There has been a lot of trash talking amongst the fan bases of USC and Oregon this week. Oregon, bless their hearts, seems to think they are relevant. They seem to think they are going to be favored by a BCS system that has their average computer ranking at #8. They seem to think if they win out they will be in the BCS National Championship Game over a 1-loss SEC team.

Silly Ducks.

(USC has abdicated more National Titles than they’ve ever won. Heh heh)

Oregon should really talk to USC and Auburn fans about what if feels like to be left out of an equation you have every right to be a part of. It hurts. It still fucking hurts seven years later. I remember exactly where I was (El Guapo on Melrose RIP) and how I felt (Stunned, shocked, sickened) when the BCS Selection show announced that LSU and Oklahoma would be going to the 2004 BCS Championship game and that USC, who was #1 in the AP and Coaches poll, would be going to the Rose Bowl.  I am sure Auburn fans can lament how terrible it felt the following year when USC, Oklahoma and Auburn were all undefeated and Auburn was left out of the game.

The BCS Sucks.

Look, I am not naïve; it is not Oregon who has to worry (at least not too much). If Oregon runs the table, they should be in the game no problem. If Oregon runs the table and a 1-loss team from the SEC (or any other conference, but let’s face it, the BCS computers are biased towards the SEC) jumps them, there will be mass chaos. Anyone who has actually SEEN the Ducks play (computers, amusingly enough cannot evaluate skill, just numbers. Football is about SKILL.), does not have any doubt that this is the best team in the nation. Their speed, their agility, their ugly uniforms – they are all unlike anything out there this year.  This is kind of a shitty year for traditional football powerhouses. Florida is a disaster. Texas is in chaos. Oklahoma is rebuilding. USC is sanctioned.

So if there was any year a non-traditional team was going to sneak into the BCS title game on the strength of an undefeated record, this would be it, right?

Talk to the Boise State Broncos.

They are undefeated. They currently sit below Auburn and Oregon in the BCS poll. And the really shitty thing is, it is entirely probable that by the end of the season, a 1-loss Alabama team could jump an undefeated Boise team in the rankings. After all, the pundits will argue, Alabama plays an SEC schedule, they play a harder schedule.

OK, sure, Alabama does play a harder schedule. But they also play close to home. And they also, like other SEC schools, play an out of conference schedule against FCS opponents that should not be rewarded. Since when is bullying rewarded? But that is precisely what the SEC out of conference schedule is, Bullying.

The SEC also loads the front end of its schedule with conference games, so that their Strength of Schedule is better, earlier. Oregon hasn’t yet played the hard part of their schedule. They’ve got USC, Arizona, Washington and Oregon State ahead of them. There is no guarantee that Oregon will make it out of this weekend, let alone this season, undefeated. The Pac-10 is troublesome that way.

And I don’t think Auburn is all that, frankly. They are good. They are not great. Cam Newton is great.  Cam Newton deserves the Heisman. Auburn allowed Arkansas’ backup QB to hang 43 points on them. They won a squeaker in OT against Clemson. They did not dominate a very overrated LSU team in any way.

Auburn allows 23.5 points per game, 53rd in the country. No team has ever won the BCS championship allowing 20 points or more per game.  Only two teams have ever played for the BCS title with a defensive scoring average of more than 20 points: 58th-ranked Oklahoma in 2008 and 35th-ranked USC in 2005. Oklahoma in 2008 and USC in 2005 averaged roughly 50 points per game on offense.  Oklahoma and USC lost those BCS championship games.

Oregon , on the other hand, has gone in and decimated its opponents. It has won the way a team with championship aspirations should win. Completely. Thoroughly. They have left no doubt amongst their competitors or amongst the human pollsters. Oregon sits at #1 in both the AP and Coaches poll. In fact, the Ducks have 44 first place votes in the AP. Boise State sits at #2 with 11 and Auburn at #3 with 3.

I just get sick of SEC this, SEC that, blah blah. Arguably, the Pac-10 THIS YEAR is deeper than the SEC. The SEC East is a fucking disaster and LSU is overrated which leaves… Alabama. And Auburn.  Who will lose to Alabama in the Iron Bowl.
It’s not that I doubt or question the quality of SEC ball, it’s the SEC attitude that wears on my last damn nerve.  The pervasive overall sense is “We deserve this because we’re in the SEC.” Now I REALIZE the irony of a USC Alum saying that, but I never claimed not to be Arrogant.

Also I should probably stay out of the comment sections on certain sports sites as they just annoy me.

I have no answers for this conundrum. The BCS is not a fair determiner of NCAA Division 1’s football champion. It’s been broken from the start, and tweaks along the way have not made it better.

Of course there is the argument that Boise State’s schedule is so weak that they don’t deserve inclusion. And I understand that thought, I do. But it is a dangerous thought to have. If Boise State wins out, and thoroughly decimates their competition the way they should – well does their inclusion in a non AQ conference deny them the right to play for the BCS title?

Sadly, I do tend to think it does. And I don’t believe that is fair. The BCS sucks.  A playoff is needed. But good LORD the logistics of figuring that out… Good Luck.

It has been interesting to me, how fired up I am about the BCS on Oregon and Boise State’s behalf , in a year when USC is not a factor. That tells me one thing: The system is fucked. It favors the SEC regardless of other team’s records. True the SEC has won the last four titles. But that is the past. The BCS needs to operate in the present.

And in 2010, the Pac-10 is the strongest conference.

(I know this rant is not going to win me any fans south of the Mason Dixon line. So be it. There are enough SEC fans and supporters anyway. I am trying to drum up some love and respect for the Pac-10!)

Hey! Are you following me on Twitter?

Recap: 13-3

Hey Football Fiends-

I am taking the week off from Official NFL Picks. I will however let you know how I fare this week in my pick em league. I’ve been stinking up the joint so far this season so…

But College Football! YAY! Here are my picks for this week. I am rooting for Oregon State to upset Boise State, after all, Oregon State painted their practice field blue to prepare for the Smurf Turf.

Gridiron Goddess Week 3 College Football Picks

USC over Washington State

Texas over UCLA

VA Tech over Boston College

Penn State over Temple

GA Tech over NC State

Florida State over Wake Forest

Georgia over Mississippi State

Alabama over Arkansas

Stanford over Notre Dame

Arizona over California

Nevada over BYU

South Carolina over Auburn

Oregon over ASU

Tennessee over UAB

Florida over Kentucky

Oregon State over Boise State

-Your Gridiron Goddess

Football Fiends!!!

This past Saturday of FOOTBALL GOODNESS encompassed so many examples of why College Football is vastly preferable to the No Fun League. (And you all know how much I love ALL football!) You just don’t get the passion, the spirit, the excitement, in the NFL that you get on a weekly basis in College Football.

For every Alabama battering Duke (62-13) and Oregon dismantling Portland State (69-0), there was Auburn kicking an OT FG to best Clemson 27-24 or ASU nearly pulling off the big upset in Madison (Wisconsin 20- ASU 19).  No matter what part of the country you live in, or which BCS conference you root for, there was a heart-stopping (quite literally in the case of Michigan State Coach Mark Dantonio) game to tune into.

Michigan State’s controversial last second fake field goal lifted them above Notre Dame 34-31. Notre Dame had to be feeling shades of 2005 USC @ ND with that clock ticking down trickery.

Auburn and Clemson dueled it out the entire game and it took a field goal in overtime for the Tigers to beat the Tigers 27-24. (What is it with all the Tigers in that part of the country, anyway?)

Everyone had Arizona State as the big underdog going into their game at Wisconsin. The Sundevils surprised everyone by nearly pulling off the upset 20-19.  Even UCLA, who started their season 0-2,  pulled off the upset of #23 Houston 31-13.  Speaking of the Pac-10; USC beat Minnesota in highly unimpressive fashion 32-21, Stanford clobbered Wake Forest 68-24 and Oregon State beat Louisville 35-28.

But the biggest game of all of the marquee games in the Pac-10 and, in fact, the country  was Iowa at Arizona. Iowa went into Tucson ranked #9 to Arizona’s #24. People expected it to be a game, but not many thought Arizona would pull off the upset. (Am sure all of AZ’s Pac-10 competitors could have predicted it, though. Let us not forget, The Pac-10 OWNS the Big Ten)

Arizona was up 14-0 at the end of the first quarter. At the end of the 2nd quarter the Wildcats were up 27-7.  In the 3rd quarter Iowa rendered the AZ offense inoffensive and scored 7 to the home team’s 0. 27-14 Arizona heading into the 4th. The Hawkeyes were not going to make this easy as they went on to score 13 in the 4th quarter to even things up.  With 3:57 remaining in the game QB Nick Foles threw a 4 yard pass to William Wright for a touchdown and the Arizona D held the Hawkeyes off for the rest of the game to win it 34-27 in one of the most exciting games of the weekend.

Arkansas-Georgia was another great one. Arkansas ran away with the first 3 quarters. The Razorbacks were up on the Bulldogs 24-10 at the end of the third quarter with QB Ryan Mallet firmly inserting himself into the Heisman race. In the 4th quarter UGA came back to tie the game with under 4 minutes to play. Then, when it looked like this game was heading into overtime, Ryan Mallet lobbed a 40 yard pass to Greg Childs for a touchdown with :15 seconds on the clock.

Back in the Pac-10 for all the big and near wins we had, we also had some big losers. Washington State continued its disappointing record against FBS opponents with a 35-21 loss to SMU. California lost a stunner of a game to mid-major Nevada 52-31 and Washington’s 56-21 performance against Nebraska likely put an end to Jake Locker’s Heisman hopes since he went 4 for 20 on the day for an abysmal 71 yards.

My Trojans have the dubious distinction of being the only FBS team in the country to win each week so far and drop two points in the polls each week. We started at #14, beat Hawaii and moved down to #16. We beat UVA and moved to #18.  We beat Minnesota and moved down to #20.  Sure, they haven’t been overly impressive showings by the men of Troy. But we WON. And sure with the sanctions and everything, we’re bowl ineligible. But STILL it feels like a slap in the face and another way for the polls to punish the current USC team who had nothing to do with Reggie Bush’s shenanigans five years ago. But, I am biased and might have a small chip on my cardinal & gold sheathed shoulder.

College Football season truly is the most wonderful time of the year!

-Your Gridiron Goddess

Hey there football fiends!

ByronVolFan is back for the fourth year in a row with his SEC Football preview.

2010 SEC Football Preview

by Byron Earnheart aka ByronVolFan of the Gridiron Goddess’ Harem

It is time.  I was watching the re-showing of “America’s Got Talent” last Sunday night (because my wife is 9 months pregnant and controls what we watch) and there it was…the announcement…the NFL’s Hall of Fame Game kicking off in 1 week.  The most useless overhyped football game of all football games…and I nearly cried.  It means my beloved sport…the new American pastime…is coming to recall us back from the brink of becoming a soccer-crazed nation.  Yes, I got soccer fever for awhile, but it left me lagging like a Daniel Lincoln field goal.  The game has abandoned Tiger Woods…LeBron has joined forces in Miami and will forever have any victory tainted by the fact he is on the NBA’s equivalent to the New York Yankees.  What a terrible summer!

But, fear not, Gridiron Goddess fans…there is hope.  She is a bright and shining star beckoning you to stay the course…the North Star in a turbulent sea.  She is football…and she will make you laugh, cry, bleed, and laugh…all at once.  This is especially true for us SEC fanatics.  The time of monitoring spring practice and the idiots who post useless information on the whims of 18 year olds is over.  It is time for football.  It is time to be filled with pride when your team takes the field to defend the honor of your state against those infidels across the state line.  It is a time for revenge or to taste the smarting sting of shameful defeat once more.  But it is time…

So, allow me to set down my mint julep, light a cigar, recline in my rocking chair on the porch in my seersucker pants, and tell you what I think about everything about this upcoming year.

SEC Championship Game:  Alabama over Florida.  This year, it is these two teams at the top and everyone else clawing behind them.  And I hate that.  My Volunteer heart burns at this fact…but it is true.  Alabama is still too good and Florida is too green.  Alabama will have a tougher schedule as the West is much deadlier than the East…but the division titles are these two teams’ to lose.  Don’t be surprised if Urban Meyer cries at the end of this game…partly from chest pains and partly because he realizes he probably should have redshirted Tim Tebow.

Now, in their predicted order of finish within the division, here are my thoughts on the rest of the league by division:

SEC West:

The best division in the league this year and possibly the country.  Yeah, I said it.

1)      Alabama: As stated before, it’s theirs to lose.  2 MONSTER RB’s returning and a VERY adequate and tested quarterback.  On D, I always like stellar linebackers and ‘Bama is stacked there too.  Yes, McClain is gone…but Hightower is a beast too.  Very talented.  Expect the name “Nick” to outpace “Bubba”, “Junior”, “Larry”, “Hank”, and “Garth” in baby names in the state of Alabama in 2011.

2)      Arkansas:  This is the year for them.  If Petrino can get enough credibility to move on to his next mercenary position, this is the year for him to do it.  Mallett is  a stud.  That’s all there is to it.  Don’t be fooled by the Liberty Bowl performance.  I was at that game…and cold doesn’t even begin to describe it.  Nobody could have performed well in those conditions…and ECU isn’t that bad of a team.  Their game, at home, against Bama is for the West…but don’t get too excited.  Key losses in the D-line will hurt and I just don’t see the Hogs stopping Ingram and Co.  But take heart, your “Woooo Pig Soey” (or however you spell that) will be just as ignorant at the Capital One Bowl  or Cotton Bowl as it would be in the Sugar Bowl.

3)      LSU: This is no reflection on my belief in LSU talent or coaching.  As predicted, last year, Les Miles began to show his true ignorance.  This is a team that has been living on borrowed time since Saban left.  “Yeah, but they won a National Title”.  Yes, they have the distinct privilege of being the first 2 loss national champion, violating every reasonable football strategy, and still winning.  There is such a thing as “Reversion to the Mean” in football and when you tempt fate as much as the Miles has…it will bite you as it did last year. ..and last year could have been worse.  LSU was beaten at Mississippi State and if not for a rookie mistake from Mullen with a QB who might be 5’8”, the Bulldogs would have been bowl bound and we might have been talking about the Malzahn era at LSU.

4)      Mississippi State:  See above.  This is a team on the rise.  Great young talent that’s gotten some good game experience and, arguably, one of the top 5 coaches in the SEC.  Mullen did a great job with almost no talent last year and, if not for a freakish defensive play on a questionable offensive call, they would have beaten LSU and been in a bowl.  “But, you attacked Miles’ coaching and praising Mullen’s”.  Yes, because Miles has coached longer, won a title, and is at a “better” program.  I’ll give Mullen one call…Miles has had years of stupidity to prove my point.  Back to State…great QB talent in the hands of a great QB coach…mean defense coached by an up and coming DC.  If you follow Southern football at all, you’ll admit that MTSU had a fairly good defense…well, that guy is at State which means exponentially better players playing in an aggressive style.  Regardless, State will beat Ole Miss and, in any year, that’s all that really matters.

5)      Auburn:  This was the toughest call for me.  For one, I didn’t really watch much of Auburn last year.  They always seemed to be playing when a more interesting game was on.  Yet, they managed to do MUCH better than anyone expected.  I put them behind MS State only because I watched more of them than Auburn.  Truthfully, 3-5 on this list could be put in any order you wish and will probably be close.  I don’t know where the wins/losses will be, but, at first glance, Auburn should pull 7 games out this year.

6)      Ole Miss: My, how the high and mighty have fallen.  Masoli will not save this team.  Name me the last great QB that Nutt ever produced?  Matt Jones, right?  Well, that’s an assumption in calling him a QB and not the precursor to a Wildcat formation.  The amount of talent this team has lost is astounding.  I’m sorry, but this will be a bitter year for the Rebels.  I hope the warm embrace of their new mascot (Which I’m sure will be ridiculous…Admiral Ackbar was almost there!) will keep them warm along with their toddies.  And the really sad thing is that they may start 5-0.  However, it only gets easier when UL Lafayette comes to Oxford.  6-6…and that’s a stretch…but not a good SEC showing.

The East:

It’s Florida’s year…and the rest are there to keep Urban Meyer’s medication flowing.  (That’s just wrong…I’m sorry)

1)      Florida: Tebow is gone but this team is still stacked.  The East is theirs to lose.  Meyer, all health related jokes aside, is a heck of a coach and recruiter.  Kermit the Frog could coach this team and still get it to Atlanta for the SEC game.  Brantley will do just fine at QB and A.J. Jones will be great at LB.  It will be a tougher road than in previous year, sure, but with the East as down as it is…

2)      South Carolina:  Man, this kills me.  Robert Johnson…I mean Coach Spurrier…has got to be on the way out.  What’s he done for the program?  Yet (and this is sad) he has the best returning QB in the East in Garcia.  However, losing a beast like Norwood at LB will be tough, an easy SEC East schedule should make up for that.  Being 2^nd in this division is like being 2^nd in “Rock of Love”…you’re still nasty and horrible.  (I’ve got to stop watching the reality TV my wife forces on me!)

3)      Georgia: Drunk texting from the AD?!  Nice!  The only way it could be worse would be if their players held up a student while wearing their practice jerseys!  Ha ha ha ha…um, wait a minute, that’s us.  Anyway, what can I say…underperformed last year…but AJ Green, to me, is still a stud.  He’ll get the touches and get yards.  Moving to the 3-4 should be good for a fairly solid LB corp and Easley proved to be fair as the RB.  Don’t get too excited…

4)      Tennessee: I have been dreading this paragraph for months now.  The incident with “he who shall remain nameless” has deeply set my beloved program back.  Bravado is one thing…but making Spurrier’s deal with the devil look innocent is something else entirely.  As Amy is a friend of mine and putting my thoughts and opinions on her website, that’s all I can say about that!  Seriously, this will be one of the “rebuilding years”.  We have the number one punter and kicker coming in, so that’s good.  Seriously, there’s some talent on this team…but too much is untested and green.  The D will be serviceable and if the offense can occasionally get some first downs, we should be fair.  I have no idea how good Dooley will be.  The Big Orange Kool-Aid is like Guinness…the further one gets from Knoxville, the worst it tastes.  If I was hesitant about “he who shall remain nameless” until the first game, (And by and large, I was) then it will take a few games for Dooley.  If you’re looking for some sort of quantitative analysis…we might make a bowl…we might not.  That’s what I got for you there.

5)      Kentucky: Another team on the rise…but just can’t find the apex.  Randall Cobb is coming up on his 15^th year in college football and should be good again.  They’ll be like last year…good solid 7 win season but nothing flashy but exceeding expectations and keeping the boosters happy until Calipari can falsify some more SAT scores for his basketball team.

6.) Vanderbilt:  Who cares?  Really, I’m sorry.  I know you lost your beloved coach who barely sniffed at .500 during his time there.  You had Cutler.  You beat Tennessee once.  Good job.  But when I read the returning starters list for the ‘Dores, it’s like reading a list of the Federal Reserve