Friday leftovers
Friday December 1, 2006
- Can’t wait for Army-Navy tomorrow. It’s not relevant at all and pretty one-sided
lately, but it’s still must-see football on the first Saturday in December.
- I have to join those congratulating Oklahoma for a fine season despite losing
Peterson and Bomar. They aren’t the only team to fight on through attrition,
but they’ve come through it better than most and have a shot at the BCS. Unfortunately,
the popular telling of their 2006 story has been to whitewash the end of the
Oregon game. They didn’t lose just because of a blown call. The call certainly
was central to the outcome, but let’s not forget the defensive and special
teams meltdowns that defined the last few minutes of that game.
Take this absurd line from the AP: "Oklahoma is 9-2, but would be 10-1 and possibly a part of the national championship discussion if not for the officiating errors at Oregon." Are they serious? Oklahoma led 33-20 with 90 seconds left. Granted that the game would have been over with the right call on the onside kick, they still had to allow another Oregon touchdown plus get a reasonable 44-yard field goal attempt blocked in order to lose. Oklahoma is 9-2 and playing for the Big 12 title. Take it.
- Has anyone in a major conference ever had a more anonymous 11-win regular
season than Wisconsin?
- With the (temporary) rise of Ohio State to #1 in both football and basketball
polls, it reminds me of the list of schools that comes up when people discuss
whether or not it’s possible for a "football school" to have a successful
basketball program (or vice versa). Can we now please officially drop Michigan
from that list? When was the last time they were relevant in college basketball?
Actually, I think the most schools can hope for along these lines is a good
run now and then. Michigan had its run in basketball. Ohio State is just starting
its run. Texas had/is having its run. UNC had a couple of periods of good
football. There really aren’t many schools, if there are any at all, who can
sustain success in both.
- College football fans love to talk about the absolute importance and vitality
of the regular season, and I don’t disagree. I live for the entire football
season. I think an argument can be made though that for someone who really
enjoys college basketball, the hoops regular season actually offers more
high-quality regular season matchups. The other night, #6 North Carolina
beat #1 Ohio State. Big deal, you say – Ohio State’s football team went out
of conference to play Texas. But the tOSU – UNC basketball game was remarkable
because it is routine. This weekend, Carolina will turn around and host Kentucky.
They have already played Gonzaga. Last weekend, Florida and Kansas clashed.
UCLA has already played Kentucky and Georgia Tech. It’s just another autumn
in college hoops. Dream matchups like those in college football are the exception
and the stuff of weeks of hype.
Note I didn’t say more meaningful matchups. That’s the tradeoff – because these early-season games aren’t actually deciding anything (other than style points when it comes selection/seeding time), the casual fan doesn’t really begin tuning in until after the Super Bowl. The first Duke-Carolina game is the unofficial start of the college basketball season for a lot of people. If meaning is what does it for you then, yes, February and March is your time. For good interconference basketball, this time of the year is second only to the NCAA Tournament. It makes you wonder that if a single loss didn’t put you in such a really tight spot in the college football national picture, how many more teams would be willing to take a few more chances in the quality of their nonconference scheduling?
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