 24.0 sacks, the D has pitched two shut outs and held a third team to under 10 points.  In games against teams not named Va Tech and Oregon State, Boise is only allowing 8 points a game.

Despite these impressive numbers, the Broncos find themselves actually going in reverse when it comes to the BCS rankings.  When the end all be all here's your champion poll was released, Boise debuted at number 3 behind Oregon and Oklahoma.  The following Saturday, Boomer Sooner comes up short losing to Mizzou.  Thanks to a Tuesday night match-up with Louisiana Tech the Bronco's spent that Saturday watching Auburn earn an impressive win against LSU instead of playing.  Coincidentally, a day later, the Broncos watched the War Eagle leap frog Boise in the BCS.

The Smurf Turf was rocking that Tuesday as Kellen Moore throws for two touchdowns and actually catches a third en route to a 49-20 victory.  That mid week game, however, meant that Boise would again be dormant on college football Saturday.  Now, a sane man would not expect that a home victory over a 3-5 team would be enough for Boise to knock either Oregon or Auburn down a peg, but that same sane man wouldn't expect TCU's 48-6 victory over a 1 win UNLV team to be enough for the Horned Frogs to over take Boise either.

Unfortunately for the fans in Idaho, there's absolutely nothing the Broncos can do.  The debate throughout the preseason was can Boise do enough to earn a spot in final two.  There were a couple of things that needed to happen in order for Chris Peterson's team to get a Championship Bid.  First and foremost, win all the time and win big, check.  Then you'll need a little help along the way, in other words, someone has to beat Alabama or Ohio State.  Double check there, both South Carolina and Wisconsin gave Boise an early Christmas present in a pair of October wins.

Even though all of this has happened, Boise still finds itself on the outside looking in.  It's not the Bronco's fault that the Hokies laid an egg against James Madison and is only ranked 20th in the nation.  Boise also wasn't on the field two weeks ago when Oregon State lost in double over-time to Washington, a game they have yet to recover from in the rankings.

And while it appears the fates of two other teams is damning the Broncos, the Horned Frogs seemed to be unphased by it.  It's understood and agreed upon that after today, TCU will have played an opponent much better than Boise has.  But the simple fact of the matter remains, to date, the Broncos have played a schedule that is more difficult than the Horned Frogs.  TCU's biggest win of the year was a 9 point win against Oregon State, the same Beaver squad that Boise beat by 13 points two weeks later.

It's not even an issue anymore as to whether or not the pollsters want a non automatic qualifier in the championship game.  If there's one thing the BCS rankings have shown this year, it's that one big game makes all the difference.  In other words, should TCU beat Utah today, the Frog's will most certainly find themselves ranked in one of the top two spots.  Even more frustrating for Boise fans, should Utah beat TCU, Utah will probably find themselves moving into TCU's potentially vacant spot, if not the Number 2 spot in the BCS.

As we enter the final quarter of the college football season we're exactly where we started at.  If Boise has any shot of making the Championship, they need to win out and win big as well as finding a little help along the way.  About the best thing that can happen for the Broncos is for TCU to win tonight.  The Horned Frogs will have reached the apex of their BCS ranking and will require total destruction of San Diego State and New Mexico to maintain that ranking.

One could argue that a Utah win would do more for the Broncos, but they don't realize that the Utes still have three games, two of which against Notre Dame and BYU.  And if there's one thing thing the media likes to do, it's pay tribute to the tradition of big named schools, no matter how bad they are.

Cough, Cough, Notre Dame, Cough, Michigan, Cough, Cough

Boise will also need both Va Tech and Oregon State to win out.  The Hokies would find themselves ending up around number 15 in that scenario but Oregon State would be the key.  The Beavers final two games of the year are against Stanford and the Civil War against Oregon.  Consecutive wins against highly ranked teams will surely boost the Beaver's credibility, and, in turn, boost Boise's credibility, especially in the computer polls.

After all, the computers are the reason Boise is even in this position to begin with.  Wait a minute, maybe Skynet really does exist.

It's DejaVu All Over Again

They call him Shoelaces up in Ann Arbor. His game is shifty and sleek and if you listen to those who root for the maize and blue, Denard Robinson is the epitome of all things good in college football.

In two games as a starter for the University of Michigan this year, Robinson has thrown for 430 yards and 2 touchdowns while racking up a whopping 455 yards and 3 scores on the ground. His performance thus far has even drawn the praise of former Rich Rodriguez quarterback Pat White who has called Robinson a “Beast.”

Shoelaces is single-handedly resurrecting the Wolverine tradition and proving Rich Rod to be the genius he was hired to be. The more this young signal caller improves his quarterback rating, the more his legend and fan t-shirt tributes will grow.

Believe it or not, Robinson’s emergence as a star also coincides perfectly with Michigan’s return to the Top 25. A feat made even more impressive considering it was done in serendipitous fashion by beating Notre Dame in South Bend on national television.

Now, before we assume this story has the fairy-tale ending that sees everyone yelling “Go Blue” in Pasadena, let’ read the rest of this story, for some reason it sounds very  familiar.

There you go, if you look closer at the writing on the page, you’ll notice every time this story mentions Robinson, you see another name that has been scribbled out. The reason this story sounds so familiar is because it’s the exact same tale we watched unfold with former Wolverine golden boy, Tate Forcier.

In consecutive years, Michigan has opened the season with the same question marks surrounding the team and its coach. They have a new starting QB that is supposed to be a prototypical fit in the Rich Rod offense. Rodriguez is again mired in turmoil and his system has yet to stick with his players.

They opened the season at home with a very winnable game against an inferior opponent. For the second straight year, a win against the Fighting Irish all but guaranteed the U of M a spot in the AP rankings. Feel free to stop me if this is beginning to sound like a replay of last season.

Now, sitting at number 20 in the nation, Shoelaces will rack up another 1,000 all purpose yards while smacking around UMass and Bowling Green. Then, in his most impressive game of the year, Robinson will lead Michigan to a victory against the Big Ten’s perennial bottom feeder, Indiana.

By the time Michigan State rolls around, Robinson will have the Wolverines undefeated and pushing for a spot in the Top 10. But again, this is almost exactly what happened last year with Forcier under center.

This story is not intended to be a declaration that the Wolverines will finish the season below .500 and miss a bowl game for the third straight year but it’s also important to recognize the underlying factors in Robinson’s performance.

Credit is due to Michigan for beating UConn and Notre Dame and starting the season 2-0, but wins over these two programs is hardly something to boast. UConn is the third best team in a conference that has failed to achieve a single marquee win this season, unless you consider Syracuse beating Akron a big win.

As for Notre Dame, they may finally have a coach that will lead them back to respectability in a few years, but it’s a team that is both rebuilding and learning a new scheme that is hardly known for its defensive stoutness. Not to mention they are breaking in two new safeties, a new quarterback and three new starters on the offensive line.

It is also true that Robinson has been much more effective than Forcier in his ability to run the ball, but Robinson is also averaging 20 more rushing attempts per game compared to his predecessor. This may be due to the loss of Brandon Minor and the Wolverines inability to find a suitable number one back, but the reason Robinson is putting up the statistics two people would is because he’s performing the roles of two players each game.

This may be a fine strategy for the Wolverines to employ at the start of the season, but what happens when they get into the heart of the conference schedule. Five of the final seven teams Michigan faces this year will be in contention for a New Year’s Day bowl game and will bring a little more defensive ferocity than the Colonial Athletic Association can provide.

Robinson may prove me wrong and go on to be the second Rich Rod quarterback to fail miserably in the NFL, but without a few compliments in the offense to limit the hits Robinson has to take each game, one has to imagine his durability may become an issue. After all, isn’t that what happened with Tate Forcier last year?

Twas the Week of Kickoff 2010

Twas the first week of the NFL season,
 and fans throughout the league,

Are eagerly awaiting kickoff,
 while girlfriends force them to watch reruns of Glee;

We’ll spend Thursday night in NOLa,
where the Saints will hoist the crown,

And plan to make the Vikes,
 find an ambulance to carry ole’ man Favre out of town;

On Sunday we’ll be in Chicago,
where Lovie’s at risk of being fired,

Facing a Lions team that has a 20 game road losing streak,
they want to see expired;

In upstate New York,
the Bills will host the Dolphins,

Just a few days after the Big Tuna
decided he’d rather be golfin’;

Jason Campbell will be under center
 when the Raiders invade Tennessee,

Where V.Y. hopes to get the Heisman
they’re going to take from Reggie;

The Panthers play the Giants
 in a game the G-Men really need to win,

Because losing at New Meadowlands Stadium
 will be a 1.6 billion dollar sin;

Batman and Robin head to New England
 where the Pats want a freshly inked QB,

An extension that has Randy Moss crying,
when are you going to resign me?

The Falcons get their running game back
 with the return of Michael Turner,

Against the Steelers Dennis Dixon
 whose filling in for a suspended Roethlisberger;

The Broncos meet the Jaguars,
each team hoping to settle a score,

Over which of these two pretenders
wasted their first round draft pick more;

Cleveland and Tampa are in Florida
 squaring off at the New Sombrero,

To see which team has the advantage
 of paying a first round draft pick more dinero;

Houston’s secondary is suspect
and Peyton Manning should have a field day,

Even better for the Texans,
this is the only game Bob Sanders is guaranteed to play;

Arizona travels to St. Louis
 for the weekend’s first afternoon game,

Both teams wish they still had Kurt Warner,
who’s waiting on the hall of fame;

Aaron Rodgers and the Packers
 are in Philly for a fight,

Where Eagle fans are liquored up,
enjoying Adios to McNabb Night

Donovan’s now in Washington,
he’s Mike Shanahan’s new toy,

While all of Texas is shouting
“How Bout Them Cowboys;”

Pete Carroll’s coaching in Seattle;
 he left L.A. to get out of dodge,

And for some reason Mike Singletary
 is mooning co-eds on the USF quad;

The Chargers play the Chiefs
 in a divisional showdown on ESPN,
While Baltimore tries to wreck the party
 when they pay a visit to the Jets new den;

Rex Ryan doesn’t seemed to worried
now that Revis Island is back in sight,

Which leaves all football fans screaming,
THANK GOD IT’S MONDAY NIGHT.

Welcome to BIG TENish Country

After months of speculation the Big Ten has officially given us our first glimpse of what the new conference will look like.  Upon initial review there's nothing to be upset about despite how much the Michigan Wolverines fan base may moan and groan.

The conference will be separated into two six team divisions that break down like so:

          Division 1: Michigan, Nebraska, Iowa,
          Michigan State, Northwestern and Minnesota

          Division 2: Ohio State, Penn State, Wisconsin,
          Purdue, Indiana and Illinois

Alot of the worry around how the Big Ten decided to align itself into divisions was based on how much tradition the conference lost.  Unfortunately, there was no way to guarantee that all of the rivalries would be preserved. Under the circumstances though, the Big Ten did a stand up job. If you look at a list of the conferences rivalry games, listed below, you can't help but realize how well the conference did in keeping tradition alive.

          Illinois vs. Northwestern for the Land of Lincoln Trophy
          Illinois vs. Ohio State for the Illibuck
          Illinois vs. Purdue for the Purdue Cannon
          Indiana vs. Purdue for the Old Oaken Bucket
          Indiana vs. Michigan State for the Old Brass Spittoon
          Iowa vs. Minnesota for the Floyd of Rosedale
          Iowa vs. Wisconsin for the Heartland Trophy
          Michigan vs. Michigan State for the Paul Bunyan Trophy
          Michigan vs. Minnesota for the Little Brown Jug
          Michigan vs. Ohio State, no trophy
          Michigan State vs. Penn State for the Land Grant Trophy
          Minnesota vs. Wisconsin for the Paul Bunyan's Axe
          Ohio State vs. Penn State, no trophy

Of the 13 longstanding rivalries the Big Ten enjoys every year, 7 are preserved by the yearly divisional match-ups.  The Big Ten has taken another step to ensure 4 more rivalries by pairing each conference member with a parnter from the other division to form a guaranteed match-up every year. Those match-up's are as followed:

          Michigan vs. Ohio State, Illinois vs. Northwestern,
          Purdue vs. Iowa, Michigan State vs. Indiana,
          Penn State vs. Nebraska, Wisconsin vs. Minnesota

This means that only two standing rivalries are not guaranteed to happen every year, Michigan St. vs Penn St. and Iowa vs. Wisconsin.  Although attribution can not be provided as to why these match-ups were chosen as the sacrificial lambs, it doesn't take an expert to realize that tradition is the answer. 

We'll begin with Iowa vs. Wisconsin.  This has only been an official trophied rivalry since 2004, easily the least historically significant official rivalry.  After Iowa vs. Wisconsin, the two least historically significant rivalries are Penn St. vs. Ohio St. and Penn St. vs. Michigan St.  The more marketable match-up with the Buckeyes is preserved by way of realignment which leaves Penn St. match-up against the Spartans on the chopping block.

What this realignment also does is create a few new rivalries as well.   Nebraska vs. Michigan and Iowa instantly becomes a very marketable rivalry while the Huskers cross division game against Penn St. allows for a very marketable rivalry as well.  So by my count the Big Ten sacrificed two of its shortest tenured match-ups in favor of three instantly marketable games the conference can build on.

The most important detail to remember here is the importance of the Big Ten Championship game in the overall scheme of things.  The conference's cash cow has always been U of M vs. OSU and splitting the two teams into different divisions creates the possibility that fans might be able to see this game twice a year.  This also gives the Wolverines a second chance at winning the Big Ten despite constantly losing to the Buckeyes year in and year out.  At the end of the day, the Big Ten made itself stronger by doing what many considered unthinkable in separating the Wolverine's and Buckeye's.

Back To The Heisman

One of the best things about the start of football season is the sudden influx of football talk.  Television networks everywhere begin to roll out their coverage and a solid chunk of sports fandom breathes a collective sigh of relief.  At the Bleachers, there's no ill-will towards Major League Baseball or the Premier League, who dominate the second half of the summer, but they don't call the months prior to football training camps the dry season for nothing.

With college football stepping up to the starters block, analysts everywhere are giving you their impressions on which schools have the best shot at being crowned national champions, what schools are flying under the radar and who are the frontrunners for the Heisman trophy.  We're no different, so, without further ado, Heisman Finalist predictions I'm 86% sure you can take to the bank.

Let's begin with the incumbent, Mark Ingram.  The Alabama running back rushed for 1,658 yards, 4th highest total in the nation, and 17 touchdowns as a sophomore in the best conference in college football.  Ingram was also challenged with the unenviable task of being the go to option for an offense that had to break in a new Quarterback and Left Tackle.  Despite this, the greater the challenge Ingram faced the better he performed racking up 941 yards and 8 touchdowns in 6 games against Top 25 opponents.

What Ingram doesn't have on his side is history, there has only been one two time winner of the Heisman Trophy.  If the Flint, MI native recovers fully from his arthroscopic knee surgery and sees production comprable to his totals from a year ago, solid showings against Penn St., LSU, Auburn, Florida and Arkansas should be enough to garner him his second consecutive invite to New York.

We head up north to the land of cheese for our second finalist.  Wisconsin running back John Clay has rushed for 2,401 yards and scored 27 touchdowns in his two seasons at Camp Randall.  He also has the privilege of running behind what could be arguably the best offensive line in the country.  The Big 10 is full of talent on the defensive line this year, but the Badgers big uglies up front will pave the way to a very successful year for Clay. 

His biggest weapon in pursuit of a Heisman invite will be LT Gabe Carimi.  Carimi could be the first tackle selected in the 2011 NFL Draft and will neutralize the three biggest obstacles Clay has to face; OSU's Cameron Heyward, Iowa's Adrian Clayborn and Purdue's Paul Kerrigan.  Senior Guard John Moffit should also help get an extra push up the middle against OSU's Dexter Larimore and MSU's Greg Jones.  

Oregon's LaMichael James represents the third and final running back invited to the Heisman ceremony.  After a freshman season that saw James run for 1,546 yards and 14 touchdowns amidst controvesry, the sophomore is primed to be one of college footballs most electrifying athletes in 2010.

Oregon head coach Chip Kelly is also entering his second year in Eugene and knows exactly what his one man highlight reel is capable of.  Kelly will utilize James at nearly every position on the field to maximize his touches and create offensive mismatches.  Combine this with a schedule that features only one respectable defensive match-up in Tennessee, a school learning a new scheme, and it doesn't take much to envision a very big year for the Ducks number one threat.

This Heisman list would be incomplete without a few quarterbacks mixed into the fold, the first of which is Boise State's Kellen Moore.  In two years as a starter for the Broncos, Moore has amassed over 7,000 yards passing while throwing for 64 touchdowns.  He also dropped his interception total from 10 in '08 to only 3 last year in Boise's high octane offense.

Most importantly, BSU is 16-1 with Moore under center.   The only collegiate loss of his career came against fellow mid-major powerhouse TCU in the 2008 San Diego Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl, a loss that was avenged a year later in the 2010 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl.  Should the junior continue his progression as a player; 4,000 yards, 40 touchdowns and another undefeated season (including a possible BCS championship birth) should be more than enough to merit Heisman consideration.

Washington's Jake Locker is the last invite to the Bleachers Heisman party.  Locker has only served two full seasons as the Huskies starting quarterback but the improvement between his freshman and junior year was impressive.  His passing yards, completion percentage, touchdowns and passer rating all took major leaps from where they were in 2007.

With another year under Steve Sarkisian, a 3,000 yard 30 touchdown season is within Locker's grasp.  Those stats should be enough to garner an invite considering this years weak quarterback class.  Locker's challenge is whether or not the Senior can do enough to make the Huskies a contender in the Pac10.  At the end of the day Locker is simply an NFL caliber arm on a bad team.  If he has any hope of winning this years Heisman, he'll need to turn a 6-6 team into a New Year's bowl contender.

Although these are the five names the Bleachers are staking its reputation on this fall, one slight concession needs to be allowed, a couple of replacement picks in case of injury.  Should Moore or Locker find themselves missing significant time due to injury, don't be surprised if Florida's John Brantley fills their shoes.

The Gators are again ranked in the Top 5 of the AP pre-season poll despite losing nearly half of it's starters from a year ago.  Brantley should have a smooth transition and prove that his predecessor, a magnetic player to say the least, was a product of Urban Meyer and a consistently amazing Florida recruiting class year after year.

Should any of the running backs find themselves hurt I offer up a replacement that some may consider slightly out of left field.  Last years Heisman race featured an all-world Defensive Tackle out of Nebraska, don't be too shocked if the voters try to find another fashionable nominee from the defensive side of the ball.  If that player exists, it's North Carolina's Robert Quinn. 

This Defensive End is an absolute monster that can not be stopped playing man to man.  The problem, however, is you can't double team him either.  UNC features a "pick your own poison" defense that can beat you from anywhere on the field.  You can't run up the middle with Marvin Austin clogging up the lanes, Quan Sturdivant can be lined up at Line Backer opposite of Quinn to create another defensive mismatch and you can't count on throwing the ball against a Tar Heel secondary that features four NFL caliber players.  As long as this UNC eligibility fiasco blows over realitvely quickly, Quinn could sack himself an invite to the Heisman Ceremony.

A Mid-Majors BCS Championship Dream

We're officially one week away from the kick-off of the College Football season and ESPN is already calling it a "September to Remember."   The NCAA has graced us with a non-conference slate that includes 12 games between pre-season Top 25 teams in the first four weeks alone.  And if you aren't salivating yet, 5 of those 12 games feature a Top 5 program.

But what we'll remember up here in the Bleachers is not how many elite games we had the privilege of watching while Bama's Roll Tiding over the Buckeyes in the BCS Championship, if you prefer to listen to the pundits.  No, we'll remember the little guy catching a break for once.

As it stands right now, the five best teams in college football, according to the AP Top 25, are Alabama, Ohio State, Boise State, Florida and Texas in that order.  For those of you that just did a double take there's no need to adjust your screen, you read it right, Boise State is ranked number 3 in the nation.  The same Bronco football team that is best known for playing on "Smurf Turf", the hook and ladder and that running back who proposed to a cheerleader after beating Oklahoma in the 2007 Fiesta Bowl.

I'll be the first to say it, seeing the WAC's finest near the top of college footballs biggest poll seems a little odd, and I've been singing the praises of Little Brother U for quite some time.  No more than a decade ago the thought of a mid-major earning pre-season recognition was still considered laughable, hell, prior to this year no mid-major had even started a season higher than number 14.

Here we are however, theoretically just one Bama/Buckeye loss away from witnessing our first small school playing for a National Championship in the modern era.  And that's the beauty of it, with just that one loss the Bronco's are in complete and total control over their future.  Some might argue that an undefeated Florida or Texas would leap frog an undefeated BSU, but Boise's athletic department did one hell of a job setting up a schedule to help steer off the naysayers.

The Broncos start off the season at a not so neutral site against 10th ranked Virginia Tech and then host 24th ranked Oregon State two weeks later with a breather game against Wyoming between them.  Assuming Boise enters October with a 3-0 record, their chances of running the table are better than excellent.

As for that one loss needed from Alabama or Ohio State, the Tide face a beast of a schedule that includes 5 games against the preseason Top 25 and a trip to the SEC Championship en route to an undefeated season.  Ohio State must face 4 ranked opponents (all in the Top 20) and a potentially dangerous rivalry game to the end season.  Although I am very confident Alabama can run the table, I just don't see Ohio St. making it through a schedule that features Miami, Wisconsin, Iowa and Penn State with a clean record, they normally have trouble if they have to face two ranked teams.

This leaves one lose end that could make things a little unsettling for Bronco fans come bowl season, the teams just behind Boise in the rankings.  Florida can't leap frog BSU without beating Alabama, and if Florida beats Alabama, the Gators would just assume the position they knocked the Tide out of.  Then there's the Big XII.  Texas, Oklahoma and Nebraska are all in the Top 10.  In order for Texas to leap frog Boise they will have to beat Oklahoma and Nebraska in consecutive weeks plus win the conference championship while replacing their record setting quarterback and five other picks taken in the first four rounds of this years draft.

Oklahoma will have to beat Florida State, Texas and win the Big XII championship game with a still inexperienced QB, a new LT and defense that lost a vast majority of its starters from 2010.  Nebraska will have to go undefeated and possibly beat Texas twice in the same year without Ndamukong Suh to make up for a lack luster offense.  At best, one team will make it through the Big XII undefeated, and that is a tall feat considering no other conference lost so many key difference makers to the NFL.

Now, this isn't a guarantee that we'll be watching Boise play for the Sears trophy come January, but don't be surprised to see it happen either.  In the end, an undefeated BSU will probably do just enough to earn a shot at the title should Alabama and Ohio State not go a combined 25-0.  And if Boise does end up losing a game this year the dream of a mid-major champion isn't completely dead, after all, TCU is ranked number 6.

Is this Heaven? No, it's College Football

On a glorious fall afternoon on September 13, 2009, the Football gods decided to bless us with an amazing gift, NFL Red Zone. 

The intro rolled and there stood Scott Hanson, the face that would forever change Sunday afternoons.  One man offering football fans "Every Touchdown From Every Game."  It was to be a station like none other; no commercials, every score and live look-ins decided entirely by what games are the most intriguing at that moment.  No longer were football fans throughout the midwest forced to watch the St. Louis Rams get the business when they would have much rather been watching the Texans and Titans dual it out in an offensive slobber knocker.

And as myself and a few of my friends sat down on that glorious September afternoon with our jaws dropped in awe, you could just hear John Kinsella ask his son Ray, "Is this Heaven?"

We weren't in Iowa nor did we go have a catch, but for once, the corn field in Central Illinois this writer calls home seemed a little more tolerable. 

Now, with a new season under way and the Red Zone just a week away from it's triumphant return, everything seems right in the world.  But what about the NFL's younger brother, the NCAA.  The college game goes hand in hand with its professional version, after all, you can't have a football weekend with out college Saturday.

Games are being aired all day on the ESPN family of networks, Fox Sports has it's Big 12 and Pac 10 games of the week, the SEC and BigTen networks air every game the conference plays that week while the major networks show the weeks premiere match ups and, for some reason beyond me, still shows Notre Dame.

As a college purist, I find myself spending my entire Saturday glued in front of my television.  From the second College Gameday starts until the final whistle blows on the last west coast game I am riveted.  But what if the NCAA were to take a page from the NFL's book and start its own Red Zonesque station(s).

Imagine the possibilities. The NCAA "College Ticket," every college game as it's happening.   One second you could be watching Terrelle Pryor roll out in a naked boot for another Buckeye touchdown and then instantly be sent down to North Carolina where Robert Quinn and the bruising Tar Heel defense slam the door on a goal line stand.  Most importantly, you'll never again have to miss a stunning upset because you figured there was no reason to waste your time watching Michigan vs. Appalachian State.

And if that all seems to overwhelming to watch at one time, it can be easily broken down as well.  Break the games up and show them on regional stations.  Could conference sponsorships bar separation of certain teams in different regions?  Possibly, but that can be over worked by simply breaking the games up into a BCS Station and a Mid-Major Station.
 
As far as this writer is concerned, the only problem facing the college game is that it's just too big.  There's entirely way too much to watch without devoting your entire day to the game.  And trust me, you are still left catching up on everything you just weren't able to watch.  Imagine knowing who Ndamukong Suh was prior to the Big 12 championship game or being able to catch the rise of UCLA and Oregon State without having to see them play USC.
 
It's a problem the NFL realized and did an amazing job fixing and it would serve the NCAA well to figure out how to harness in the potential of a "College Ticket"

Baseball Lost Its Best

Beware of blinding loyalty...

The nice thing about the NFL off-season compared to other sports is that it gives every fan a reason for new optimism and hope with their team.  Unlike other sports, the NFL Draft provides teams with players who can make an instant impact.  For Lions fans like myself, you finally have a defensive play-maker that should, based on all projections, be an unstoppable force that frees up the rest of the defense while stopping the hell outta the run.  For New England Patriots fans, it's a chance to restock and reload some aging pieces on a once formidable defense.  New hope can also be found with the approach the Chicago Bears took this off-season in bringing in an offensive/defensive specialist to be a new coordinator.

So you think you can Draft...

It's amazing how much one event can force an individual to run a gauntlet of emotions.  It's not often I'll write in this blog from my perspective as a fan, but the opening round of the 2010 NFL Draft provided me with the ability to talk to my team and to a general perspective at the same time.

Did Creed just say the Marlins Suck?

That's right, I'm not ashamed to admit it, throughout my informative years I like to call high school, I was a big fan of the legendary super band Creed. Alright, maybe that's going a bit far but I'd be willing to bet you that there aren't many people out there who haven't heard Higher, With Arms Wide Open, My Sacrifice, the list goes on. So what does me being a Creed fan have to do with sports you ask, good question.

I just so happened to feel an urge to hear some Creed at work and did the logical thing, I pulled up YouTube. Now being a sports fan, when the results list popped up and I saw a Scott Stapp song paired with the Florida Marlins logo, I was intrigued and thought what the hell (the video is after the jump):

Today's Starting Pitcher 04.15

Although I won't have a blog post daily (unfortunately I do need to work and not talk about sports all day), I will however try to make sure I at least post one interesting sports item a day, well, at least Monday through Friday.  Today I give you this little bit of reporting from the NBC Sports department.

As we all are aware, one Tiger Woods has been involved in a little domestic drama over the past several months.  Most recently, Tiger, had a new commercial released that basically can be described as Tiger's father scolding him or at very least, giving him a stern talking to.

Well according to sources in contact with NBC, the other figure in this ongoing drama, Elin Woods, was none to happy about this commercial.  There are now beliefs surfacing that this may be the final straw to break the camels back and officially bring an end to Elin and Tiger's marriage.

There are also reports out there citing Tiger's return to golf coming so quickly after the fall out as a driving force in a possible Elin/Tiger separation.  Don't get me wrong, I'm sure these two happening, if the sources are indeed correct, would add to the aggravation of this entire fiasco but let's be honest here, anyone who says the driving factor in a possible divorce is anything other that Tiger sleeping around with so many women needs a reality check.

We're Off and Running

I'd like to thank you for swinging on by and checking out Back To The Bleachers. What I hope to accomplish with this blog is to take a semi-serious and hopefully satirical look at the world of sports. I'll cover major events when they occur but will also take some time to enjoy and talk about the many things that make sports as enjoyable as they are. Feel free to comment with your own views and opinions or shoot me an email (backtothebleachers@hotmail.com) if you have a subject that you think readers would like to enjoy.

Have fun, comment often and in the immortal words of embattled University of Michigan football coach Rich Rodriguez, "Let's be positive."