OSU Fans Have A Chance To Take Part In Spring Practice

On Saturday, April 4th, Eric Lichter, director of football performance for the Ohio State Buckeyes, takes time during his busy spring practice schedule to offer the public some of the same training advice he gives his players.

In addition to instruction on topics like Maximizing Training with Limited Resources, Basic Biomechanics in the Weight Room, and Speed Development, participants will have a chance to observe the Buckeyes in action during their first day of full contact practice.

Other clinic instructors include Coach Lichter’s assistant performance coaches and Ethan Reeve, head strength and conditioning coach at Wake Forest University.

 The Clinic takes place at the Les Wexner Football Complex at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center, and runs from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Rates are for college students holding a valid student I.D., for individuals, and 5 for groups.

Onsite registration for the program begins at 9:30 am, followed by observation of spring football practice. Lecture series begins at 11 am. Lunch is provided by the American Dairy Association Mideast. 

Continue reading at Buckeye Legends

Ohio State: Can They Make It to Detroit?

Ok this is a long shot, and I mean a very long shot, but can Ohio State make it to the Final Four?
 
There is a lot of talent in the Midwest Region this year. There are teams such as: Louisville, Michigan State, Kansas, and Wake Forest who are terrific teams. Can the Buckeyes get a break and win this region?
 
I very well think they can win, but the biggest thing is will they win these…
Continue reading at Bleacher Report – Ohio State Basketball

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

Big Ten recruiting nuggets

Posted by ESPN.com's Adam Rittenberg

As national signing day approaches, I'll try to post Big Ten-related information from Tom Luginbill, the national recruiting director for ESPN's Scouts Inc. 

Here's the latest from Luginbill on both 2009 and 2010 recruits. 

Corner Mike Wallace headed to Penn State

Name: Mike Wallace, CB
Wheaton, Md.
Good Counsel H.S.
Scouts Grade: 73
Position Rank: 84

After making an official visit to Penn State over the weekend, defensive back Mike Wallace committed to the Nittany Lions Wednesday night, NittanyNetwork.com's Bill Kurelic reports.

Wallace had scholarship offers from Penn State, New Mexico, Stanford, Army, Maine, New Hampshire and Towson University. However, after landing a scholarship offer from Penn State over the weekend it did not take Wallace long to accept.

"The recruiting process is pretty hard," Wallace said. "But I just felt comfortable at Penn State. God just told me it's the right decision."

Wallace' cousin Terry Killens played linebacker for Penn State in the 1990's.

---

Offensive tackle Nolan MacMillan names finalists

Name: Nolan MacMilan, OT
Princeton, N.J.
The Hun School Of Princeton (N.J.)
Scouts Grade: 77

Nolan MacMillan will decide between Boston College, Georgia Tech, Iowa and Virginia, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

He said, "I wouldn't say I have a frontrunner, but things are starting to work themselves out in my mind."

The 6-foot-6 prospect is slated to make his final official visit this weekend to Boston College.

---

Sooners right behind Fighting Illini for Hawthorne

Name: Terry Hawthorne, WR
East St. Louis, Ill.
East Saint Louis Sr. H.S.
Scouts Grade: 82
ESPNU150 Rank: 88
Position Rank: 10

Under Armour All-American wide receiver Terry Hawthorne spoke with ESPN affiliate Web site OUInsider.com about the latest regarding his recruitment.

He said, "(Oklahoma is) second right now behind Illinois." Hawthorne added that he's still committed to the Fighting Illini but when asked if he's an Illinois lock, the East St. Louis product responded, "I am not sure. I want to wait and see when I visit there and see how it is."

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Northwestern gains Nevada linebacker

Name: Damien Proby, OLB
Las Vegas, Nev.
Cheyenne H.S.
Scouts Grade: 73
Position Rank: 127

Damien Proby of Cheyenne (Las Vegas, Nev.) is headed to the Wildcats.

The 210-pound linebacker was also offered by Oregon State, San Diego State, UNLV, Washington State, Wyoming and Utah State.

---

Junior Blake Lueders already holding nine offers

Name: Blake Lueders, DE
Zionsville, Ind.
Zionsville Community H.S.

Class of 2010 ESPNU 150 Watch List defensive lineman Blake Lueders has been offered by nine programs, according to his father Dan Lueders.

Boston College, Indiana, Iowa, Northwestern, North Carolina, Purdue, Stanford, Vanderbilt and Wake Forest are already after the Zionsville, Ind., prospect.

Lueders registered 128 total tackles and three sacks as a junior, earning Class 4A All-State recognition.

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Oh, yeah….i have this blog thing to write in

With the perfect storm of the holiday season, extended hours at work, and the cleanup after my father’s funeral, I haven’t been able to write much in The BBC lately.  I’d apologize, but you understand, I’m sure.

Here’s what I’ve missed yelling at you about;

Cleveland Cavaliers

Mid-last week, the news came in that Daniel “Boobie” Gibson and Zydrunas Ilgauskas would both miss games because of injury.  Fear struck immediately, but it was soon announced that Z might only miss a couple of games and Gibson a couple weeks.  Not much damage done if they heal properly.

One trip to Atlanta later, and the Cavs had their first loss in weeks, falling by five points to a good Hawks team.

Immediately after that loss with two stars benched, ESPN decided to forget about the Cavs, publishing an article on the 1998 Bulls and how their 72 win-season could be topped by the Celtics or the Lakers.  Hellloooooo?  At the time of that article, the Cavs had 20 wins and only 4 losses.  Extrapolate that out and you get 69 wins….why weren’t the Cavs included in that scenario?  ALL of our four losses were to teams seeded fifth or higher in the playoff system this year, and all of them were on the road.  Surely ESPN doesn’t think that we’re finished as one of the elite teams this year?

Meanwhile, two of the Lakers’ four losses are to Indiana and Sacramento, who won’t get into the playoffs without buying a ticket like eveyone else.

By the way, Boston also lost to the piss-poor Indiana Pacers…and they fell to Denver by 9 at home.

Speaking of Denver, the Nuggets are the hottest team in the West right nowsince they traded away Allen Cancerson to Detroit and picked up Chauncey Billups.  They’ve won 16 out of 21 and are playing incredible basketball at home.

Oh, wait….scratch that.

Last night, the Cavs manhandled the Nuggets on their own floor in a 105-88 blowout.  Cleveland opened up a quick first-quarter lead and never looked back.  They led by 16 after one quarter, and midway through the second period, the Denver boo-birds were in full-force.  Ilgauskas showed little ill-effect from his ankle, pouring in 23 points.  Denver got it down to 9 points for a couple seconds, but the Cavs turned up the heat again and pushed the lead to 22 points a couple of times before cruising across the finish line.

Cleveland now stands at 22-4 and has the second-best record in the NBA.  Beating Denver gives them a big boost heading down the final stretch of 2008.  Here’s what they have for the rest of the calendar year;

• at Oklahoma City (3-24)
• Houston (17-9)
• Washington (4-20)
• Miami (13-12)
• at Miami (13-12)

Houston is the only true standout in this upcoming stretch, and that game is at The Q, where we are 13-0.  Tomorrow night’s game against OKC and Christmas Day against the Wizards should be easy wins, and Miami should be a fun pair, but the Cavs are clearly better than Wade/Marion/company.  I’d be happy going 4-1 and entering 2009 at 26-5.  But 27-4 is not at all a stretch considering what we did to a top West team last night.

More Cavaliers

It goes without saying that the Cavs are a vastly superior team to the wine and gold of last year.  But what is often overlooked is HOW they have the aura of invincibility.

They’re beating the living tar out of the lesser teams.

Last season, our biggest downfall was the inablility to put down the teams that were CLEARLY the worst teams in the NBA.  That’s no longer the case.  Here’s a pretty chart to prove it;

Team	Cavs wins	Opp wins
2007-08
Indiana	4	0
New Jersey	1	3
Chicago	1	3
Charlotte	3	1
Milwaukee	1	3
New York	2	1
Miami	3	0
TOTAL	15	11
2008-09
Chicago	2	0
Milwaukee	2	0
New York	2	0
Toronto	1	0
Indiana	2	0
Charlotte	2	0
Washington	0	0
TOTAL	11	0

Going from 15-11 to 11-0 is an excellent summary of how much better the Cavs are this year.  If they keep that up, it will mean the difference between a four-seed and a first-seed in the NBA playoffs.

College football Bowl season

Yes, it begins now.

There’s four games today.  Lemme make this quick.

• I’ll take Wake Forest over Navy
• I’ll take Fresno State over Colorado State
• I’ll take South Florida over Memphis
• I’ll take BYU over Arizona

Tonight and tomorrow, I’ll begin my preview of each remaining bowl game and we’ll see how horrible my prognosticating skills are!

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What to Watch for – Saturday December 20

It’s the most, wonderful time, of the year.  Apologies to Eddie Pola and George Wyle, but bowl games are the real reason for the season.  If I could, I’d scrap the pretense of the Bowl Championship Series and return to the greater bowl anarchy we had back in the days… and all on the same day too¹.  That, and I’d bring back the T-Formation, Wing-T and Notre Dame Box… and probably even single-platoon football.  All of this, of course, is a topic for another conversation.

Since I’m on vacay, and because all these games are on national television, I think I’ll get to watch every single bowl game.  I usually do.  The problem, though, is the prevalence of crappy teams from uninteresting conferences that occupy Week 1.  Still, each bowl game — with all its corollary corporate advertisement dross — is like a present… even if the present is like a pair of Christmas-themed socks that you would never wear otherwise.  So, what do we have to look forward to this next week, up to Saturday?

• EagleBank Bowl (Wake Forest v. Navy) [11:00AM ET, ESPN].  The EagleBank Bowl is a new addition to the bowl season with its inaugural game to be played on Saturday morning.  This game does several things right, and several things wrong.
  • First, here’s what it does right:
  • It gives both service academies (Army, Navy) a tie-in to this game, a tie-in that alternates season-by-season.  In its inaugural kickoff, Navy was the service academy tie-in in the event they were bowl eligible.  Next year, it’ll be Army… which probably means the bowl will have to go looking for someone else.
  • It gives the Big Ten a tie-in that it lost when one of the Music City Bowl was no longer interested in the conference.  As far as I know, the agreement among conferences for the bowl game is primarily an ACC v. service academy matchup, but the Big Ten enters into the conversation if there’s not enough bowl eligible ACC teams or the service academy in question is ineligible
  • It puts a bowl game in Washington DC.  In a time when so many inappropriate places jockey for a bowl *cough*Boise*cough*, a predicament made more absurd by the cost of transportation and the tanking economy *cough*Boise*cough*, a bowl game in the nation’s capital is both economically prudent and unmistakeably American.  Now, if we can go about resurrecting the Gotham Bowl…
  • Buuuut…
  • It’s a repeat matchup.  I love bowl games and I wish to turn back the clock on the college football offseason, even if it means having the UPI wire in its pick for national champions before the bowl game is even played because even that is less absurd than the BCS.  But, repeat matchups are the bane of the system because of the disingenuity inherent in Round 2².  In this specific context, Navy derailed Wake Forest’s train earlier in this season in Winston-Salem, thus souring national perception of what was expected to be an ACC Championship-caliber team.  Turnovers were the story that game as Riley Skinner had 4 INTs.  You can spin it as “Wake Forest looking for payback”, but it’s just not that interesting.
  • Corporate sponsorship has sullied what is otherwise a triumphant move for college football into Washington DC.  When it was first conceptualized, it was originally supposed to be called the Congressional Bowl.  This is an awesome choice.  However, once EagleBank wanted to get involved, it rechristened the bowl in its own honor.  This is most definitely not an awesome choice.  Again, the same guy writing this post is the same guy who wants the damned Gotham Bowl back.  With very few exceptions (see: Bacardi Bowl), corporate sponsorships screw things up… and I’m definitely looking in your direction, Capital One.
  • I’m not sure Navy has assured college football fans everywhere that it won’t wear those monstrosities it whipped out for the Army-Navy game earlier this month.  Sweet Jesus those were ugly uniforms worn by both sides.

• New Mexico Bowl (Colorado State v. Fresno State) [2:30PM ET, ESPN].  Fresno State’s punishment “reward” for falling short well short of its preseason BCS aims is a trip to New Mexico to play in the New Mexico Bowl.  The bowl game is fielding just its 3rd ever installment in 2008 and, yes, the first one without the University of New Mexico playing.  For those unaware, the bowl game is played on site at the University of New Mexico, giving the Lobos something of an unfair advantage.  In lieu of the Lobos, the Colorado State Rams will be representing the Mountain West.  The Rams are a screwy team, having almost beaten Brigham Young and having almost lost to San Diego State in the sam season.  Interest factor in this game is about a 4 on a scale of 10 with high values corresponding to high user interest.  The biggest interest comes in the bowl game being in New Mexico. New Mexico is a state that you almost forget is part of the continental United States until you’re presented with a visual reminder.  Such was my drives through Albuquerque en route from Los Angeles to Columbus, Ohio for school way back in the day.
• magicJack Saint Petersburg Bowl (Memphis v. USF) [4:30PM ET, ESPN2].  Corporate sponsorship of bowl games fails because it often times does not intuitively correspond with the location or theme of the bowl game itself.  The Sheraton Hawaii Bowl and Tostitos Fiesta Bowl are exemplars of intuitive corporate sponsorship.  Corporate sponsorship of bowl games fails disastrously when, on top of the previous point, no one knows what the hell the corporation in question is.  This is the magicJack St. Petersburg Bowl.  I had to look it up, but magicJack is an internet telephony service.  Given that this bowl game is an inaugural matchup and given the reviews of the corporate enterprise itself, I don’t see this sponsorship deal lasting any more than a year or two.  For what it’s worth, USF’s punishment reward for failing to win the Big East like it was expected to do is a trip across the street to host its own bowl game.  This will become fair precisely when there becomes such a thing as the Buckeye Bowl in Columbus, Ohio.  I’m waiting.
• Pioneer Las Vegas Bowl (Brigham Young v. Arizona) [8:00PM ET, ESPN].  The Mormons are rounding up their Postum and their name tags, hopping on their bicycles and trippin’ over to Las Vegas to spread the word of Heavenly Father and play a Pac-10 team in the Las Vegas Bowl for the 4th consecutive year.  It’s no doubt a disappointment for a team with visions of Sugar dancing in their head earlier this season.  On the flip side, it is no doubt a reward for Mike Stoops’ ‘Cats, making their first bowl appearance under his tutelage, and the first in the program since 1998.  Consequently, a lot of analysts are speculating that this might be the first upset of the bowl season.  Until that point is clear, there’s things we know right now.
  • First, the high in Las Vegas is expected to be in the mid-40s.  Yes, mid-40s.  The area has been blanketed by snow in the past day.
  • Second, David Hasselhoff will be singing the national anthem.  Yes, the ‘Hoff.  Singing the national anthem.  Click that link, I dare you.  Apparently his daughter attends U of A, and hence the relationship between the bowl participants.
  • Third, I’m going to be reciting lines from Orgazmo all the while watching this game.  You won’t be around me as I do this.  You won’t be able to hear me do it, nor will you be able to stop me.  Rest assured, though, it will happen.  Anything involving Mormons is going to trigger that movie playing in my head.

1. Remember when January 1st was like a bowl orgy? It was like the first two rounds of the NCAA hoops tournament
2. …and it’s not a problem that a playoff system would fix.  If anything, it might make it more disingenuous.

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3-time All-America Laurinaitis heads AP team

NEW YORK (AP) — James Laurinaitis idolized A.J. Hawk, Chris Spielman and the other great linebackers who played for Ohio State before him.

 

Now, in at least one area, he has surpassed them.

 

Laurinaitis became the second college football player to be a three-time AP All-American, joining Heisman Trophy winner Sam Bradford and star receiver Michael Crabtree on the first team released Tuesday.

 

Ohio State has a history of great linebackers from Hawk to Spielman and Tom Cousineau to Randy Gradishar. Hawk and Spielman were both two-time AP All-Americans.

“When people throw my name in that group of players, I just laugh,” Laurinaitis said. “It’s extremely complimentary to be thought of in the same category.”

 

The only other player to make the AP first-team three times was Pittsburgh offensive lineman Bill Fralic (1982-84), according to STATS LLC.

 

Alabama put more players on the 2008 AP first team than any school, about 1,000 pounds of linemen. Offensive tackle Andre Smith, listed at 330 pounds, was a unanimous first-team choice, and was joined by center Antoine Caldwell. Crimson Tide nose guard Terrence Cody, listed at 365 pounds, anchored the top-ranked defense in the Southeastern Conference.

 

Bradford beat out Texas’ Colt McCoy and Florida’s Tim Tebow in All-America voting that broke the same way as the Heisman balloting. McCoy, the Heisman runner-up, was the second-team quarterback. Tebow made the third team, a year after winning the Heisman and being a first-team AP All-American.

 

Laurinaitis and Crabtree, the Texas Tech receiver, were among five players to repeat as first-teamers.

 

Oklahoma guard Duke Robinson, Cincinnati punter Kevin Huber and Missouri receiver/kick returner Jeremy Maclin, who made it as an all-purpose player, were the others.

 

Two Big Ten running backs completed the All-America backfield. Iowa’s Shonn Greene is second in the country in rushing (144 yards per game) and has scored 17 touchdowns. Michigan State’s Javon Ringer is third in rushing (132 ypg) and has scored 21 touchdowns.

 

Oklahoma State’s Dez Bryant was the other receiver. A sophomore like Crabtree, Bryant scored 20 touchdowns.

 

Rounding out the offensive line were Mississippi tackle Michael Oher and LSU guard Herman Johnson.

 

Chase Coffman, who led all tight ends with 83 catches, gave Missouri’s high-scoring offense two All-Americans.

 

Utah’s Louie Sakoda was the kicker. He booted 21 field goals in 23 attempts and scored 115 points for the undefeated Utes.

 

The defense featured Laurinaitis’ teammate, cornerback Malcolm Jenkins, and two players from Southern California’s top-ranked unit: linebacker Rey Maualuga and safety Taylor Mays.

 

Florida’s Brandon Spikes was the other linebacker.

 

Up front, Aaron Maybin of Penn State and Brian Orakpo of Texas were the defensive ends, and Cody and Mississippi’s Peria Jerry were the tackles.

 

Wake Forest cornerback Alphonso Smith and Tennessee safety Eric Berry completed the secondary.

 

Laurinaitis was recruited by the Buckeyes out of Minnesota, and came to Columbus with relatively modest goals considering where he ended up.

 

He wanted to make the travel squad as a freshman, start as a sophomore, receive some type of all-Big Ten recognition as a junior and be an All-American and Butkus Award candidate as a senior.

 

By the time his sophomore season was complete, he had accomplished all his goals.

 

Laurinaitis said having Hawk and fellow star linebacker Bobby Carpenter, both seniors when he was a freshman, to learn from had an enormous affect his career.

 

“You learned a lot about work ethic,” Laurinaitis said in a telephone interview Tuesday. “We’d go through a two-day (practice) and I’m looking to go to sleep and those guys were in the weight room working out. If it worked for them, I had to do it.”

 

When Carpenter and Hawk moved on to the NFL, Laurinaitis moved into the starting lineup in 2006. The son of a professional wrestler — Joe Laurinaitis was known as “Animal” from the WWE’s Legion of Doom — James drew plenty of attention for his play and his family ties.

 

He led the Buckeyes with 115 tackles and five interceptions and won the Nagurski Award as national defensive player of the year.

 

In 2007, the 6-foot-3, 240-pound Laurinaitis won the Butkus Award as the nation’s best linebacker and this season he capped his stellar three-year run with the Lott Trophy for top defensive player.

 

“I’m not the freak athlete other guys are,” Laurinaitis said, “but I’m the guy coaches can depend on to be accountable and know my assignments.”

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College Postseason: The Miseducation Of Lisa Horne

Lisa Horne wrote an article expressing that the dominant conferences were weaker than the Big XII Conference. Then people wanted to know what she was basing this off of. Was it because they didn’t have enough BCS NC possible teams in the show? Was it in regards to the Heisman? Or is it because there wasn’t as much controversy in those conferences as there is in the Big XII Conference?

After watching her try to defend her defense of the Big XII Conference, I wanted to let the B/R Nation decide. But I did some quick research on this season’s bowl games and found something interesting.

ACC: 10 Postseason Representatives

• Wake Forest (Eagle Bank Bowl vs. Navy)
• North Carolina (Meineke Car Care Bowl vs. West Virginia)
• Florida State (Champs Sports Bowl vs. Wisconsin)
• Miami (Emerald Bowl vs. Cal)
• NC State (PapaJohns.com Bowl vs. Rutgers)
• Maryland (Roady’s Humanitarian Bowl vs. Nevada)
• Boston College (Gaylord Hotels Music City Bowl vs. Vanderbilt)
• Georgia Tech (Chick-Fil-A Bowl vs. LSU)
• Clemson (Konica Minolta Gator Bowl vs. Nebraska)
• Virginia Tech (Orange Bowl vs. Cincinnati)

SEC: 8 Postseason Representatives

• Vanderbilt (Gaylord Hotels Music City Bowl vs. Boston College)
• LSU (Chick-Fil-A Bowl vs. Georgia Tech)
• South Carolina (Outback Bowl vs. Iowa)
• Georgia (Capital One Bowl vs. Michigan State)
• Ole Miss (AT&T Cotton Bowl vs. Texas Tech)
• Kentucky (AutoZone Liberty Bowl vs. East Carolina)
• Alabama (Sugar Bowl vs. Utah)
• Florida (BCS National Championship vs. Oklahoma)

Big XII: 7 Postseason Representatives

• Missouri (Valero Alamo vs. Northwestern)
• Oklahoma State (Pacific Life Holiday Bowl vs. Oregon)
• Kansas (Insight Bowl vs. Minnesota)
• Nebraska (Konica Minolta Gator Bowl vs. Clemson)
• Texas Tech (AT&T Cotton Bowl vs. Ole Miss)
• Texas (Fiesta Bowl vs. Ohio State)
• Oklahoma (BCS National Championship vs. Florida)

Big Ten: 7 Postseason Representatives

• Wisconsin (Champs Sports Bowl vs. Florida State)
• Northwestern (Valero Alamo Bowl vs. Missouri)
• Minnesota (Insight Bowl vs. Kansas)
• Iowa (Outback Bowl vs. South Carolina)
• Michigan State (Capitol One Bowl vs. Georgia)
• Penn State (Rose Bowl vs. USC)
• Ohio State (Fiesta Bowl vs. Texas)

Big East: 6 Postseason Representatives

• South Florida (St. Petersburg Bowl vs. Memphis)
• West Virginia (Meineke Car Care Bowl vs. North Carolina)
• Rutgers (PapaJohns.com Bowl vs. N.C. State)
• Pitt (Brut Sun Bowl vs. Oregon State)
• UConn (International Bowl vs. Buffalo)
• Cincinnati (Orange Bowl vs. Virginia Tech)

Pac 10: 5 Postseason Representatives

• Arizona (Pioneer Las Vegas Bowl vs. BYU)
• Cal (Emerald Bowl vs. Miami (FL))
• Oregon (Pacific Life Holiday Bowl vs. Oklahoma State)
• Oregon State (Brut Sun Bowl vs. Pitt)
• USC (Rose Bowl vs. Penn State)

And this is just the main conferences. How do you think the smaller conferences did this seaason?

Mountain West: 5 Postseason Representatives

• Colorado State (New Mexico Bowl vs. Fresno State)
• BYU (Pioneer Las Vegas Bowl vs. Arizona)
• TCU (SDCCU Poinsettia Bowl vs. Boise State)
• Air Force (Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl vs. Houston) 
• Utah (Sugar Bowl vs. Alabama)

WAC: 5 Postseason Representatives 

• Fresno State (New Mexico Bowl vs. Colorado State) 
• Hawaii (Sheraton Hawaii Bowl vs. Notre Dame)
• Louisiana Tech (Independence Bowl vs. Northern Illinois)
• Nevada (Roady’s Humanitarian Bowl vs. Maryland)
• Boise State (SDCCU Poinsettia Bowl vs. TCU)

So when you do the simple mathematics of who is in the bowl games, the Big XII is not as dominating as Lisa wants them to be. She gave so much credit to Colt McCoy, Sam Bradford and Graham Harrell (who royally got the shaft in the Heisman) but none to Mack Brown, Mike Leach or Bob Stoops. It’s always good to be the quarterback, but you can’t be a great QB without a great coach to teach you the fundamental basics.

But it was a team effort that got a majority of these teams into their respective bowl games. But to just single out one player or position as the reason of their success is downright dumb. In regards to the SEC being dominant, I’m surprised no one threw former Tennessee Quarterback Peyton Manning’s name in the mix if you’re going to do name dropping.

Regardless, the Big XII is in as much trouble this bowl season as everyone else. And even though no one has flat out said that Oklahoma will slaughter Florida or vice versa, you have to know that someone wants to start the fireworks.

It’s good that you know stats and everything, Lisa, but the facts do not support your main argument. You called the SEC weak this season, but really didn’t give a reason to their weakness. You just went on about how great the quarterbacks of the Big XII look in their uniforms. But the numbers aren’t the only thing that people look at. They look at who has proven themselves to be a leader.

In all honesty, all four quarterbacks involved in the Heisman Chase have proven themselves to be leaders. But after tonight, only one will hold up the Heisman…and Tebow would much rather have a National Championship. And we all know about the Heisman Curse.

So here’s a better poll question: Who has been the stronger conference and who has been the weaker conference this year?

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Do You Have What It Takes To Be The Champion? B/R Bowl Games Pick’em Contest

Think you have what it takes to pick ALL the winners from all 34 bowl games this season?

Here’s your chance to compete with anyone and everyone on Bleacher Report!

 

The rules are as follows:

1. One set of picks per person

2. ALL bowl games must be picked and submitted (posted in the comments section below) no later than 10:59AM, December 20th prior to kickoff of the EagleBank Bowl

3a. In the event of a tie in the standings, I will use your predictions on total combined points in the 5 BCS Bowls.

3b. When you submit your picks, you will want to post the total points you think will be scored per game…for example, if you think USC is going to beat Penn State 45-10, you would put Rose Bowl – 55 points

(If you have questions, post a note on my page.)

4. The games are broken down into five levels with each level worth from one to five points.

 

Here are the games and point values per game.

1-point games:

Independence Bowl, Louisiana Tech (7-5) vs. Northern Illinois (6-6), Dec. 28

Motor City Bowl, Central Michigan (8-4) vs. Florida Atlantic (6-6), Dec. 26

New Mexico Bowl, Colorado State (6-6) vs. Fresno State (7-5), Dec. 20

St. Petersburg Bowl, Memphis (6-6) vs. USF (7-5), Dec. 20

New Orleans Bowl, Southern Miss (6-6) vs. Troy (7-5), Dec. 21

Liberty Bowl, East Carolina (9-4) vs. Kentucky (6-6), Jan. 2

Music City, Boston College (9-4) vs. Vanderbilt (6-6), Dec. 31

Hawaii Bowl, Notre Dame (6-6) at Hawaii (7-6), Dec. 24

Papajohns.com Bowl, N.C. State (6-6) vs. Rutgers (7-5), Dec. 29

2-point games:

EagleBank Bowl, Navy (8-4) vs. Wake Forest (7-5), Dec. 20

Emerald Bowl, California (8-4) vs. Miami (7-5), Dec. 27

Armed Forces Bowl, Air Force (8-4) vs. Houston (7-5), Dec. 31

International Bowl, Buffalo (8-5) vs. Connecticut (7-5), Jan. 3

Humanitarian Bowl, Maryland (7-5) vs. Nevada (7-5), Dec. 30

Insight Bowl, Kansas (7-5) vs. Minnesota (7-5), Dec. 31

Gator Bowl, Clemson (7-5) vs. Nebraska (8-4), Jan. 1

3-point games:

Champs Sports Bowl, Florida State (8-4) vs. Wisconsin (7-5), Dec. 27

Alamo Bowl, Missouri (9-4) vs. Northwestern (9-3), Dec. 29

Outback Bowl, Iowa (8-4) vs. South Carolina (7-5), Jan. 1

Texas Bowl, Rice (9-3) vs. Western Michigan (9-3), Dec. 30

Chick-fil-A Bowl, Georgia Tech (9-3) vs. LSU (7-5), Dec. 31

Las Vegas Bowl, Arizona (7-5) vs. BYU (10-2), Dec. 20

Meineke Car Care Bowl, North Carolina (8-4) vs. West Virginia (8-4), Dec. 27

GMAC Bowl, Ball State (12-1) vs. Tulsa (10-3), Jan. 6

Cotton Bowl, Ole Miss (8-4) vs. Texas Tech (11-1), Jan. 2

Sun Bowl, Oregon State (8-4) vs. Pittsburgh (9-3), Dec. 28

Capital One Bowl, Georgia (9-3) vs. Michigan State (9-3), Jan. 1

Holiday Bowl, Oklahoma State (9-3) vs. Oregon (9-3), Dec. 30

Poinsettia Bowl, Boise State (12-0) vs. TCU (10-2), Dec. 23

4-point BCS games

Sugar Bowl, Alabama (12-1) vs. Utah (12-0), Jan. 1

Orange Bowl, Cincinnati (11-2) vs. Virginia Tech (9-4), Jan. 1

Rose Bowl, Penn State (11-1) vs. USC (11-1), Jan. 1

Fiesta Bowl, Ohio State (10-2) vs. Texas (11-1), Jan. 5

5-point BCS NC game:

BCS National Championship Game, Florida (12-1) vs. Oklahoma (12-1), Jan. 8

 

 

As the games are played, I’ll add the standings to the article as often as I can.

GOOD LUCK! 

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Updated Lines and Point Spreads For the 2008/ 2009 College Bowl Games 12/12/08

I get a lot of questions from readers and viewers about knowing when you are getting the best odds and point spreads, it isn’t a question that has a definitive answer.

While I address this question in my free ebook, Betting on College Football Made Simple, which I give away at The College Football Place, it seems that it’s an art that no one has mastered. In any event the lines have been out for nearly a week and while they have moved and are starting to settle in, there is no saying this is where they end up.

I’ll be sending out the picks for the free bowl picking contest within the next day and I apologize for mot getting them out sooner. Those who are already signed up for the regular season picking contest, you will automatically get the registration for the free bowl contest, for those of you who aren’t, you till have time.

In the mean time, here are the most current odds and point spreads and any movement they have had since they opened.

Saturday September 20, 2008

Navy +3 Vs. Wake Forest (was +3 1/2)

Fresno State -3 Vs. Colorado State (was -4)

Memphis +12 1/2 Vs. South Florida (was +14)

BYU +3 Vs. Arizona (no movement)

Sunday September 21, 2008

Southern Miss +4 1/2 Vs. Troy  (was +3)

Tuesday December 23, 2008

TCU – 2 1/2 Vs. Boise State (was pick)

Wednesday December 24, 2008

Notre Dame + 1 Vs. Hawaii (was + 2 1/2)

Friday December 26, 2008

Florida Atlantic +7 Vs. Central Michigan (was + 5 1/2)

Saturday December 27, 2008

West Virginia +1 Vs. North Carolina (was pick)

Wisconsin +4 1/2 Vs. Florida State (was +5 1/2)

Miami +7 Vs. Cal (was + 7 1/2)

Sunday December 28, 2008

Northern Illinois – 1 1/2 Vs. Louisiana Tech (was -3)

Monday December 29, 2008

NC State +7 Vs. Rutgers (no move)

Northwestern +13 Vs. Missouri (was 14 1/2)

Tuesday December 30, 2008

Nevada +1 1/2 Vs. Maryland (was +1)

Western Michigan +3 Vs. Rice (was +2)

Oregon +3 Vs. Oklahoma State (no movement)

Wednesday December 31, 2008

Air Force + 2 1/2 Vs. Houston (was +2)

Pittsburgh +3 Vs. Oregon State (no movement)

Boston College – 3 1/2 Vs. Vandy (was -4)

Minnesota +11 Vs. Kansas (was +8 1/2)

LSU + 5 Vs. Georgia Tech ( was +2 1/2)

Thursday January 1, 2009

Iowa is -3 1 /2 Vs. South Carolina (was -3)

See the rest of the current lines and point spreads for the 2008/2009 bowls

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