There are many more reminders of why this system needs to be put out of its misery than there are positives in the bowl match-ups, but there are four games I’m looking forward to.

Bowls To Watch

The only BCS game I’m even somewhat excited about is Kansas St. vs. Oregon (though the runaway offenses will probably become tiresome). Neither Texas/Texas A&M nor the Backyard Brawl worked out as bowl games. Oklahoma vs. Texas A&M should be a good substitute for the former though. That gets top billing in my mind for best non-BCS contest. The second and third choices are probably Georgia-Nebraska (CapitalOne [which you might remember as the Florida Citrus Bowl]) and LSU-Clemson (Chik-fil-A, aka Peach). But I’m still going to complain about LSU’s treatment shortly.

A brief aside about the Cotton. Maybe it’s because I’m not Texan, but I really don’t understand why someone was going to veto Texas/Texas A&M. I get that Texas had its schedule set, and the non-conference schedule is also curtailed by the fact that the Big XII schedule is now 9 games, and they weren’t going to bend over backwards to accommodate a rival who decided to go to the SEC instead. But how is any of that a reason not to play that rival in a bowl game, especially one with such historic ties to both programs? Just for spite someone had to put a stop to it?

I know the non-BCS bowls I mention all involve SEC teams, but the SEC has the best non-BCS teams. Clemson and Nebraska are two of the best non-champions. Nebraska would have easily been regular-season champions of a combined Big Ten (but got creamed by a Wisconsin team that didn’t even really belong in the title game), and Clemson tied in the ACC Atlantic (the one with the only ACC teams worth a whole lot) with Florida St. but lost the head-to-head tie-breaker. Oklahoma actually tied for the Big XII championship but didn’t get the Fiesta invite for losing head-to-head (not to mention out of conference to Notre Dame).

Seeing Red

I’m still annoyed that Northern Illinois was forced into a BCS game, but they still may be better than Louisville. I have never understood why they made it top 16 rather than top 12. Any undefeated team is almost guaranteed to be in the top 12, as will many strong one-loss non-major-conference teams. But Northern Illinois has played probably the easiest schedule in FBS. They’re in 2007 Hawaii vicinity with how bad it was, and we all remember how that turned out. And that was an undefeated Hawaii team. As mentioned, at least there is some solace in the fact that this system will be replaced.

Not that NIU is sure to be embarrassed. If North Carolina St. can beat Florida St., why not the Huskies? I’ve already mentioned Wisconsin by winning a game it didn’t belong in (and actually doing the embarrassing in the process).

And Wisconsin is still an example of why you don’t put the wrong team in a match-up, they can always win. I’m not saying the Big Ten had a choice here (I understand the probations of both Ohio St. and Penn St.), but it just didn’t work out well for neutral fans here.

Full blog, including reactions to Louisiana teams' placements (or lack thereof).

Kentucky has fallen, so has A-Rod, who got the better of the Rivers/Manning trade? All this and more in this weeks edition of…..

On the March 24, 2011 edition of “Rants and Raves” I posted a question..

Why is it that when you go to the gas station and use your credit card to pump gas, the gas pump doesn’t stop until your car’s gas tank is full.

Are you still paying attention, but, when you pre-pay, the gas pump slows down with about 50-cents to go and it then takes almost a minute or two to finish pumping? Any gas experts???

WELL, I finally got an answer to that question. I was pumping gas at my local gas station, when I noticed a mechanic working on one of the gas pumps. When I was finished pumping gas I walked over to the man and asked him that question and he politely answered the question as such…

When you use your credit card you have control on how much gas is pumped and how much you actually might want to spend so if you want to fill it up the pump won’t stop until the gas tank is full. But, when you prepay you want to only pay a certain amount, so to make sure the pump does not go over the prepaid amount the gas attendant presets when the gas starts slowing down as to not go over the price amount.

This has not been a good week for the NFL.

First Kansas City Chief’s linebacker Jovan Belcher kills his girlfriend, the mother of his daughter, then goes to Arrowhead Stadium, talks to GM Scott Pioli and Coach Romeo Crennel, thanks them for all they have done for him and then commits suicide. Now there is a 3 month old child, Zoey Michelle, without a mother and father.

If that wasn’t enough, and this went unnoticed….

Eric Eucker a member of the Cleveland Browns ground crew also committed suicide by hanging himself in the equipment shed.

I can say the Giants got the better of the deal with the Chargers for Eli Manning. There is no comparison. As we all know by now, Phil Rivers was drafted by the New York Giants with the 4^th pick in the 2004 NFL draft, while Eli was drafted number 1 by the San Diego Chargers. Manning did not want to play for the Chargers they had a 25 year-old quarterback named Drew Brees running the plays for the team. The Giants traded Rivers along with three picks (which San Diego used to draft Shawne Merriman, Nate Kaeding and Roman Oben) to get Manning. Now Rivers, Kaeding and Merriman are great players, but, they have not won any Super Bowls with the Chargers, while Manning guided the Giants to two Super Bowl victories.

8 years and 12 games stat info for Phil Rivers

112 games of which he started 108, 27,254 yards, 181 Yds and 93 Ints. 4 Pro Bowls

8 years and 11 games stat info for Eli Manning

132 games of which he started 130, 30,469 yards, 200 Tds and 140 Ints, 2 Pro Bowls

Alex Rodriguez might miss time due to a second hip surgery. It is reported that A-Rod could miss the first half of the 2013 season. He will have to have his left hip to repaired to fix a torn labrum, bone impingement and the correction of a cyst. It could take four to six months to recover.

To some, they were expected to repeat (don’t tell that to Indiana fans), to others a top 5 team, but now the sky has fallen as Kentucky fell last week from #3 to #8, and this week fell off the map and outside the top 25, by losing to Notre Dame and Baylor. This is the biggest single weekly drop from the ranking since they went to a 25 team ranking in 1990.

Don’t make excuses that Kentucky is a young team, because Kentucky was a young and unproven team last year and they won the National Championship. I must also mention that Kentucky had the top recruiting class in the nation.

The first members to be inducted into the baseball Hall of Fame have been announced. Former Yankees owner Jacob Ruppert who purchased the team in 1915, bought Babe Ruth from the Red Sox, and built Yankee Stadium. Also elected into the Hall were umpire Hank O’Day and barehanded catcher Deacon White.

I am rooting for Northern Illinois to beat Florida State. I want to see an occasional underdog, or Cinderella story every once in a while. If I was FSU I would not take NIU lightly.

Til Next Time

Scott

Yes, I took a personal day...Needed a Monday Moaning breather...But here I am, back for more...Back with more to say...And since I took that breather, let me give you all just a little extra of the good stuff...
 

Now that I've taken care of the sexy, I am happy to say that Notre Dame will be playing in the BCS Championship game against Alabama...I think I made my thoughts clear HERE...There isn't a doubt in my mind that ND can beat Alabama...I'm not calling a blowout...But they can win...It should be a close game...

The Bowl game that most people seem excited about is the Fiesta Bowl...Kansas State vs. Oregon...A Championship game many wanted to see, before both teams lost...It should be a fun one...

But the Bowl causing all the controversy is the Orange Bowl, which has Northern Illinois taking on Florida State...The 12-1 Huskies did everything required of them to earn an at large bid for a BCS bowl...All the other conferences knew about this rule...ESPN knew about it...It was many of their talking heads that kept raising a stink about the likes of past Boise State, TCU, Utah, and Nevada teams not getting a fair shot at BCS bowls...

So now, a MAC school does it, and everyone is pissed...They keep screaming Oklahoma should be there...WHY?  Because they're a big name...So what...They lost to Notre Dame, and Kansas State...They win both those games, they're playing for it all...They win one of those games, and maybe they win their conference and get the automatic bid...College Football has always been clear...You have to win...Win...There's no playoff (yet) so you have to be perfect, or nearly perfect to go anywhere...Otherwise, go fuck yourself...So stop with this Oklahoma, Georgia, LSU, should be there instead of NIU...

NIU is 12-1...You're not...NIU won their conference...You didn't...NIU finished in the top 15...They hit the requirements...NIU's QB is better then yours...NIU is giving their students 1 free ticket each to the Orange Bowl...Your school isn't/wouldn't....I'll take the Huskies over you crying cunts!

-Sunday, my NFL viewing options were the Lions and Colts and Packers vs the Vikings...I could care less about these teams...The Lions have been a bust...The Colts are rebuilding...I don't care about Andrew Luck and his come backs...The Packers have been overrated, or underachieving, or both...And the Vikings are trying to get their shit together...I just don't care...The NFL just really bores me...So the kids and I went ice skating...We've been going twice a week for a few weeks now...Maybe I'll start getting my ass back in shape...

When we got home, the Browns game versus the Raiders was on...Guess what?  I didn't fucking watch it...Two of the worst teams in the NFL going head to head in the battle of who could care less...No thanks...I made meatloaf, mash potatoes and corn instead... (the Browns won)

-The big story this week in the NFL was Chiefs LB Javon Belcher shooting and killing his girlfriend and mother of their 3 month old daughter...Then he went to the Chiefs facilities, and killed himself in front of his coach and GM...It's an awful story, and while many have touched on it, no one has said something that needs to be said...I don't care if you were his friend of a family member of his, and you're reading this...FUCK JAVON BELCHER!  Anything good he ever did in his life was voided Saturday...He got off easy taking his chicken shit way out...Fuck this fucking fuck...His daughter has no parents...And one day she'll learn about what happened, and what will that do for her?  Break her heart...Fill her with anger...God knows what else...Javon Belcher is/was a piece of shit....That's all his head stone should say...

- And since I'm already angry...I'm sure everyone has heard about the homeless guy who had no shoes...So a NYC cop bought him a pair of water resistant boots and some socks...The picture of it all has become huge...
 

Well once again, this guy has no shoes...When he was seen without the boots, barefoot again, he was asked about it...His story..."They're hiding." He feels that they are expensive, and could get stolen...

Well kids, I'm calling bullshit!  You're fucking homeless...Where the fuck are they hiding?  I hate to be cynical, but am...I don't believe this shit one bit...This fucker sold those boots for some drugs or booze...This cop did a great thing...I have to wonder how he feels about this...Probably gonna think twice before he thinks about reaching into his pocket for some one again...

-A year ago this past weekend, the comedy world lost a great...If you have a hour to kill, come back and click on this video, and listen to great interview with Patrice O'Neal...It's not just about comedy, it's a real, honest, and funny conversation that gave great insight into a hell of a comic...

 


That's it for now...Have a week...

The Beeze.

Okay, so ESPN's talking heads had pushed so hard in the past, to get an at large BCS bowl bid for smaller conference schools without the automatic tie-in, that the NCAA and BCS made it happen...That school must win their confernce, and be ranked higher than 16 in the BCS rankings...

Well, Northern Illinois (12-1) did that, and landed in the Orange Bowl against Florida State...Now the ESPN talking heads are screaming that NIU is going to a BCS Bowl instead of Oklahoma, Georgia, LSU, Texas A&M, who were all ranked higher, but all have a worse record...But they have no problem with a 5 loss Wisconsin team in the Rose Bowl...

So, Q-o-t-D 1.)   Should Northern Illinois be in the Orange Bowl?

Q-o-t-D 2.)  Should this rule be in place?

Top 25

rank / team / prior

1 Notre Dame 1

2 Ohio St. 2

3 Florida 3

4 Alabama 5

5 Stanford 6

6 Oregon 4

7 Kansas St. 8

8 S Carolina 9

9 LSU 10

10 Georgia 7

11 Oklahoma 13

12 TX A&M 12

13 Nebraska 11

14 SJSU 15

15 Clemson 14

16 Florida St. 17

17 N. Illinois 19

18 Oregon St. 16

19 Utah St. 18

20 Boise St. 24

21 Louisville –

22 N’western 20

23 Michigan 23

24 Ball St. –

25 Ark. St. –

Out of rankings: (21) Texas, (22) Rutgers, (25) Kent St.

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