Felix Jones and Darren McFadden Who?

Who would have ever guessed that Peyton Hillis would be the best rookie running back from the University of Arkansas this year? Granted Jones and McFadden have been hurt, but Peyton Hillis has come from nowhere and put the Denver Broncos on his back. Not bad for a 7th round pick who was a FB/WB in college. Why can't the Seahawks ever draft someone who can fill in for an injured player their rookie year??????

Blow up the BCS

I hate the BCS. Ever since Oregon got screwed out of an appearance in the National Title game by a team that didn't even win it's own division, I have hated this system that doesn't prove a thing. I have been waiting for the year when the BCS gets blown up and I have a good feeling that this is the year.

Let's start with the Big 12 South. I just found out this morning that if the Big 12 South ends up in a three way tie, which is very likely, the team that goes to the Big 12 title game is the team that ends up with the highest BCS ranking. So, if Oklahoma beats Oklahoma State tomorrow, they will probably leapfrog Texas and make the Longhorns ineligible for the BCS title game. That would be rich because Texas beat Oklahoma, and on a neutral field at that. I guess I should let the game play out before I get to hyped up over that scenario.

We now move to the undefeated teams. Utah, Boise State and Ball State are going to finish their regular seasons undefeated. If Ball State wins the MAC title game, the best they can hope for is the Motor City Bowl? Say it ain't so!! I know the MAC isn't the powerhouse the SEC or Big 12 is, but in my opinion, if you finish your season undefeated, you should be rewarded with something besides a trip to Detroit. Boise State will finish 12-0 and because they will finish behind Utah in the BCS standings, they won't be required to get a BCS bid. So Boise state gets rewarded with a home game in the Humanitarian Bowl? Say it ain't so!! And Utah--They get the privilege of a matchup with the mighty Cincinatti Bearcats. What an honor. Now this can all change for Boise if Oregon State loses to Oregon tomorrow and the BCS committee decides to take them over Ohio State for the last possible at-large birth. Of course that is assuming that Florida loses to Florida State and Auburn beats Alabama. Then Alabama would have to lose to Florida in the SEC title game.

I hope that is last paragraph explains how ridiculous the system is in a whole. I can't believe that there is no playoff system in place for college football. Look at how the NCAA Basketball Tournament has evolved throughout the years to adjust for the amount of teams in Division I and also the increased level of play. They have 64 teams in thier tournament with the winning team spending 4 weeks straight (including conference tournaments) doing nothing but playing basketball. This debunks the major reason the NCAA has said no to a tournament. They say the football players will be missing too much school work, and yes, lets not forget why they are in school in the first place.

NCAA Division I Football is the only sport in this country whose champion is decided on a vote. Maybe next year we can vote on who wins the Daytona 500 (Dick Trickle!), or the Grey Cup (oh wait that really isn't a sport), or the City of Lacey Dodgeball League (my vote is for Dodge This!).

We're Ready For The Apple Cup

Today is the annual game between the University of Washington Huskies and the Washington State Cougars - better known as The Apple Cup. Unfortunately, this season, it's being referred to as The Rotten Apple Cup or, so I just read, The Crapple Cup, since this is a football game between two of the most pathetic football teams in the country. Rivals.com has done a great job putting it into perspective...

"• The teams are a combined 1-20 overall and 0-15 in the Pac-10. The only win was Washington State's 48-9 victory over Portland State on Sept. 20. Portland State is 3-7 as a member of the Football Championship Subdivision (i.e., Division I-AA).

• Of the 120 Football Bowl Subdivision (i.e., Division I-A) teams, Washington ranks 118th in total offense, 118th in scoring offense, 111th in total defense and 117th in scoring defense. Washington State ranks 119th in total offense, 119th in scoring offense, 113th in total defense and 119th in scoring defense. Washington is 117th in turnover margin, Washington State is last.

• Washington has been outscored by an average of 26 points per game. Its shining moment was a near-upset of then-No. 15 BYU. Washington lost 28-27 when quarterback Jake Locker was flagged for a questionable 15-yard unsportsmanlike-conduct penalty on a late touchdown run. BYU blocked the ensuing 35-yard extra-point attempt.

• Washington State has lost every Pac-10 game by at least 25 points. That includes three shutouts and two more games where the Cougars' only score was a field goal. The defense has been just as bad. Washington State has allowed at least 60 points in four Pac-10 games this year and went through a four-game stretch where it allowed at least 58 points in each game.

• Washington State has allowed a Pac-10 record 533 points this season. With two games left, it's likely the Cougars will break the dubious FBS record of 566 points allowed, held by Eastern Michigan's 2002 team.

• Washington is facing its first winless season since 1890. The Huskies played one game that year – a scoreless tie at Washington College.

• Never before has there been a Pac-10 game between teams with at least 10 losses."

Wow. Even I didn't realize it was that bad. But I'll still be watching. In fact, this might be one of the most competitive, interesting, fun games to watch in Apple Cup history. Nobody wants to lose this stinker and cement themselves as the worst team in the history of the game. It might be an all our war.

Or it might be the greatest stinker of all time. A 2-0 final score wouldn't really be much of a surprise.

Anyway....Go Dawgs!

America's love affair with Tyler Hansbrough

I don't know what it is about Tyler Hansbrough that makes me so mad. Maybe it's the white guilt, or maybe it's just his lack of basketball skills. All I can say is that every time that I watch him play I can't help but think to myself "How in the world did Tyler Hansbrough win NCAA Player of the Year?"

Granted, last year the UNC Tarheels were by far the second best team in the regular season, and yes, they did make the Final Four. But when you stop and think about things, there should be more criteria involved. For example. Derrick Rose was by far the best player in college basketball last year. I could go into detail about how good Michael Beasley was for a sub par Kansas State team. Without Stephan Curry, Davidson would not have even made the NCAA Tournament, let alone the Elite Eight. But the love affair continued last year.

I will give Psycho-T some credit. He plays hard. He gets fouled alot. The problem that I see is that 90% of the time, he is the one that initiates the contact. But God forbid that he ever foul out of a basketball game. I have never seen someone who plows into people as much as him not foul out of a game. Last year Ty played in 39 games and only got called for 93 fouls. That is an amazing stat for someone who plays as physical a game as T-Fizzle does.

The final straw for me though was how much his decision to return to college was celebrated. News Flash--He would not have been a lottery pick if he went pro. I would have to imagine that most if not all NBA executives would agree that his game is not that polished and he would foul out in 5 minutes in an NBA game. So, before every pundit thinks he is the most unselfish, thoughtful kid in America for returning to college (yes that's you Billy Packer, who is going to be the subject of a future post), put it in perspective. Danny Ferry was player of the year in 1989. Calbert Cheaney was player of the year in 1993. Enough said