LOI Day

Today was LOI Day. The first day of the new year that high schoolers are allowed to sign Letters of Intent with schools to agree that they will come to play football for them.

The evolution of LOI Day has really been interesting to see over the last decade or so. It used to be so obscure, I think if you mentioned LOI Day to 1,000 fans, 999 of them would look at you like you were talking about nuclear physics. That hasn't exactly reversed, but at this point I would guess that 25% - 30% know about LOI Day, and probably a good 10% could tell you at least something about what went on.

Maybe not 10%, but damn sure it's a lot more than it was at this time in the '90s.

This has begun to get a lot more attention in the media recently, which is one of the main reasons it's becoming better known. ESPN ... Not the Deuce, not ESPN News, ... the main channel, broadcasts LOI Day. The antics get sort of crazy with these kids - and don't forget that's what they are...kids thrust onto national television - declaring their intentions. It's interesting to see where they're going, but the process itself has sort of gotten a bit sick. Ahh, gotta love that media.

Anyway, check out the live blogging above to recap the action. It's not really worth it much for me to go through it all cause I didn't see any of it live and don't particularly care to go word for word. My personal take from it is that as a Penn State alumni, I was really hoping Jelani Jenkins would choose us over Florida, but it looks like that's not gonna happen. Oh well, Linebacker U will go on I'm sure. Penn State's had a solid class so far, so I won't complain too much.

Read more...

BCS Championship and the #1 Ranking

On the hum-drum of my morning commutes to work, I really enjoy listening to Steve Czaban on our local Fox Sports radio station. I’m not sure if he’s national, but he’s based in DC and I believe he serves several markets outside of simply DC and Richmond. One of the many reasons I really enjoy the Czabe is because he’s never unwilling to do things such as mercilessly bash tonight’s national championship game, despite it being hosted by the guys signing his checks. It’s amusing to hear him talk about the worthless stupidity of the game, followed immediately by his wing-man doing a 10 second promo for the game.

Czaban’s gotten into the habit of specifically NOT referring to this game as the “National Championship,” as he puts it “because it’s not. It’s the BCS Championship, because it’s decided by the BCS guys, not on who’s actually best.” I actually feel like this is a terrific representation and wanted to throw that out here and at least propose that people start calling it the BCS Championship.

So anywho, tonight’s BCS Championship match-up pits Florida (Superman wears Tim Tebow pajamas) against Oklahoma (No one wears Sam Bradford pajamas) in what Oklahoma promises to be a blow-out. Personally I think they are probably going to be right, but in the wrong direction.

Now, with all the arguing over how the BCS really is “teh suck”, is there anyone that is willing to argue that Florida is not the best team in the country if they pound the snot out of Oklahoma tonight? This is in no way me arguing against a playoff system. And I get that USC and Utah both have a right to be pissed that they don’t get a shot at the crown. But reality is that if I’m watching what’s going on through the entire college season – and I did – there really is no question in my mind that Florida would win a playoff of say 8 or even 16 teams. At least (warning: content relevant to gamblers only), they’d win it far more often than any other team would.

However, I am 100% in favor of the AP poll sticking Utah in the #1 overall slot regardless of who wins tonight’s game or by how much. Let’s ignore the fact that they’re a Mountain West school. They did everything they’re supposed to do to win a National Championship. They went undefeated. They beat a solid BYU team. They beat a very good TCU team. And then they went and thumped Alabama, who up until a few weeks ago was the #1 team in the country.

You can’t even argue that they didn’t try to beef up their schedule, cause they opened the season by beating Michigan. Yeah yeah, it’s Michigan, who really fears them, right? But these games don’t get scheduled three months in advance…they’re scheduled a couple years in advance. Prior to this year, the Wolverines have been to a BCS bowl three of the last five years, and the two others were the respectable Outback and Capital One bowls.

I for one am hoping the AP steps up and recognizes this accomplishment as worthy of the #1 overall ranking in college football.

Read more...

BCS Madness

So, in the wake of tonight's second-to-last "real" bowl game (Ball St I guess counts for something, but Tulsa doesn't, and c'mon, it's Ball St...really, who cares?) I'm gonna vomit up a rant which everyone does and never gets anywhere but so what?

Anyway, this one specifically deals with why the BCS officials are telling us we need to not have a playoff. I heard an interview with a BCS official discussing the possibility of playoffs down the line, particularly given one network now owning all the bowls (starting next year). His response was (not an exact quote) 'We don't want a playoff, because we need to protect the integrity of the other bowls. The other bowls will become meaningless if we have a playoff."

Okay, I can dig the "Every regular season game means something" argument. And I can even understand it if they say "MO MONEY!!!" (Actually, I can't, cause how is a playoff NOT going to generate more money? Another post for another time...)

But, hunh???

We have a mini-playoff right now. How exactly is expanding a one game playoff to say a five game playoff going to damage the integrity of the other bowls?

Specifically, how is the EagleBank Bowl - played in early December - going to be any less meaningful because the Fiesta Bowl is suddenly a playoff game rather than what we have tonight? Is there anyone out there that can find me one person that doesn't work in the NCAA that will argue this point? If so, can you please point them in my direction?

In fact, tonight's Fiesta Bowl is exactly what they're arguing about...it's a meaningless game that has no integrity protection. Tonight's game would become MORE meaningful, while the Poinsettia Bowl would become no less meaningful.

Anyway, it's a rant of course, and won't make a bit of difference. But I simply don't understand why anyone out there actually believes someone would swallow that tripe, much less people that work for educational institutions.

Perhaps the lesson here is that I need to home school my children...

Read more...