I am not thrilled with our performance on Thursday night. That much has been made clear I think. At this point though, I'm more worried about Cincinnati than anything else. We are prone to turnovers (not consistently, but when they come, they come in bunches with us). Cincy is all about creating turnovers. If the fumbling WVU shows up, we lose. It's as simple as that.
If we just keep winning, we should get to #4 at minimum. Two of the Big 12 teams in front of us are assured of losing. We will pass whichever two drop a game. That leaves 1 Big 12 team ahead of us no matter what. Whoever wins the Big 12 Championship game will remain above WVU, and there's nothing we can do about it but complain.
That leaves the other slot open for Oregon or LSU. It's unlikely that Oregon will lose, but they do have a rivalry game coming up against Oregon State, and play an improving Arizona team this Thursday. Pray for them to lose a game. We need it badly.
LSU has Arkansas and the SEC Championship game left as their only challenges. Ole Miss doesn't count. I can see LSU losing to Arkansas, it's not that far fetched considering their penchant for letting garbage teams hang around for 4 quarters. If Georgia makes it to the SEC title matchup, I go with the Bulldogs to win. They are really looking great right now. That being said, if UGA wins out, would they pass us? I'm not sure. Either way, we have to hope for an LSU loss somewhere.
So there's the scenario at this point. If Oregon and LSU win out, that's your BCS title game. If one loses, it's the other vs. a Big 12 team in the title game. If they both lose, it's likely our spot to lose against whoever the Big 12 team is. Unless, of course, we get jumped. Georgia could jump us, but no one else is in position to do so. OSU will not, VT will not, etc...
Bottom line? West Virginia has to win out, and pray for both Oregon and LSU to lose. An upset in the Big 12 would be nice too, and maybe give us some room to breathe a little bit.
But let's not get ahead of ourselves. We have a huge game coming up on Saturday that no one thought would be that big before this year started. I don't think their crowd will bother us any, as the stadium is too small. But make no mistake, UC is treating this as their game of the year. It seems like we're that game for everybody doesn't it? That makes me happy. Regardless, UC will come out fired up in this game, and we have to match that intensity. We cannot come out flat, we cannot turn the ball over, and we cannot have a crappy gameplan (fat chance). Our season, and all our hopes, can come down to this one.
Other than that, we just need some help elsewhere. So root for every crappy team against every good one, and let's just see what happens.
Also, root for Michigan. It can't hurt, and makes my life much more enjoyable.
Showing posts with label Post with some Actual Substance. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Post with some Actual Substance. Show all posts
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Tuesday in the Rain
Well, there is no Mountaineer press conference or MSN Mountaineer Replay on my beloved Fox College Sports Atlantic channel tonight, as they are showing a women's volleyball game between Florida State and Miami. Ugh. I'll try to catch the Sportsline broadcast online though I guess, so at least I might have something to discuss.
Listening to the radio in Columbus today, the Big Show with Bruce Hooley came on at 5pm. I hated this guy last year, my first year in Columbus, but he seems to have leveled out a bit. He was mad delusional in 2006, claiming Florida and West Virginia run high school offenses, and that the Browneyes would "plant Percy Harvin in the turf if they run that stuff". This season, he's actually pretty good. He thinks the Browneyes will go undefeated, as do I, and he claims that it's a combo of their talent and a terrible schedule. Again, I think tOSU is good, but not great. They will likely go unbeaten, but it's just as much a product of the teams they play.
Tim Brown joined Hooley on the show today, and picked tOSU and LSU to play in the title game. He too thinks the Browneyes go unbeaten, and then proceeded to crush their schedule. Brown implied that the Bucks would almost certainly lose at least 2 games if their schedule were legit. Furthermore, Hooley asked Brown who impressed him this season. He mentioned only two teams, West Virginia and South Florida. He went on to say that USF was upset by a good team under the lights on the road, and that he believes that they are truly a great team that will make noise even with one loss. Mind you, Tim Brown played at Notre Dame, so I was very surprised at his remarks. The BigEast has really raised its profile in the last couple of years.
Kirky Herbstreit's Top 5 Teams:
1. OSU
2. LSU
3. Oregon
4. Oklahoma
5. Boston College
I won't argue with that too much. You can justify each of those teams being in that position, and I believe he ranks based on record and potential finish, rather than who he believes is the best team. He suggested that the upset trend will continue this week, and I think he's absolutely right. Kirky also put Oregon on Upset Alert against USC. I think if USC wins that game, they jump WVU in the BCS, but we'll see. I also think VT will jump us if (and when) they beat Boston College on Thursday.
Bottom line is this: the Mountaineers need to continue taking care of business and hope for some help. If we do that, the rest will take care of itself. The best team we've beaten is ranked #44 in the Sagarin ratings in Maryland. We have no real bragging rights type wins, and are still #7, so let's quite crying about getting no respect from the media. Considering what we've done this season, we're getting plenty.
So let's go Mountaineers, and beat that Rutgers-Jersey ass.
Listening to the radio in Columbus today, the Big Show with Bruce Hooley came on at 5pm. I hated this guy last year, my first year in Columbus, but he seems to have leveled out a bit. He was mad delusional in 2006, claiming Florida and West Virginia run high school offenses, and that the Browneyes would "plant Percy Harvin in the turf if they run that stuff". This season, he's actually pretty good. He thinks the Browneyes will go undefeated, as do I, and he claims that it's a combo of their talent and a terrible schedule. Again, I think tOSU is good, but not great. They will likely go unbeaten, but it's just as much a product of the teams they play.
Tim Brown joined Hooley on the show today, and picked tOSU and LSU to play in the title game. He too thinks the Browneyes go unbeaten, and then proceeded to crush their schedule. Brown implied that the Bucks would almost certainly lose at least 2 games if their schedule were legit. Furthermore, Hooley asked Brown who impressed him this season. He mentioned only two teams, West Virginia and South Florida. He went on to say that USF was upset by a good team under the lights on the road, and that he believes that they are truly a great team that will make noise even with one loss. Mind you, Tim Brown played at Notre Dame, so I was very surprised at his remarks. The BigEast has really raised its profile in the last couple of years.
Kirky Herbstreit's Top 5 Teams:
1. OSU
2. LSU
3. Oregon
4. Oklahoma
5. Boston College
I won't argue with that too much. You can justify each of those teams being in that position, and I believe he ranks based on record and potential finish, rather than who he believes is the best team. He suggested that the upset trend will continue this week, and I think he's absolutely right. Kirky also put Oregon on Upset Alert against USC. I think if USC wins that game, they jump WVU in the BCS, but we'll see. I also think VT will jump us if (and when) they beat Boston College on Thursday.
Bottom line is this: the Mountaineers need to continue taking care of business and hope for some help. If we do that, the rest will take care of itself. The best team we've beaten is ranked #44 in the Sagarin ratings in Maryland. We have no real bragging rights type wins, and are still #7, so let's quite crying about getting no respect from the media. Considering what we've done this season, we're getting plenty.
So let's go Mountaineers, and beat that Rutgers-Jersey ass.
Tuesday, October 9, 2007
BCA Considers Lawsuit to Push for More Minority Coaches
I'm not sure how I feel about this one.
Let me start by saying that there is definitely a lower than reasonably expected number of minority coaches, as noted in the article. Should there be more black, Hispanic, whatever coaches in college football? Well, based on the number of minorities playing the sport, one would think it's only natural for that same number to be reflected in coaching positions. Why is the number so low? I'm not sure. Maybe the system hasn't been opened up long enough that there is the quantity of minority coaches that are legitimately qualified at this point (I should point out that I don't think most of the coaches of any race that have jobs right now are qualified anyway, but whatever). I mean, for decades they were dissuaded from pursuing a coaching career, or just flat out not allowed to do it. Maybe we are just now catching up to speed on that front. I don't know the answers, but I would agree that the BCA has a point.
That being said, I don't feel like forcing people to do something with a lawsuit is really furthering the movement. If you want things to be righted and people to be treated equally, then the people in charge have to support this. They can't be forced to do anything, or there will almost certainly be a backlash. People do not respond well to force, especially those who are in positions of responsibility. So can we really force the powers that be to change their way of acting without changing their way of thinking? Or do we need to give it more time?
I know, minority coaches have waited to be more involved for longer than I can imagine. I'm certain that the progress hasn't been what they've hoped for up to this point, but there has most certainly been progress. I think it's important though, that said progress evolves on its own. The only way to really change a mode of behavior is by changing the mode of thought. People of my generation are much less inclined to involve race in their view of the world. Not that older generations are blatant racists, it's just that they've lived their lives and formed their opinions in much different times and social circumstances than those of my generation. Kids are now more exposed to multiple cultures than ever before, and that trend continues to expand. By the time today's teenagers are running the show, I doubt race will even be a factor anymore.
Unfortunately for all of us, however, race is still a factor today. No one wants to admit it, but the remnants of our hateful and divisive pasts are still with us. That is something that can only change with patience and time, not with lawsuits. Until viewpoints and perceptions are changed at the most basic level, nothing will ever change. Up to now, progress has been made, albeit slowly. Time is the only variable that will alter hiring practices and decisions. There is no way to rush things along. So lets all wait and see how this thing plays out, I'm sure it will be interesting.
Let me start by saying that there is definitely a lower than reasonably expected number of minority coaches, as noted in the article. Should there be more black, Hispanic, whatever coaches in college football? Well, based on the number of minorities playing the sport, one would think it's only natural for that same number to be reflected in coaching positions. Why is the number so low? I'm not sure. Maybe the system hasn't been opened up long enough that there is the quantity of minority coaches that are legitimately qualified at this point (I should point out that I don't think most of the coaches of any race that have jobs right now are qualified anyway, but whatever). I mean, for decades they were dissuaded from pursuing a coaching career, or just flat out not allowed to do it. Maybe we are just now catching up to speed on that front. I don't know the answers, but I would agree that the BCA has a point.
That being said, I don't feel like forcing people to do something with a lawsuit is really furthering the movement. If you want things to be righted and people to be treated equally, then the people in charge have to support this. They can't be forced to do anything, or there will almost certainly be a backlash. People do not respond well to force, especially those who are in positions of responsibility. So can we really force the powers that be to change their way of acting without changing their way of thinking? Or do we need to give it more time?
I know, minority coaches have waited to be more involved for longer than I can imagine. I'm certain that the progress hasn't been what they've hoped for up to this point, but there has most certainly been progress. I think it's important though, that said progress evolves on its own. The only way to really change a mode of behavior is by changing the mode of thought. People of my generation are much less inclined to involve race in their view of the world. Not that older generations are blatant racists, it's just that they've lived their lives and formed their opinions in much different times and social circumstances than those of my generation. Kids are now more exposed to multiple cultures than ever before, and that trend continues to expand. By the time today's teenagers are running the show, I doubt race will even be a factor anymore.
Unfortunately for all of us, however, race is still a factor today. No one wants to admit it, but the remnants of our hateful and divisive pasts are still with us. That is something that can only change with patience and time, not with lawsuits. Until viewpoints and perceptions are changed at the most basic level, nothing will ever change. Up to now, progress has been made, albeit slowly. Time is the only variable that will alter hiring practices and decisions. There is no way to rush things along. So lets all wait and see how this thing plays out, I'm sure it will be interesting.
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