There's not one thing going on that I'm really excited or disappointed about, so I'm going to take a page out of Frankie's book and discuss a few things in the wide world of sports that have caught some of my easily distracted attention.
James Harrison
If you want to discuss a guy getting a raw deal, you need look no further that one Mr. James Harrison of the Pittsburgh Steelers. He put a big hit on Colt McCoy in last Thursday night's game. Commissioner Roger Goodell, in his infinite wisdom, as suspended him for one game, Monday's matchup against the 49ers. This is the first time in 25 years that a player has been suspended for a hit delivered during a live play. Watch it again. It was absolutely a brutal knock, but, it was clean. Football is a physical game. During the play, McCoy tucked the ball and began to run. He threw it just before he crossed the line of scrimmage. Harrison never had a chance to stop. Now watch again. Harrison didn't really lead with the head. He didn't really launch himself into the tackle. He made a tough tackle. I wouldn't want anything less from my All-Pro linebacker.
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Sunday, December 4, 2011
BCS Championship Announced, Everyone Outside of SEC Upset
Yeah, we are. We already saw the game. It was awful. We really think that Alabama deserves another try?
Who did Alabama beat to get here? A 6-6 Florida team, a decent Penn State team, and an Arkansas team that beat everyone else in the SEC and three other bad programs. Those are their three wins against "ranked" teams. Only one finished the season that way. Just because a team beats up on their conference doesn't mean they're the second best team in the country. I won't deny that they are good, or even that the SEC is probably an above average conference. But, shouldn't a "NATIONAL" championship be decided from two teams around the country? Wouldn't it validate the Bayou Bengals more to beat a team they didn't play, rather than one they already did? Wouldn't the rest of the country respect the SEC as the dominant conference if they beat a team other than one from their own conference?
This seems like a very short-sighted decision. Oklahoma State deserves every opportunity to be in that game. It's not like their schedule was that much more difficult, but at least they beat the other marquee program in their conference. Even stanfurd, as much as I hate to admit it, should have been in the conversation.
In a column posted by an esteemed ESPN writer after the announcement, the points are made that clearly display the bias.
LINK HERE
But here it is:
Point 1:
Alabama started at No. 2 in that same poll, and that's where the Crimson Tide are now: No. 2 in the coaches' poll, the Harris poll, and, most important, the final BCS standings. They did it by having the least offensive loss of the one-loss teams, which isn't exactly the same thing as erasing all doubt.
Point 2:
No. 1 LSU was going to the Allstate BCS National Championship Game no matter what. It could have lost the SEC championship game (and for a while there, as the Tigers ended the first half against Georgia with zero first downs and trailing by three points, it seemed they might), but it wouldn't have changed the rankings math:
LSU = No. 1. Everybody else < LSU. Much less.
....So, because Alabama lost to the number one team and Okie St. laid the egg against Iowa St., the Tide should roll in a rematch. But then point two refutes that. If LSU lost to Georgia, they still would have been in the national championship?
Maybe we'll get an entertaining game. But when it's said and done, the BCS could have done a lot better to determine who was the national champion, and not just the champion of one conference, because now, that's all we'll know.
Who did Alabama beat to get here? A 6-6 Florida team, a decent Penn State team, and an Arkansas team that beat everyone else in the SEC and three other bad programs. Those are their three wins against "ranked" teams. Only one finished the season that way. Just because a team beats up on their conference doesn't mean they're the second best team in the country. I won't deny that they are good, or even that the SEC is probably an above average conference. But, shouldn't a "NATIONAL" championship be decided from two teams around the country? Wouldn't it validate the Bayou Bengals more to beat a team they didn't play, rather than one they already did? Wouldn't the rest of the country respect the SEC as the dominant conference if they beat a team other than one from their own conference?
This seems like a very short-sighted decision. Oklahoma State deserves every opportunity to be in that game. It's not like their schedule was that much more difficult, but at least they beat the other marquee program in their conference. Even stanfurd, as much as I hate to admit it, should have been in the conversation.
In a column posted by an esteemed ESPN writer after the announcement, the points are made that clearly display the bias.
LINK HERE
But here it is:
Point 1:
Alabama started at No. 2 in that same poll, and that's where the Crimson Tide are now: No. 2 in the coaches' poll, the Harris poll, and, most important, the final BCS standings. They did it by having the least offensive loss of the one-loss teams, which isn't exactly the same thing as erasing all doubt.
Point 2:
No. 1 LSU was going to the Allstate BCS National Championship Game no matter what. It could have lost the SEC championship game (and for a while there, as the Tigers ended the first half against Georgia with zero first downs and trailing by three points, it seemed they might), but it wouldn't have changed the rankings math:
LSU = No. 1. Everybody else < LSU. Much less.
....So, because Alabama lost to the number one team and Okie St. laid the egg against Iowa St., the Tide should roll in a rematch. But then point two refutes that. If LSU lost to Georgia, they still would have been in the national championship?
Maybe we'll get an entertaining game. But when it's said and done, the BCS could have done a lot better to determine who was the national champion, and not just the champion of one conference, because now, that's all we'll know.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)