WAC Shit: Part 1

Brent Guy, Derek Dooley, and Robb Akey. Chris Peterson is waiting for your call, he fully expects you to send him flowers a strippergram and a bottle of absinthe at some point in time. Honestly, it is the least that you can do for the man. In the wake of the Fiesta Bowl the WAC is riding a wave of good feelings coming into this season. That is largely due to the slaying of Goliath in the Fiesta Bowl, much to the chagrin of Adrian Peterson.

The WAC has a long and strange traditon of mostly indistinguished results on the field and a bevy membership changes over the years. In fact the WAC spawned the best non BCS conference in the country, the Mountain West. Up untill last season the school with the biggest national profile, was a school that had failed to ever win the conference. iam speaking of Fresno State of course. They are perenially one of the most talented teams in the conference but they always, always blow it down the stretch. Notice that all the talk of Pat Hill leaving for greener pastures has subsided consideribly over the past couple of years. The Bulldogs are clearly below the top two teams in the conference at this point.

Boise State is the glamour program in the conference right now but, the glamour player is without a doubt Colt Brennan. Now the possibility of Brennan and the Warriors meeting or surpasing the numbers of last season, is, well it’s like likely. 58 TD’s is ungodly. This offense will be sick, and it will keep secondariest throughout the region up late but I don’t think they will match the numbers of last year. Even returning their 3 best WR’s and 3 of 5 OLine starters.

Must watch television will be the game between New Mexico State and Hawaii. Just some food for thought, expect a minimum of 1000 total yards and 100 points, both offenses are just that good and both defense’s bring nothing to the table.

Top to bottom I don’t think this conference is a as good as the Mountain West, or even Conference USA. But the WAC is going to be one of the more interesting conferences to watch this season. Because of the offensive radiation leaking out of  Las Cruces and Honolulu. Because of the newly minted Boise State mystique. It should be an intersting season for the WAC.

Big 10 Expansion, Because I am Like Everyone Else.

As per usual I am a little bit behind the trend on this matter. That can be atributed to any different number of things, cheif among them being that for the majority of last weekend I was either without a computer, or driving a really long ways because I had to double back to retrive the Cell Phone I forgot at home. I will not bore you with a discusion of the pros and cons of the various schools that would be considered for inclusion in the self important Big 10. That has already been done, and in a very succinct and through manor.

If it was not clear before this point that Jim Delany is a self absorbed and dellusional tool it should be at this point. Others have taken the run at the man, and with good reason but untill this point I have resisted. I feel that I can no longer resist the urge to join the chourus, and decry the man who has made most Big 10 fans run and look for cover every team he speaks, his tragicly under developed mind, for fear that he will once again damage the national perception of the conference, that is already throughly beaten and bruised, courtesy of the Florida Gators, mostly.

Well the man without a logical plan, opened his mouth again, this time he is speaking with some merit. Only in that the Big 10 needs to consider an expansion to get to the required 12 teams needed to host a conference championship game. That is the only reason. Jim Delany thinks that there is another reason for the conferecne to considered an expansion. Thats right, its the oft discussed and more frequently denounced, contraption known as the Big Ten Network, BTN for those in the know, but more on that later, the concept of expansion takes precedence here.

The Big 10 should consider an expansion, if just for the monster check that the game will generate. But there are relativly few teams (read as Notre Dame) that are even remotely viable for the conference to consider for inclusion. For all intents and purposes the Big 10 can add who ever they damn well please. Whatever team that is added will be irrelevent to the general standing of the conference, keep in mind that I am talking strictly in terms of revenue sports, because money is what matters here. The established heirarchy of the Big 10 is far too entrenched for anyone to come in an make an impact on the conference. Many thought that the addition of Penn State in 1993 would shake the Big 10 up and create the parity that had long since abandoned the conference. That didn’t work and it won’t work this time, unless, Notre Dame is the team to be added to the conference. But the likelyhood of that happening is, well, its not at all likely. Notre Dame has a plush and cushy arangement as it is right now and there is no incentive for them to give up their status as and indpenant. Nor will there be in the future, so they are out. They will be the constant object of the Big 10’s lust but they will never be part of the Big 10. Two other possabilities for expansion are Rutgers, and Louisville. Rutgers is a possability because of the desperation of the Big 10 to get into the New York market, but even then it is a stretch because Rutgers has to prove to be a consistant power on a national scale. That is something they have not proven to be, but they may be in the future. Louisville is the center of another line of thought. They have become a real live threat on the national scale, not just in Football, but in several other sports. Louisville is shaping up to become a national all sport power in the image of Stanford and Texas. That is something to keep in mind because the Big 10 needs an image boost outside of the revenue sports where the Big 10 doesn’t match up to other power conferences, with a couple of noteable programs, Minnesota Wrestling, Indiana Soccer and Wisconsin Track which come directly to my mind. But if the Big East continues to grow and improve at its current rate the desire for the Big 10 and its money will be dimminished because it is split in more ways than the money in the Big East. The Big 10 will expand but I don’t think the conference is the enticing entity that Jim Delany thinks it is, which brings me to his reasoning.

His reasoning is that the Big 10 should expand, is to further push the Big Ten Network into more homes and media markets. Here is the point he is missing. BTN is going to be an unrequited failure. The cable companies see that. That is the reason that the BTN will, more likely than not, be religated to a special sports package tier. The Big 10 already has a presence in some of the largest media markets in the country, thats also the problem, they will fight with a lot of other interests. Ohio State vs. Michigan would garner attention in Chicago, Penn State vs Michigan State would not. Thats the thing, the interest in BTN in the Big Ten footprint is not enough to sustain the network. That is why it is going to, in the words of Lewis Black, fail on a massive fucking level. The interest, top to bottom, in the Big 10 is flat out not enough to sustain a Big 10 centric network. There is one conference in the country that has everything the Big 10 lacks. That is of course, the SEC. The interest, from top to bottom, in the SEC far out stripes the Big 10. Mississippi and Mississippi State two perenial losers draw to near capacity on a regular basis, you can’t say that about the Big 10’s Football bottom feeders, Indiana and Northwestern. Thats the difference, the SEC inspires more interest top to bottom in all sports than the Big 10 could ever hope to, that is why the BTN will fail at a massive level. If the SEC launched their own network it wouldn’t be the next ESPN, but it would be a marginal success. Of course this is all news to Jim Delany, who lives in his insular world where it is the Big 10 versus everyone else, and the simple rules of aggregate demand are beyond his comprehension.

Conference USA Shit: Part 2, Predictions

Conference USA is a difficult conference to call this season. There are some very intirguing teams in the conference this season. For all intents and purposes Southern Mississippi is the team to beat in the Eastern division, that is if you hold fast to the consensus amoung professional prognosticators. I happen to be one of those people as well. But the East is not what makes the conference hard to call; the west is a crap shoot to be sure. I think that any one of four teams could end up representing the West, Houston, Tulsa, UTEP and SMU. UTEP is one of the more interesting stories in the country over the last few years. Aside from the fact that UTEP has been at the center of Mike Price’s redemption after the Alabama fiasco. It is perenialy one of the more talented teams in the Conference, if the recruiting services are to be beleived, I leave that decision to your discretion. Price has battled health concerns this year, but will be on the sidelines for the season opener. He is one of the best coaches, or rather he should be one of the best coaches in the conference, UTEP’s perenial failuers to secure even a division title, coupled with last season let downs would say other wise. However his knowledge of the game is beyond many of his peers in the conference, which are, for the most part, young, inexperienced men charged with their first real head coaching job. That makes the failures of the minors even more puzzeling. It should be an interesting year in the conference. Plenty is going on, pertaining to the national scene, not the least of which is the Southern Miss game at Boise State late in September. The Golden Eagles have more than enough ability to pull off that upset and end Boise’s repeat BCS dream before Hawaii does. There are few things that can be taken for granted in this conference, and it deserves your attention for no other reason than it will be nearly impossible to read and wildly entertaining all year long.

Standings

East

1. Southern Mississippi
2. Eastern Carolina
3. Central Florida
4. Memphis
5. Marshall
6. University of Alabama – Birmingham

West

1. Houston
2. UTEP
3. SMU
4. Tulsa
5. Rice
6. Tulane

Game of the Year – UTEP AT Southern Mississippi – Novermber 17th

This is probably not the game that anyone else would pick as the conference game of the year, seeing as no one else thinks that UTEP will be even remotly good. I am the disent on that issue I guess. But I really do think that UTEP will come into this game with just 2 losses, maybe just 1 if they can sneak out with a win at SMU. I tend to think that the abundance of talent at receiver is going to make a huge difference for the team once the QB, be it Trevor Vittitoe or Brandis Dew, gets acclimated. Southern Miss is going to be the team to beat in the conference for the same reason they are always a hard team to play. They play defense well and they run the ball well. The interior of the line is going to need time to gel before conference play begins. The early game against East Carolina, who beat them last season, will be rough but the Eagles will ride the defense to win that game. As for this game it will be interesting to say the least, it will match Thomas Howard and Damien Fletcher who are, in my mind, the best two running backs in the conferene, all due respect to Joseph Doss and Kevin Smith. I think that UTEP will come into this game leading the West and needing a win to all but wrap up the West. It should be a good game, both teams match up very well athleticly. Southern Miss has the only secondary in the conference that can match up well with UTEP’s fleet of sleek, fast, and slippery receivers. In the end though the defensive line of the Golden Eagles will be too good for the front of the Miners, and that will be the difference in the game.

Conference Notes

Central Florida is making a major commitment to the Football program, opening a brand new 60 Million Dollar stadium this season. The opening game will see a rare site, an elite program travelling to a Non BCS team to play an away game. That team? None other than the Longhorns of Texas…Bob Toledo has taken as strange path to his current location. The former head man at UCLA, the man best known for taking UCLA within striking distance really close to playing for a national title in 1998 if it were not for a freshly resurgent, still slightly probation riddled, Butch Davis led Miami Hurricanes team. Bob now finds himself in one of the toughest jobs in the country at this time, the head of the Tulane Green Wave…Goerge O’leary is one of the best coaches in the conference, were it not for Mike Price he would be the best. His teams however have not played to their potential. Being in Florida has its advantages, like more talent that you could ever imagine, but his teams have been perenial head cases, never taking adavantage of their athletic advantage…Call this the end of the Tommy West era. I don’t see him escaping this season with his job intact. Phil Steele thinks other wise but I can’t make it out. Doss is a tremendous talent but I don’t see a lot of people around him…Marshall made the move to C-USA in 2005. They haven’t taken to the new conference in anything remotely similar to the way they took to the MAC in 1997. They have a pair of NFL ready talents in end Albert McClellan and Center Doug Legursky but are still below par at the other spots…Rice is in for a struggle. Despite the fact that they have Jarrett Dillard back as well as Chase Clement throwing to him. What they don’t have back is their head coach who has migrated back to Tulsa, or their offensive coordinator, Major Applewhite, who was lured to Alabama by the promise of Sabanmania…Tulsa is a threat to win the conference right now. But will they continue to be in the future without Steve Kragthorpe? That is a question that will be awnsered in time, I tend to think they won’t be.

QB: Paul Smith, Tulsa

RB: Marcus Thomas, UTEP

RB: Damien Fletcher, Southern Miss

WR: Fred Rouse, UTEP

WR: Jarrett Dillard, Rice

WR: Emmanuel Sanders, SMU

TE: Shawn Nelson, Southern Miss

C: Doug Legursky, Marshall

G: Robby Heos, Rice

G: David Ziegler, Marshall

T: Dustin Dickson, Houston

T: Chris Clark, Southern Miss

DE: Albert McClellan, Marshall

DT: Sean Merrill, Southern Miss

DT: Martavius Prince, Southern Miss

DE: Marcus Hands, ECU

LB: Josh Johnson, Marshall

LB: Nelson Coleman, Tulsa

LB: Trent Allen, Houston

CB: Johnell Neal, UCF

FS: Quintin Demps, UTEP

SS: Brandon Sumrall, Southern Miss

CB: Joe Burnett, UCF

K: Jarod Tracy, Tulsa

P: Thomas Morstead, SMU

KR: Jessie Henderson, SMU

PR: Joe Burnett, UCF 

Conference USA Shit: Part 1, The Void Within

When it comes to the oversight of entire Conferences, I am no match for the prodigious skill and work ethic of SMQ. I lack the depth of knowledge that he has in spades. That being said I still do find the need to voice my opinion on all 11 conferences in the Division 1A. And I have acted accordingly begining with the Sun Belt, and the Midwestern Athletic Conference. I will continue from here, moving in a generally upward direction, expanding in depth and perceptions on given groupings of schools, as the schools themselves begin to merit in-depth musings, and begin to cast the perception of relevence on myself. With that in mind I present part 1 of 2 for Conference USA.

The history of C-USA is an interesting one to myself. It has endured quite a few membership changes, most recently in 2005 when most every school east of the Sierra Nevada Mountains was effected, directly or indirectly, by the massive changes sparked  by the raiding of the Big East by the ACC. What started out as a simple six team conference in 1996 has grown to a membership of 12. I would think that the intention of the conference would be clear. In my mind the goal was to create a “super conference” among those in the non BCS ranks. With such a broad geographic base, the thought had to be that C-USA would rise to the top of the Non BCS conferences and begin to knock on the door of the BCS, in much the way Utah did before the conference, as we know it today was formed. It has only been two years but the dividends don’t look promising from where I sit. The Mountain West is clearly the strongest, and deepest non BCS league. Few people whould dispute that, and those that would are unrequited fools in my estimation. Next I would place the WAC, for this season at the very least, riding high as they are on the crest of the Boise State Fiesta Magic. That is not to say that there isn’t more to the WAC, quite the opposite in fact, but the WAC, as a conference, will benifit immensly from the massive ground swell of goodwill induced in all but the most cynical of fans. It has only been two years but the gap between the MWC and the WAC has perceptibly widened from C-USA.

The problem from where I sit, is that the conference main breadwinner of the past has moved on to bigger and better things. I am refering, of course, to the Louisville Cardinals. They were the bellcow for the conference early in this millenium, prior to that it was Southern Mississippi. That is not to slight Southern Miss, they never really stopped carrying the load, but they were left alone when Louisville left, without an equal. The unfortunate reality is that when the Big East came calling, Louisville was the easy first choice, they had the greater potential. The power vacuum that effected C-USA was not nearly as large as the one that struck the Big East, but the Big East fixed its problem at a much faster pace than C-USA did. The fact that Louisville is one of the schools to fill that vacum can not be a comforting thought to those in the C-USA offices. It is clear that the Golden Eagles have taken up the flag of the East.

The West is not so clear, one would figure that one of the Texas schools would be the safe bet. There are problems though, with the Texas thoery. While it is quite clear that the greatest collection of talent, within the boundries of the conference, lies within the bounds of the lonestar state. The schools that share the same ground have been ill disposed to take advantage of that fact. Each has in turn been hampered for various reasons. Rice has academic standards on par with the great institutions in this country. UTEP has struggled against decades of being the definition of medicore. While the program has been revived under Mike Price, he has not been able to claim a title for the Miners. SMU has had to endure the stigma of the death penalty, repercusions for the purchase of the Pony Express. Of all the programs SMU has by far the greatest history and tradition, and tradition and matters in College Football, but there is the stigma of the Death Penalty looming between the present, and their long and storied past. The mantle would seemingly fall to Houston. Houston would indeed be my bet for the school that will eventually become to leader of the conference, filling the departed spot of Louisville. But, at the same time, I am not sure that they alone can handle it.

An arguement could surely be made for Tulsa, but I don’t beleive that the Golden Hurricane will ever reside, for long periods of time, at the top of the West. It is hard to recruit in Oklahoma, it is harder to recruit in Oklahoma when you are the third in line. They also have to get into Texas to be successful. Texas where they have to fend of four conference rivals and the rest of the country to recruit in Texas. Tulsa has done great things with the offense of the now departed Steve Kragthorpe. Todd Graham  is a good coach, no doubt. I didn’t think the spread would work so quick for Rice. It will be interesting to see what he does this year, without his budding star of an offensive coordinator. Graham can coach, but think that we will find his accension to the top of the conference harder at Tulsa. He is taking a step up in terms of talent, but I am convinced that it was the combination of Major Applewhite and Graham that was most crucial to the success at Rice.  

The way I see it is that the western half of the conference is an absolute mess. Chaos will reign supreme in the West for some time to come. Because for the most part, the five schools are, by most accounts, relativly equal. The private schools, Rice Tulsa and SMU, predictibly have the budget constraints that afflict most schools in similar situations that lack a national profile. The two public institutions have greater resources to tap into, specificly UTEP which has the fiscal benefit of being part of the University of Texas System. I don’t think there is much hope of Tulsa keeping pace with the Texas schools in the long run, there is a reason why they were rescued from the abyss by Kragthorpe. I don’t see Rice as being a threat in the long run. However SMU, unlike Rice and Tulsa, has shown in the past that they can be a national player in something resembling this brave, modern world of College Football, the coke and strippers version though, the 80’s for those who don’t know. I think that the West is going to be fought between SMU, Houston and UTEP for some time to come. 

In the East it looks like it is Southern Miss, the school that was close to being the standard upon which all mid major’s have rallied around had Louisville usurp them late in their C-USA term. That is forgotten, sort of, but the Golden Eagles (sidebar: It seems that having two teams from the same conference, both having the same start to their nicknames would be a violation of some, unknown, irrelevent rule buried somwhere within the lexicon of the NCAA. Myles Brand should get on that, so that we don’t all get confused, bless his heart.) are clearly the class of C-USA Eastside. Though it should be noted that there is another potential usurper within the conference. UCF is a large, state funded, institution with a large studant population, and an administration pursing athletics, that is of course, if you beleive that building a 65 Million Dollar stadium shows a commitment to athletics.

This year I think you will see Southern Miss and, well, pretty much anyone of 4 schools from the West in the C-USA title game. In the years to come I think that the void left by Louisville will never be filled in a permentant way. Southern Miss, was one of the best in the conference before the Cards left, and they still are, but the spot Louisville left is crucial, because it will never be filled, with any regularity, by a single program. Because of that, the conference won’t become what it was designed to be. It will never be a super conference below the BCS.

The Worldwide Leader in Disdain

Whilest parusing my daily links today I stumbled upon a writing of intriguing proportions. Dawg Sports laid out, in very eloquent terms, exactly what his problems with the Worldwide Leader are. As per usual it extremly well thought out, I will not go so far as to say that the logic in it is irrefutible, because I find very few things to be wholy irrefutible, but it makes sense, a lot of sense acctually. It is all a matter of point of view. From my point of view I do not have a problem with ESPN as a news outlet, sure they have too much power and influence, put the power that they had was given to them by people. But the problem with finding fault with an opposation as large as ESPN and bringing it too light, is that it is really easy to find. The spector that the Worldwide Leader casts is so large, and their coverage is spread in so many different corners that there is no hope of doing justice to all the people, and all the diverse fan bases from all the different sports, who turn to the Bouyah Network for information. Finding fault is easy, finding the reason is easier. 

ESPN is just like every other network, driven by the prospect of increasing profit margins in the process of pursuing higher ratings. They appeal to the vast majority of sports fans, the guy who sits in his bed every night and catches the Sportscenter at 11 before going to bed, and the guy in the dive bar at 2 AM both get something from ESPN. I can not pretend to speak to the intents or wishes of others, but the general vibe that I get from reading other bloggers who have spoke to the issue is that they feel that what ESPN provides in programing, and the mannor in which they provide it has turned into one massive abuse of power. Power which was endowed upon them in a Jeffersonian way. That is not something that is exclusive to the world of sport. It is a problem which has plauged the media at large for some time now, Jon Stewart, who is probably the smartest smartass on the planet has railed for years on the issue. Given the fact that his show is on Comedy Central he is easily dismissed, much like many bloggers who have touched on the issue have been dismissed for the inherent nature of blogging, and the easy ability to dispute the voracity of their collective statements. The medium is the issue for most, but the salient points presented by blogs like Dawgsports are inherently sound. In my view ESPN is much like CNN, Fox News and MSNBC, they stopped simply being purveyors of the news a long time ago. They give the news now, as ever, but the difference is that it is not just the news, there is an element of “fluff” to it. The vast majority of the american public wants to be entertained more than they simply want the news. They want to be informed, but in a creative way. Thats why Anderson Cooper gets two hours a day, not that AC360 is a bad show that fails to cover anything of substance, quite the opposite acctually, but Anderson Copper is also entertaining in his delivery of the days events. That is the ideal balance that should be struck, often times it is not. 

That same trend carries through to ESPN. The Worldwide leader has never been renowned for it’s hard hitting journalism, and that reuptation is less than savory at this point. Consider the difference in demographics between CNN and ESPN. Not to insult anyone but it is not a stretch to say that the majority of people who watch ESPN are less refined, not less intelligent, but with interests that are more constricted than those who watch CNN. Yes I do decry the possition in which ESPN is in right now, they are farther from their roots than ever. But I think that what they have done is the natural progression of the company, ever in search for the proverbial untapped markets who have not been presented with an opportunity, or reason to buy into the ESPN brand. ESPN is not just about sports anymore, they are an entertainment company as well as a highly placed news outlet, the two things are not mutualy exclusive. That is not to say that those two things don’t present conflict when the two branches of the company coalesce, it usually does, but they can be made to function in a semi symbiotic relationship. That is the balance that I spoke of above with reference to Anderson Cooper. Finding that balance, and the backlash inherent with trying something new, is a problem that ESPN will be willing to work with because the payoff is worth it. In terms of viewers, sponsers and ratings. By transforming ESPN from a purely news oriented outlet to one that provides a bit of flash and dash with it’s personalities, ESPN draws in the casual viewer who has time to kill and happens upon SportsCenter. Thats what they are after, they have transformed their company in the persuit of that, but make no mistake they are very good at what they do. That is also the reason the Stewart Scott is litteraly everywhere at the same time, he is a personality not a journalist. You can trace that seachange in practice to the infamously entertaining “This is SportsCenter” TV adds that began running in 1994.

ESPN does have problems. One of them is that they have the ability to influence far too many people far too easily. The clear example of this would be USC in 2005. They do have the ability to dictate what matters and what doesn’t. that is a power that should never be given to a media outlet, but ESPN has one. Because they have lead pipe lock on sports. They are a monopoly. And because they are a monopoly they have the ability to dictate to the people what is important and relevent at any moment in time, see last Saturdays Beckhamfest for proof. That is not to say that people have no fault in that. The public endowed that power upon them, unknownling sure, but that doesn’t mean that it did not happen. The worldwide leader might indeed be a monolitic entity dictating to the public what is a story and what will be a story. That is the thing, they have all of this power that they can bring to bear on anything they choose at any given moment, but that power was endowed upon them by the very people who are now decrying the way in which they choose to bring that power to bear. The thing is that I am not sure that the power given by all of us to them can ever be recovered. Will there be a day when the public will turn enmasse from ESPN to SMQ, EDSBS, and Mgoblog for their College Football insights? Maybe, I think it would be good for most people. In the mean time the debate will continue to rage, and I will continue to spectate. But keep in mind that the power ESPN holds, which is the root of this entire debate, was given to them by us. Bloggers are important in this issue, because the only people who can take back what was given are the people who gave it in the first place. Taking back that power requires alternatives, and that is what blogs provide.