Just Let L.A. Float Away

Yesterday my esteemed colleague and the purveyor of this site responded to an L.A. Times article written about the attendance of the OSU Spring Game. Now let me preface this by saying that I am, of course, a Michigan fan. But don’t allow that to stop you from reading this glorious rhetoric nonetheless.

Normally, I would be glad to see an opponent kick sand in the face of every poisonous nut on the planet, but Chris Dufresne’s article was the worst drivel I’ve read in ages and yet again makes us question how very far sports writing has fallen. The basic premise behind this article was that Ohio State fans have absolutely nothing to do in their lives but go to the Spring Game because outside of that, there’s nothing but field plowing and taking your sister out on a date available to them. On the other hand, glorious Southern California is so littered with magnificence that they just have too much going on in their awesome lives to stop and support their football teams. Mr. Dufresne is then kind enough to inform us that they are true fans since their butts are in the seats when it really counts. (obligatory reference to the OSU-USC game of ‘08).

Here’s why I take issue with that: He’s trying to take an exceptional, record-breaking thing (one that I, as a Wolverine, would be most happy to possess) and turn it into nothing in an effort to reassure his readers that they’re not bad fans, they’re just cooler than the rest of us. Yes, a sports writer who asserts that he and his readers are too cool for sports.

Ultimately, his point (like his spelling and grammar) quickly loses footing when you look at the facts.

The first point that completely exposes the sadness of the SoCal fanaticism was mentioned very clearly by my associate. Los Angeles County alone has approximately 10 million people, most of whom I can assume were NOT at the beach. That point in mind, they couldn’t muster any more than 20k people to watch a consistent national championship contending team go out their for their warm ups? Seriously? Is Frisbee Golf THAT time consuming?

The second point that’s even worse is based off of the assumption that the SoCal fans are there when it counts. They’re not and that’s just a plain fact. During the season, USC barely cracks 90% attendance and UCLA does even worse, eeking in just about 80% attendance. TEN MILLION PEOPLE and you can’t even get to capacity? Are you serious?

Mr. Dufresne, the reason Ohio State fills up the Horseshoe and Michigan gets 50k people to show up to a spring game after suffering it’s worst season in history is because these are fans that actually give a crap about these teams and these schools. These schools are part of how we grew up, part of childhood memories and where we came from. A school like USC buys it’s history. Half of the reason USC gets athletes is because of climate and girls. You can try using the “exceptional educational opportunity” line, but when you barely graduate 50% of your football players, it’s not really a valid point.

In the end, the true college football fans from around the country who actually support their teams IN SPITE of the fact that we could be doing other things would like to request that you put your roller skates back on, head back to The ‘Bu and the next time you have an ingenious brain fart to write about sports, write it in the sand and let the mighty Pacific wash it away.

USC and L.A.’s Weak Stab at REAL Football Fans

On the dispatch blog today, they pointed to an article on the Los Angeles Times taking a cheap shot at Ohio State fans in an article entitled “In L.A., there’s more to life than spring football“  Maybe the L.A. Times is hard up for page views so their putting garabage like this out, but either way their weak jabs at Ohio State fans have 0 merit and really make them look pitiful.  In a city that in 2007 had a estimated population of 9,878,554 was only able to bring in 22,565 people is extremely weak in comparison to Columbus which in 2007 had 747,755 residents and 95,722 fans at the Scarlet & Gray game.  Here’s an excerpt from the Times:

“Ohio State doesn’t have a beach!” he said. “I don’t blame our fans. It gets loud in here in the fall.”

Are you kidding me, thats your excuse?  If anything the weather in Columbus saturday made people feel like having cookouts, going to Buckeye Lake, or a variety of things, but our fans showed their loyalty by sitting in a crowded stadium cheering on their team.  Sorry USC but thats what real fans are all about.

Another excerpt says:

“In Los Angeles, we say there’s football and a thing called a life. So, in relatively obscurity, our two teams tinkered in their workshops.”

Well…. You keep tinkering USC because come Sept 12th our Scarlet & Gray is gonna be ready for you when you come to the shoe and maybe you’ll wish you took your spring game a little more seriously!

Update: See our latest response to the L.A. Times – Let L.A. Float Away

Bracketology after 3/13

Your daily dose of Bracketology is up, though, sorry, I’m not waiting for the USC-UCLA game to end. First off, Ohio State’s win over Wisconsin ends any doubt about the Buckeyes making the tournament. They’re in. A win today over…
Continue reading at Hoops & Scoops: an OSU basketball blog

Florida, Oklahoma odds on favorites for 2009

The Wiz spotted BodogLife’s updated odds for the college football season. Long story short… it looks like the Gators and Sooners are the early picks, followed by USC, Texas, and Ohio State.

Here’s the complete rundown:

Alabama 22/1
Arizona 100/1
Arizona State 150/1
Arkansas 150/1
Auburn 150/1
Boise State 100/1
Boston College 100/1
California 60/1
Cincinnati 90/1
Clemson 60/1
Colorado 100/1
Florida 7/4
Florida State 30/1
Georgia 50/1
Georgia Tech 50/1
Illinois 80/1
Iowa 75/1
Kansas 75/1
Kansas State 175/1
Kentucky 125/1
Louisville 150/1
LSU 20/1
Maryland 200/1
Miami 35/1
Michigan 120/1
Michigan State 100/1
Missouri 90/1
Nebraska 55/1
North Carolina 45/1
North Carolina State 100/1
Notre Dame 30/1
Ohio State 17/2
Oklahoma 5/1
Oklahoma State 50/1
Oregon 20/1
Oregon State 100/1
Penn State 35/1
Pittsburgh 60/1
Rutgers 125/1
South Carolina 100/1
South Florida 80/1
Tennessee 100/1
Texas 8/1
Texas A&M 150/1
Texas Tech 60/1
UCLA 150/1
Utah 125/1
USC 5/1
Virginia 100/1
Virginia Tech 20/1
Wake Forest 80/1
Washington 200/1
West Virginia 75/1
Wisconsin 100/1
Field (Any Other Team) 20/1

And remember… entertainment purposes only… of course.

© www.fanblogs.com

Comment on Florida, Oklahoma odds on favorites for 2009…

Continue reading at Ohio State Football – Fanblogs.com

The Real World: College Football and Why We Love The Drama

Everyone who follows college football knows that there’s more to the game than the game itself. It’s all about the hype and the hatred. And that’s what makes it that much more popular.

We all love the hate, the rivalries like OSU-Michigan, Florida-Georgia, and USC-UCLA. There’s also the pregame scuffles before the game where the teams shout obscenities at each other. In some instances, there’s…
Continue reading at Bleacher Report – Big Ten Football

A bit of Big Ten scheduling history this fall

Posted by ESPN.com's Adam Rittenberg

After reading all the Big Ten scheduling snapshots, a friend tipped me off to a unique element of the league's non-league slate — Syracuse appears three times. 

Big Ten teams make up three-fifths of Syracuse's non-league rundown, as the Orange host Minnesota and Northwestern and travel to Penn State. In an era when BCS teams rarely play more than two non-league games against foes from other BCS conferences, Syracuse's scheduling approach is rare.

When was the last time a team from another BCS conference played three Big Ten teams during the regular season?

Notre Dame does it every year — the Irish have contracts with Michigan, Michigan State and Purdue — but the program has more scheduling flexibility as an FBS independent.

I checked the schedules of several common Big Ten nonconference opponents from BCS leagues — Syracuse, Iowa State, Pitt, UCLA, USC — and found that UCLA faced Purdue, Wisconsin and Ohio State in consecutive weeks during the 1980 season. UCLA's run through the Big Ten nearly three decades ago appears to be the last time that this has happened. 

According to the Big Ten, MAC member Ball State was the last FBS team to face three Big Ten teams in the regular season, as the Cardinals played Indiana, Purdue and Michigan in 2006. Arizona State faced three Big Ten teams in 2004, though the final meeting against Purdue came in the Sun Bowl.

Go to Source

Classes complete for Illinois, Michigan, MSU

Posted by ESPN.com's Adam Rittenberg

No two Big Ten teams experienced a more eventful signing day than Illinois and Michigan.

Both programs lost verbal commits and added some key signees. Both addressed some needs and came up short in other areas. There weren't many dull moments for head coaches Ron Zook and Rich Rodriguez and their assistants.

Illinois unveiled its class of 20, which can be found here. The day began with Illinois losing wide receiver commit Kraig Appelton to Wisconsin, but the Illini held on to Appleton's high school teammate, wideout Terry Hawthorne, who could make an immediate impact.

Quarterback Nathan Scheelhaase likely will be Illinois' quarterback of the future, and the team added key pieces on both lines and at defensive back. The ability to lure Justin Green from Ohio State should bolster Illinois' rushing attack and return game. Illinois did lose several commits in recent weeks and won't make the splash it made in 2007, but this seems like a solid class.

Michigan's class of 22 signees can be seen here. Signing day brought more good than bad for the Wolverines, who added quarterback Denard Robinson, wide receiver Je'Rel Stokes and cornerback Adrian Witty. They lost two defensive tackle commits but certainly upgraded the skill positions on both sides of the ball. Defensive end Craig Roh and defensive tackle William Campbell should be immediate contributors on a line that loses three starters. Robinson and Tate Forcier likely will be in the mix for the starting quarterback spot this fall.

Rodriguez's ties to Florida showed up in this class, which features eight players from the Sunshine State.

Here are some notes on Michigan's class from the official release:

• (William) Campbell and [J.T.] Turner are the top-rated players in the state of Michigan and Ohio, respectively. This is the first time that the Wolverines had the top-ranked athletes from both states since 2002: Prescott Burgess (Ohio) and LaMarr Woodley (Michigan).
• (Tate) Forcier's brother, Jason, played at Michigan during the 2005 and 2006 seasons before transferring to Stanford. Both of Tate's brothers play in the Pac-10: Jason (Stanford) and Chris (UCLA).
• Six recruits are ranked among the ESPNU 150: Craig Roh (48), Quinton Washington (82), Isaiah Bell (92), Denard Robinson (102), Tate Forcier (145) and Taylor Lewan (149).
• Defensive end Anthony LaLota was the No. 2 prospect in the state of New Jersey.
• High school teammates Taylor Lewan and Craig Roh are listed as the fifth- and fourth-ranked players in the state of Arizona, respectively.

Michigan State had fewer surprises today, but Mark Dantonio unveiled a class of 23 that appears to be the program's best crop in recent memory. ESPN's Scouts Inc. ranks the Spartans' class at No. 21 nationally. Among the highlights are running backs Edwin Baker and Larry Caper, tight end Dion Sims and quarterback Andrew Maxwell.

The Spartans went local with 12 in-state players and only two from outside the Big Ten region (Floridians Denzel Drone and Jairus Jones). The class is heavy on offensive linemen (5), linebackers (5) and wide receivers/tight ends (5).

Michigan State's signing list and bios can be found here.

Go to Source

Recapping the Big Ten coaching changes

Posted by ESPN.com's Adam Rittenberg

Purdue's hiring of defensive coordinator Donn Landholm on Monday likely marks the end to the major coaching moves in the Big Ten this year. 

There have been no head-coaching changes — Danny Hope was named Purdue's head coach-in-waiting last year — and unless Iowa's Kirk Ferentz bolts for the Kansas City Chiefs, which isn't likely, all 11 teams will have continuity on top. But there were several key changes among coordinators and key position coaches. 

Here's a summary. 

ILLINOIS

Offensive coordinator: Mike Locksley left to become New Mexico's head coach. Illinois hired TCU offensive coordinator Mike Schultz as his replacement. 

Defensive line: Ron Zook fired Tom Sims and hired Cincinnati's Keith Gilmore. 

Offensive line: Eric Wolford left for the same post at South Carolina, and Zook hired Houston's Joe Gilbert as his replacement. 

Notes: Arguably Illinois' biggest coaching move was one that didn't happen. Zook offered Penn State defensive line coach Larry Johnson the chance to be Illinois' defensive coordinator, but the ace recruiter opted to stay in State College. 

INDIANA

No changes.

Notes: Despite a 3-9 season that saw regression on both sides of the ball, head coach Bill Lynch said he didn't expect to make any staff changes for 2009. 

IOWA

No changes.

Notes: Ferentz is being mentioned as a candidate for the Chiefs' head-coaching vacancy because of his ties to new general manager Scott Pioli, but it appears likely he will remain at Iowa for an 11th season. He will hold a signing day news conference scheduled for Feb. 4 and has talked with athletic director Gary Barta about a contract extension.

MICHIGAN

Defensive coordinator: Scott Shafer resigned and later took the same job at Syracuse. Michigan hired former Syracuse head coach Greg Robinson as Shafer's replacement.

Notes: Head coach Rich Rodriguez took his time with the search, and Robinson actually reached out to him about the defensive coordinator vacancy.

MICHIGAN STATE

No changes.

Notes: Offensive coordinator Don Treadwell was in the mix for several head-coaching spots (Miami University, Boston College) but will stay put for 2009.

MINNESOTA

Offensive coordinator: Mike Dunbar resigned Jan. 6 to pursue other professional opportunities. Minnesota hired former Denver Broncos wide receivers coach Jedd Fisch as Dunbar's replacement.

Defensive coordinator: Ted Roof resigned Jan. 6 to take the same post at Auburn. Gophers head coach Tim Brewster hired former Nebraska and Wisconsin defensive coordinator Kevin Cosgrove, who will share coordinator duties with defensive backs coach Ron Lee.

Notes: Fisch will call the offensive plays, but he must collaborate with Tim Davis, the team's new offensive line coach and run game coordinator. Davis, who replaces Phil Meyer, was hired in late November to transform Minnesota's run game and return the team to its roots as a dominant rushing attack.

NORTHWESTERN

Offensive line: Bret Ingalls left for the New Orleans Saints. Head coach Pat Fitzgerald told me he's not concerned about naming a replacement until after signing day, but indications are Adam Cushing, the H-backs coach and recruiting coordinator, will be promoted to line coach. 

Notes: Athletic director Jim Phillips wants to work out a contract extension for Fitzgerald and likely will announce one in the coming weeks or months.

OHIO STATE

No changes.

Notes: Some expected offensive coordinator/offensive line coach Jim Bollman to get the axe, and while it still could happen, head coach Jim Tressel is the primary play-caller and responsible for the unit's success. Co-defensive coordinator and linebackers coach Luke Fickell was mentioned as a candidate for the head-coaching vacancy at Bowling Green.

PENN STATE

No changes.

Notes: Penn State retained Larry Johnson despite Illinois offering more money and a coordinator position. Longtime defensive coordinator Tom Bradley also remains despite some rumors that he was a candidate for the top job at Syracuse.

PURDUE

Offensive coordinator: Ed Zaunbrecher was fired and replaced by Florida Atlantic offensive coordinator Gary Nord. 

Defensive coordinator: Longtime Boilers defensive coordinator Brock Spack left to become Illinois State's head coach. Hope hired his former Eastern Kentucky staffer Landholm as Spack's replacement. 

Running backs coach: Joel Thomas left for the same job at Washington, and Hope hired former Kansas State assistant Cornell Jackson as his replacement. 

Offensive line coach: Hope handled the line in 2008 and hired his former Eastern Kentucky staffer Shawn Clark to replace him. 

Special teams coordinator: Hope moved Mark Hagen from special teams to linebackers and promoted graduate assistant J.B. Gibboney to this post. 

Notes: Tight ends coach John McDonnell was not retained for 2009, and a replacement hasn't been named. Terrell Williams will once again coach the entire defensive line this fall after working strictly with the ends in 2008. 

WISCONSIN

No changes.

Notes: After firing veteran defensive coordinator Mike Hankwitz and seeing offensive line coach Bob Palcic leave for UCLA last year, head coach Bret Bielema is keeping his staff in place despite a very disappointing 2008 season.  

Go to Source

What are the most prestigious college football programs?

ESPN has taken the lead in trying to rank the most prestigious college football programs since the inception of the AP poll in a psuedo-scientific fashion. It’s really more of a “which current FBS programs have lived in the spotlight” list, because it doesn’t take into account teams that aren’t currently in FBS and doesn’t attempt to match them one versus the other, per se.

First, the method to their madness:

ESPN’s Prestige Rankings are a numerical method of ranking the best FBS college football programs since the 1936 season. Point values were assigned for certain successes (win a national title, earn 25 points) and failures (get your program banned from the postseason, lose two points). The research department ran all the numbers through the computer to come up with the No. 1 program (and Nos. 2 to 119) of the past 73 seasons.

The full breakdown of how points were accumulated (and deducted) is online as well, with the “biggies” being National Championships, major bowl berths, major bowl wins, Heisman winners, and points for various finishes in the AP top twenty five poll.

The results are… pretty interesting. In fact, it’s really hard for me to quibble over all but a few positions – and even that might be subjective.

ESPN COLLEGE FOOTBALL PRESTIGE RANKINGS

1. Oklahoma
2. USC
3. Ohio State
4. Notre Dame
5. Nebraska
6. Alabama
7. Texas
8. Michigan
9. Florida State
10. Miami
11. Penn State
12. Tennessee
13. LSU
14, Georgia
15. Florida
16. UCLA
17. Washington
18. Georgia Tech
19. Arkansas
20. Texas A&M
21. Auburn
22t. Clemson
22t. Colorado
24. Ole Miss
25. BYU

Click here for positions 26 – 119

Again, this is more of a prestige spotlight list than a comparison of team A versus team B. That’s obvious when you look at the criteria, and then also compare the rankings above with head-to-head records, for example. Case(s) in point… Oklahoma has a losing record all-time against Texas, but is ranked ahead in prestige. Florida State has a losing record all-time against both Miami and Florida, but gets the presige nod. The Noles have a winning record over both top five Notre Dame and Ohio State, but I digress.

Even still, it’s hard for me to look back at the history of college football and not put the Sooners at or near the top of the list. Certainly Ohio State, USC, Notre Dame, and Nebraska all deserve to be near the top as well. You can debate where everyone falls (ie should “x” be #6,#7, or #8) but it’s hard to see someone in the top 25 that doesn’t belong.

© www.fanblogs.com

Comment on What are the most prestigious college football programs?…

Story By Ohio State Football – Fanblogs.com

Racing by Indiana

Freshman center B. J. Mullens hammers down two of his 14 points vs. the Hoosiers. (AP Photo/Terry Gilliam)
Granted, Ohio State’s last two opponents will never be confused with any team John Wooden had at UCLA. Be that as it may, Ohio State has rebounded nicely from the two losses to Minnesota and Michigan State [...]
Go to Source

Next Page »