Most. Boring. BCS. Ever.
I can’t remember a less anticpated college bowl season. Can you? And why in the heck is June Jones commenting on Tim Tebow?
Make It Stop!
Ohio State-LSU, Kansas-Virginia Tech, Hawaii-Georgia, Oklahoma-West Virginia, USC-Illinois. College football fever, catch it! Not one of these games intrigues. And it’s not just because some non-traditional powers are there. It’s because these are boring teams. Ohio State simply survived. LSU made it on their season-long “merit”. Neither team rumbled through the regular season and face a date with destiny. They were simply in the right spot when the music stopped.
If you want more evidence, think about this. If the horrid Gators defense makes just two plays (one each against Auburn and LSU in the waning moments of each game) the Gators could have been headed to New Orleans for a re-match with Ohio State. That a mediocre Gators team was that close to the championship should be disturbing to everyone. If Dennis Dixon doesn’t go down for the season, the Oregon Ducks could be playing for the MNC. Their team very obviously lived and died on his arm and legs, is that really a championship contender? Before Sunday there was a lot of talk that Georgia, the third or fourth best team in the SEC should, no MUST, play for the MNC. They were fourth in the BCS standings after all. I could go on. But hopefully by now you get the point.
2007 will go down, we can only hope, as the most mediocre college football season in memory. Thankfully it is almost finished.
What’s In Your Wallet?
Going for the low handing fruit there, sorry. Florida-Michigan. Bring it on. This will be a little bit of delayed satisfaction. After Big Blue whined and complained last December that they should face Ohio State for the MNC we Gators fans grew to despise them. Now we get the chance to put them in their place. I’ll talk more about this game as it nears. But keep in mind that Michigan’s first two games this year were against spread offenses, and they lost both.
It’s The System Stupid
Legendary head coach June Jones of Hawaii has
labeled Tim Tebow a “system” quarterback. I remember people saying this about Danny Wuerffel years ago. But guess what, they’re all system quarterbacks. Rare is the time when a college quarterback is sent on the field with the vague direction “go score, you figure it out.”
When comparing Tebow to his own Heisman hopeful, Colt Brennan, Jones mentioned that last year Brennan accounted for 63 touchdowns compared to Tebow’s 2007 total of 51. Okay. Sure. Apples and oranges, but I’ll bite.
In 2006 Tebow took the Gators to the end zone 8 times rushing and 5 times passing, in very limited action. In 2006, do you think Tebow was in the game for more or less than 20% of the Gators’ offensive plays? That’s the 2006 difference, Tebow scored 80% fewer touchdowns than Brennan. For 2006, Tebow handled the ball 122 times compared to Brennan’s 645 touches. To say it a different way, Tebow handled the ball for Florida 81% fewer times than Brennan did for Hawaii. Want it a different way? Touchdowns per play: 2006 Tebow - .11, 2006 Brennan - .10.
For 2007 Tebow has 51 touchdowns to Brennan’s 46. Brennan handled the ball 537 times, while Tebow was in control for 511 plays. Touchdowns per play for 2007? 0.10 for Tebow and 0.09 for Brennan.
The gold in this story is the last paragraph, where Jones says that he received a lot of correspondence from FSU fans, grateful that someone finally had the stones to “call out” Tim Tebow. I realize Jones is stuck out in Aloha-land, but let me tell you, never has an FSU fan shied away from berating or degrading a Florida player. Even in defeat they still talk smack. I seriously doubt they needed some has-been coach relegated to mid-night kick-offs to speak for them.
TALB thinks this has more to do with Jones’ dismay that his 20 year old “run and shoot” offense fizzled out after only a few years in the late 80’s and early 90’s. While the “Spread” has flourished at all levels of football. All I can say is that June will get his fill of the Florida “system” August 30, 2008 in the Swamp. And he won’t have Colt Brennan on hand to bail him out.
Bucs-Saints
I will get to this later in the week. I have a lot to say, but I just noticed that I’m running long. Wednesday or Thursday I think…
Playoff Prognostication will also be a separate post this week.
Clinched
For the first time since 2004, my fantasy football team will make the playoffs. That year I made it to the championship game and lost to the eleventy-time champion Teabaggers. This year the Rusty Trombones are in third place with one game left in the regular season. Depending on this week’s outcomes, the ‘Bones have the chance to rise to the top spot going into the playoffs. This week I draw the struggling Gunslingers. They’re on a 3 game losing streak, but can still make the playoffs with a win and help.
Running Items
Super Bowl XLII
New England vs Dallas
I think the Bucs are a dark-horse in the NFC right now. But we’ll see how next week goes.
