A Low For Rocky Top

The Nail Defeats The Hammer!

One of my favorite quips is that "Tennessee and Memphis have a rivalry much like the Hammer and the Nail--you always know which one's gonna take the beatin'." Ever since the University of Tennessee started playing the former Memphis State University in 1968, they have won 95% of the games. Oh sure, there have been a couple of squeakers- a one point game or maybe a margin of 4 points, but for the most part, the Vols have beaten their little brother on the western end of the state by at least 2 touchdowns on average.

Of course, their is that old axiom of the 'exception to the rule'. That exception would be the Nov. 9, 1996 game--one that Volunteer fans still cry foul over to this day. Trailing 14-7 against a Peyton Manning led Tennessee team, Memphis WR Kevin Cobb took a kickoff back 95 yards, with a slight interruption. Cobb gets hit, flips and catches himself with his elbow, which SHOULD HAVE BEEN (but wasn't) called down. His knee never touches the ground, which is disputed by many Big Orange fans, no whistle is ever blown-- and Cobb runs his way to the endzone and into the hearts of every Memphis fan to ever live. The final score is 21-17, the Tigers' ONLY win over Tennessee and finish 4-7 for the year.

Even worse, the Tiger faithful tear down the goalposts in front of what had became a defacto UT home crowd at the Liberty Bowl after so many years. #6 Tennessee finishes 10-2, gets spun to the Citrus Bowl with a team that included four 1st Round Picks in that year's NFL draft. Tennessee coach Phil Fulmer still calls it one of his worst defeats.

Cobb spent a few years in the CFL, Arena League and even played for the XLF's Memphis Maniax before he started his coaching career in metro Atlanta.

Which Way Will the Wind Blow Gordon Gee?

Only one of these men has the courage to stand up to Jim Tressel or a gun-toting Maurice Clarett--and I'm afraid it's not the one on the right (but I hope I'm wrong)

Who says you can't go home again? Yes, Gordon Gee, the former chancellor at Vanderbilt, Ohio State, Brown, West Virginia and Colorado is returning to the Banks of the Olentangy River and The Ohio State University to serve as its head dog once again.

Gee is an interesting man for Academia, literally a man that has lived a role out of National Lampoon's Animal House (his ex-wife, Constance Gee, was accused of smoking a little herb in the president's mansion at Vandy by a little known publication called The Wall Street Journal---much like Dean Wormer's wife, Marion, and her slight drinking/infidelity issues at Faber College).

Of course, most in the sporting world associate Gee with the controversial sweeping of Vandy's Athletic Department into what amounts to basically the Intramural Department. This move, despite the fact that the Commodores' football prowess has been suspect since Watergate (1974-75 was the last time they posted back to back winning seasons), has actually produced a consistent program in the NCAA's Director's Cup. Of course, the Director's Cup is slanted toward those schools that either dominated the so-called "Olympic Sports" or derided "Country Club Sports" that seem to be in the wheelhouse of Vandy and its elitist demographics or those schools with mega-budgets (see UCLA, Texas, Florida, Ohio State, Michiga, Stanford). Yet, make no mistake, the Commodores have punch in men's and women's hoops as well as baseball in the competitive SEC (and they won a national title in Women's Bowling for 2007, too!). Of course, some of that comes from being the punching bag of the football schedule (that provides a large bowl payment annually, despite the Black and Gold rarely seeing the postseason on the gridiron).

Yet, Gee, who was at Colorado when Gary Barnett was an assistant coach to Bill McCartney including the national title years, knows the value of a good football program. He was at the helm when Eddie George won the Heisman in 1996. And yet, he knows full well of the less-than-stellar record for both CU and The Ohio State University's athletic programs of late-- the scandals of both Rick Neuheisel and Gary Barnett in Boulder; the Maurice Clarett saga, the Troy Smith suspension for accepting monies, the Jim O'Brien era basketball fiasco.

So here comes the great experiment itself: Does Gee, the 'affable bow-tie sporting' president
bring credibility to the Buckeyes by reigning in their reported $97.5 Million budget (the largest in D-I)? Or does he fold on his 2004 stance that University presidents needed to reign in their athletic departments and the spending?

As Gee was quoted in USA Today in 2004-- he pushed for a spending cap, despite its legal challenges-- all the while being the consummate reformer at traditional Athletic Have-Not Vandy. It will be interesting to see if Mr. Gee puts his money where his mouth is as the head man of one of college athletics' biggest "Haves"......

Charles Woodson Wins the Heisman

The Swiss Army Knife

While Switzerland's military hasn't taken a stand in almost 1,000 years, somehow they produced the world's best multi-functioning tool, the Swiss Army Knife. In that same school of thought- the Michigan Wolverines hadn't won a national title in almost 50 years until the 1998 season rolled around. Yes, Big Blue had won numerous Big Ten(Eleven) Titles, they held onto the title of The Winningest Program in the NCAA and even had a Heisman Trophy winner in Desmond Howard--but they didn't have that one star that could do everything, including leading them to the promised land.

Charles Woodson changed all of this. Greatness was expected from the kid who was tabbed as "Mr. Football " in Ohio. His freshman year, he was named Freshman of the year and notced All Conference honors all 3 years in Ann Arbor. As a junior, Woodson was named All American with his 8 interceptions that year at cornerback, his primary position. He then proceeded to scare the living bejeezums out of special team coaches as a fantastic kick returner. And just to make sure no one had it easy, Woodson jumped over and played a little wide receiver for the Wolverines.

One of his most dynamic days came against the hated rival, The Ohio State University Buckeyes. He had an interception in the end zone, a 37 yard catch on offense and a dynamic punt return on a national stage. That game propelled him to win the Heisman Trophy over the preseason favorite, Tennessee SR QB Peyton Manning. Woodson was the first predominately defensive player to ever win the award and starred in the Wolverine's Rose Bowl win over the Washington State Cougars--helping Michigan claim a share of its 11th National Title-- the first since 1948. He soon declared for the NFL draft.

In the NFL, Woodson was drafted 4th by the Oakland Raiders and performed well--earning Al Pro and NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year honors and helping the Raiders reach Super Bowl XXXVII. Although hobbled by injuries later in his days with Oakland, he was still dubbed the 'franchise player' in 2004. He signed with the Green Bay Packers in 2006

The Tide Turns

Ya Gotta Love Hootie

I don't have much to tell you about Cecil "Hootie" Ingram, except as Keith Jackson notes-- he lead the nation in interceptions and posted a game record punt return against Syracuse in the 1953 Orange Bowl. he was also All SEC in both Football and Basketball

Ingram did go on to be the AD at Alabama in 1989 (previously he had been the AD at Florida State from 1980-88, when the 'Noles went to 8 bowl games), serve as a college football announcer and was the head coach at Clemson from 1970-1972. The biggest thing he did for the Tigers? He introduced the 'Tiger Paw" logo, but at the same time he went 12-21 following the Clemson coaching legend, Frank Howard.

Little Big Red

Big Thing in a Little Package

Bobby Newcomb stood a6'0'' when he first came to Lincoln, but the Seirra Leone native was known for pure speed. He had set the world on fire at Highlands High School, rewriting the New Mexico record book and looked to be the next great Nebraska Option QB in the mold of Turner Gill and Tommie Frasier. He got a shot at it his sophomore year, but never quite put a choke hold on the position with Omaha native and later Heisman Trophy winner Eric Crouch.

Newcombe had played as a returner and wingback as a freshman and moved back to wide receiver full time as a junior. Of course, moving to WR during the Osborne/Solich Cornhusker era was much akin to a football Siberia, where it seemed his talent would wither on the vine( save a few quality catches and the opportunity to return kicks and punts). One such moment was finishing the 1999 season with a punt return vs. Tennessee in the Fiesta Bowl. He notched four return scores as a Husker, including this one against Kansas in '99, a 94 yard romp against Mizzou (setting the record for the longest Husker Punt Return) and another against Iowa State as a freshman.

Newcombe was drafted in the 6th round of the NFL draft in '01 after a senior season where he only totaled 26 offensive touches for a total of 237 yards. He logged one year in the NFL with the Cardinals and also had received his BBA in Management after only 3 years.

Rocket Man

The Greatest That Wasn't

"The Rocket"--Notre Dame's Raghib Ismail may have been the most exciting player in the past 25 years. Although he was just 5'11", Ismail was lightening quick and had breakaway speed and received the bonus of playing in the national spotlight known as Notre Dame. During his stay in South Bend, the Irish played for 2 National Titles (winning in 1988) for Coach Lou Holtz. Ismail was a 2 time All American, twice a Top 10 finalist for the Heisman (although the closest he came was #2, losing to Ty Detmer of BYU), and a Walter Camp Award Winner.

Rocket splashed on the national scene in 1989 with his two kickoff returns against Michigan--both of which went for scores. However, the most infamous play of his career took place in the 1991 Orange Bowl against the University of Colorado. Late in the game, the Buffs were leading the Irish who had just made a defensive stand. Ironically, you can hear the announcer state the obvious:" Surely, he'll just punt the ball out of bounds." Of course, he doesn't and Ismail takes the ball on the 9 yard line and gives one of the greatest punt returns ever. However, no box score will ever reflect that as a clipping call nullifies the punt return and Colorado goes on to claim the National Title.

After college, Ismail continued to shock the football world as he took the the-n largest football contract in North America with the Toronto Argonauts of the CFL (owned at that time by Bruce McNall, Wayne Gretzky and John Candy). The LA Raiders quietly took his NFL rights at pick #100 in the draft while Rocket won the Grey Cup in the CFL. After 2 years in the frozen North, Ismail returned to the NFL and sunny LA putting together a solid, if unspectacular career with the Raiders, Panthers and Cowboys.

While it is well know that Raghib's younger brother, Quadry (nicknamed "The Missile" to Raghib's "The Rocket") who starred at Syracuse and had a career in the NFL with the Ravens, few talk about his youngest brother, Sulaiman "The Bomb" Ismail. The Bomb walked on at UTEP in 1995 and played with the New York Dragons of the Arena League.

The REAL Nick Eddy Stands Up

One in a long list.....

Notre Dame certainly has a great list of punt and kickoff return moments of recent years, but the greatest part of the Fighting Irish is their history. Yes, some folks may hate the Irish, and the present day versions of the team can be haunted by it as well, but there is a respect for the greatness of days gone by.

Nick Eddy came in 3rd in the 1966 Heisman Trophy balloting and was a consensus All American halfback that year. Eddy lead the Irish to the 1966 National Championship and left to play for the Detroit Lions of the NFL. He was never quite the star that he was in college as knee injuries hampered his career. After pro football, Eddy returned home to California, even garnering a cameo in the film, The Paper Lion and is now an insurance executive.

This 1966 kickoff return was the Irish's answer to Boilermaker touchdown on an interception return. Take time to watch the slow motion replay and see the blocking schemes for the return set up just perfect to allow Eddy to follow the wedge and then break a tackle for the open field.


In 1999, a substitute teacher by the name of William McMullen in Rochester, Mass, passed himself off a Nick Eddy and was an assistant football coasch for Old Colony Regional Vocational-Technical High School. Despite being only 5'7 (the real Eddy was 6'1"), McMullen denied his identity right up until school officials had him speak with the real Eddy on the telephone, after which he resigned.

A Firm Grasp on The Obvious

The Miami Hurricanes Special Teams Coach Joe Panunzio (scroll all the way down on the link) expects to see an improvement in their punt return game after a drastic slip between 2005 & 2006, when the Hurricanes punt return averaged 7.1 yards per punt return (good for 91st in D-1) vs. 2005's team average of 11.0 yards/ return. This is the equivalent of driving up to the restaurant in your Ferrari lookin' real good and then having the valet bring you that 1982 Yugo after dinner & drinks.

Of course, 2005 was helped by the fact that the Hurricanes had the Human Bullet himself, Devin Hester, who decided he was bored scaring other collegiate teams and went on to wreck havoc on the NFL and unsuspecting Fantasy Football League players galore. In his last year at The U, Hester averaged 14.2 yards per punt return and had a TD against Duke in 2005--all while nursing a bad hammy.

"Where'd he go?" "Where'd who go?"

The Big Bang of Antonio Perkins

On a hot September Day in 2003, Antonio Perkins exploded into the NCAA record books. Yes, Perkins had already tallied 3 punt returns for touchdowns as a freshman in 2001-- but those were shorter, less exciting types of scores. His game against UCLA would make a much bigger statement.

Perkins had grown up in Lawton, where he starred as a cornerback and special teams player and continued that role in Norman. He turned into another one of the shutdown corners that Bob Stoops' staff had produced, but he was on a different level as a returner this afternoon.

Against UCLA, Perkins amassed 277 punt return yards (NCAA record) and scored on three punt returns (again NCAA record). The three scores were all 60+ yard returns and show his ability to change direction, break tackles and pure, unadulterated speed.

By the time he was finished in Norman, he was the school's all time punt return yardage leader and had tied Wes Welker of Texas Tech with the career number of punt return scores ( 8 ), while also amassing All Conference and All American honors.

Perkins was hampered by a knee injury in his final collegiate season and was drafted by the Cleveland Browns in the 4th round of the 2005 NFL Draft. He spent 2 seasons in northern Ohio before being released and signing with the Indianapolis Colts.

The Tyler Rose Says It Best.....

In an excerpt from Saturday's Dallas Morning News story about a gathering on Heisman Trophy winners in Austin to honor him, Earl Campbell perhaps said one of his most meaningful quotes in regards to the modern college athlete. The 1977 Heisman winner was asked about former Longhorn QB Vince Young--and it almost seems like baiting by the reporter-- Campbell's quote was striking: " Athletes are great when they get a degree."

Now, yes, I whole-heartedly agree with Campbell that college athletes are great when they get a degree. It's one of the few things that gives some air of academic integrity to an otherwise minor league system for the professional sports. At the same time, Dallas TV sports anchor Dale Hanson said it best when Young was trying to decide on returning to the 40 Acres or going pro- "If he (Young) can't figure out that it's in his best interest to go pro, then he NEEDS another year of education". The hard, cold truth is that Young was at his most marketable point when he declared for the draft and avoided any unnecessary risks that a 4th season would bring in Austin. And no matter what a teacher says, a degree from any university very rarely will pay in the $58 Million over 6 years that the NFL did.


Of course in that same article, Campbell confesses to wearing an average of 20-25 tear away jersey PER GAME while at UT--- something that A&M, OU & Texas Tech fans have been screaming for years. Either way, Campbell is a good man from a different era. And he's a pretty good cook. Next time in Austin for a game, be sure to grab some of his BBQ-- or else.


Do you want to anger this man? Then buy some BBQ!

Billy Cannon Punt Return vs. Ole Miss 1959

Billy Cannon's Halloween Run

Halloween was good to Tiger fans in 1959 as LSU's Billy Cannon ripped off this famous 89 yard punt return to lead the #1 Bayou Bengals over the #3 Ole Miss Rebels. Cannon breaks 7 tackles in this clip, helping him to win the Heisman Trophy that year. Cannon was a local kid, who grew up in Baton Rouge before attending LSU and ended up helping the Tigers win the previous year's National Championship by throwing a halfback pass for a touchdown in a 7-0 Sugar Bowl win over #12 Clemson. His Jersey, #20, is the only number retired by LSU.

Life after college was up and down- Cannon is one of 20 players to play all 10 years of the American Football League's existence (he was a first rounder of the Houston Oilers, helping them win the first 2 AFL Championships). He then practiced orthodontics for a while, but also ended up serving time for counterfeiting. In 1986, Cannon sold his Heisman Tropy to Tom Moran, who keeps it in his Baton Rouge restaurant, T.J. Tibs. Part of the agreement for the down on his luck Cannon was that he would eat for free at the restaurant from then on. 1988 saw the debut of the film "Everybody's All American", which is rumored to be at least partly based upon Cannon (and partly on Washington Redskins/UNC footballer Charlie "Choo-Choo" Justice). While the author of the novel, Frank Deford, denies any ties to either player, the movie was filmed mostly in Louisiana and involved several actual LSU home games.

ESPN to air "Addams Family Football" this fall

Uncle Fester doppelganger Larry Coker will be jumping into the analyst booth this fall for ESPN. Coker will join Everyman Hero/ Heisman Trophy Winner Doug Flutie as new talent for the fall games. Yes, the kid that grew up in Okemah, OK (pop. 3,308) bares a striking resemblance to the Addams Family character (odd coincidence-- the TV series ran for 64 episodes. Coker's last year at Miami was his worst. If you remove the final (and worst season) season, his head coaching career covered 62 games. Hey, you can't escape some scary, meaningless trivia). My hunch is that Coker will take a little time to warm up, but his knowledge of the game and his experience at some of the biggest football factories (he's coached at Tulsa, OU, Oklahoma State, The Ohio State University before Miami) will give some great insight to the viewer.

Johnny Rodgers Punt Return

Johnny Rodgers Punt Return in The Game of the Century

Johnny Rodgers, nicknamed "The Jet", gave Nebraska fans 3 years of greatness from 1970-1972. His most memorable moment was obviously that 72 yard punt return against Big 8 arch rival Oklahoma in 1971. Played on Thanksgiving Day in Norman, the game drew 55 million viewers and matched No.1 Nebraska vs. No.2 OU. The Cornhuskers won 35-31, which put them in the Orange Bowl on the way to their 2nd consecutive national title. Rodgers grew up just down the highway from Lincoln in Omaha, where he starred at Tech High. Once he joined Big Red, he played Flanker, Returner and Tailback. He was a 2x All American and won the 1972 Heisman and Walter Camp Awards. He was a first rounder of the San Diego Chargers, but chose to go to the CFL with the Montreal Allouttes (where he was rookie of the year and helped them to a championship in 1974). He returned to the States in 1977 to play for the Chargers, but by that time injuries had started to take their toll. Sooner fans sometime point to a controversial non-call (look to see if you agree with a possible clip on the NU 45 yard line), but the game was played in Norman......

Should I Stay or Should I Go Now?

Some of the planned possible improvements include these new palm tree goal posts in an effort by the Dade County Convention & Visitors Bureau in an effort to increase tourism

It appears that the Miami Hurricanes are in danger of being a team without a home-- much like Bruce Banner in The Incredible Hulk TV series. Evidently the U had decided to move on to a new crib-- Dolphins Stadium in Sunny Fort Lauderdale-- much like every other major tenant of the giant Erector Set just west of Little Havana (see the Dolphins and the actual Orange Bowl Game). However, the fine tuning of the deal hasn't been as smooth and now it's a 50-50 chance that the Boys from Coral Gables will continue to beat the stuffing out of foes at the OB. One of the catching points? The Canes don't want to play in a Stadium named Dolphin Stadium (because it might look as if they don't call the shots there. Welcome to the world of the Florida Marlins, kids.). There are other items to be haggled over, but that's the most entertaining one.

In my opinion, it's very rare that the shared Pro/College stadium arrangement works out. Someone's always a loser and seems somewhat out of place, no matter what steps are taken. And usually, the deal ends up with the teams going their separate ways. And more often then not, it's been the college teams that end up worse off. Let's examine:

• SMU and the Dallas Cowboys shared not only The Cotton Bowl (which the Cowboys left for more money from controlling their own stadium), they also shared Texas Stadium (which the Ponies flocked to in the Pony Express Days) only to see them not fill the stadium and return to campus after the Death Penalty Days. WINNER: NFL. The Ponies never bounced back from the Death Penalty.
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• USC and The LA Raiders. Al Davis's crew came to SoCal in 1982 and played in The Coliseum, always complaining of the lack of luxury suites in the massive stadium made it tough to compete in the NFL economic model. When LA balked at building a new stadium for him, Davis packed up shop and pulled a boomerang back to Oakland in 1994. WINNER: COLLEGE. Al Davis got what he wanted in Stadium renovations in Oakland and is still threating to move the team.
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• The University of Houston and The Houston Oilers shared the Harris County Domed Stadium, a.k.a. The 8th Wonder of the World--The AstroDome. The Oilers are a class unto themselves on this topic. Prior to moving to the Dome, the Powder Blue Crew played at Rice Stadium (home of the Rice Owls and at that time, also the UofH Coogs) and before that had played at Jeppensen Stadium over on the University of Houston main campus. Of course, with Bud Adams' trek from Houston to Nashville had stops in the Liberty Bowl (home of the Univ. of Memphis Tigers) in 1997, then on to Vanderbilt Stadium (1998) and finally to Adelphia Coliseum (now LP Field) in Nashville. The University of Houston played at Jeppenson and Rice Stadium before moving into the AstroDome between 1965-1998. The Coogs had some great teams behind Bill Yoeman's Veer in the 1970s and Jack Pardee's Run and Shoot teams of the late '90s (including Heisman Trophy winner Andre Ware), but never drew consistent, substantial crowds. They moved back to a renovated Jeppensen Stadium, now named John O'Quinn Field at Robertson Stadium in 1998. WINNER: PUSH- The Titans are bouncing back in Tennessee (including a Super Bowl appearance), the Cougars are experiencing some success on campus. The Harris County taxpayers seem to be losing the most.
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• In 1982 The University of Minnesota and The Minnesota Vikings both moved to the Hubert H. Humphrey MetroDome for the obvious reason of getting out of the frigid Minnesota weather. While the Vikes have improved over the previous Metropolitan Stadium, it appears that the sterile atmosphere pushed the Golden Gophers to build the new TCF Bank Stadium on campus and will return there in 2009. The Vikings are also looking for a new home as the HomerDome has grown outmoded for the current NFL, but through previous threats to move, the Twin Cities are looking into it. WINNER: NFL. The Vikes have blossomed in the Dome, while the Gophers struggle to fill it up.
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• Arizona State University and The Phoenix/Arizona Cardinals was created as a strange marriage of convenience when St. Louis owner Bill Bidwell moved his Cardinals to the Desert in 1988. Obviously, ASU's Sun Devil Stadium was the only facility in the metro Phoenix area that could host the games with its capacity (as proven by the Arizona Wranglers and Outlaws of the USFL in 1983-1985). However, the income streams available to the NFL club were less than desirable, which some might argue reflected the usual outcome on the field for most of the 1990s. The Cards have since moved to The University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale that is a retractable roof stadium and the club's economic model fits better. Even better, the University of Phoenix doesn't field a football team to overshadow the Cardinals like the Sun Devils' on-field success often did. WINNER: NFL. The Cards left, but for a much better deal and are now an up-and-coming team.
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• Tulane University and The New Orleans Saints have seemingly flip-flopped positions in history. The Green Wave of Tulane were once a force to be reckoned with yet have now fallen on hard times-- just barely dodging the budgetary axe a few years ago and then the damage of Hurricane Katrina. The Saints have gone from laughing stocks to the 2007 NFC Championship game (yet still hold the title of one of 6 teams that have never been to the Super Bowl). And this Ying-Yang relationship goes back further. When the Saints were granted to New Orleans (allegedly in a backroom deal to help get Congressional approval for the NFL-AFL merger) in 1967, they first played at Tulane Stadium over in NOLA's Garden District (also mistakenly referred to as The Sugar Bowl since the bowl game had been held there since the 1930s). When they moved to the Louisiana SuperDome in 1975, they went together--partly because it was a better facility, and partly because Tulane Stadium was condemned on the same day the SuperDome opened. Perhaps one of the reasons that both the Saints and the Green Wave have had such futility in their new stadium is the simple fact that above-ground Girod Street Cemetery was cleared to make room for the SuperDome. WINNER: NFL. While the 'Aints haven't always been great, their future is bright.
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• Temple/Pitt and The Philadelphia Eagles/Pittsburgh Steelers. There is great irony in the fact that the most recent example of teams moving into and sharing a stadium are both located in Pennsylvania. Yes, Three Rivers and The Vet needed to go. Both were the outmoded 1970s cookie-cutter multi-use facilities that provided poor sightlines for all of their multiple uses. Pitt and Temple have been seemingly smart enough at the time to jump in on somewhat publicly funded initiatives to provide new facilities (Pitt left Memorial Stadium after 75 seasons to play 1 year in Three Rivers while Hienz Field was being completed/ Temple left the old Temple Stadium for The Vet after 50 years). WINNER: NFL.Both NFL teams run the show on both deals with the Steelers and the Eagles being the main reason that Heinz Field and Lincoln Financial Field were constructed.
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• Some places simply share the facility for short term periods while construction for new stadiums is going on. Recent examples include The University of Washington and The Seattle Seahawks sharing Husky Stadium while Qwest Field was being built (2000-2001); The University of Illinois and The Chicago Bears splitting Memorial Stadium in Champagne when Soldier Field was remade (2002); The New York Giants/Jets letting Rutgers University use Giants Stadium at the Meadowlands when the second edition of Rutgers Stadium was being built(1993). WINNER: PUSH. These were only seen as short term solutions to start with.

Is the WAC Really All That?

If you're buying what this guy's selling, perhaps I can interest you in some ocean front property....yeah, the Golden Gate Bridge is just around the corner there, Padnah.


Evidently, the Western Athletic Conference is the nation's premier mid-major conference, so sayeth SI's Corey McCartney. But it just strikes me more as offseason shock value more than anything. Yes, I'll give Boise State's Fiesta Bowl win and great season as something to crow about. Hawaii under June Jones has been entertaining, to say the least. I love Chris Ault's Nevada squad and his innovative "Pistol" set has been the best thing to happen around Lake Tahoe since Reno 911 hit Comedy Central.

The bottom line is this conference champ is,at best, the equivalent of the The Geek (greatness played by The Dead Zone's Anthony Michael Hall) from Sixteen Candles. Simply put, he's the coolest of the dorks (or the dorkiest of the cool kids, depending on if you're a glass half-empty/half-full guy). Harsh statement, but it holds water.

Let's look at the top of the league:

• Boise State's Fiesta Bowl win and recent record is impressive, but if you sit back and ask yourself and be truthful-- you know the Broncos wouldn't have been in that place if they played week-in/week-out in the Big XII or even the Big East. Case in point, BSU has the NCAA's best record since 1999 at 86-16 (84% winning percentage). But over that same timespan, the Broncos' records again BCS teams is a 6-11 (or 35%).
• Fresno State: a record of 10-15 vs the Big Boys (40%) but only 1 losing season since '99. Pat Hill's squad is fearless and will happily go on the road and challenge, but last season was a hard smack in the face.
• Hawaii- a record of 6-10 against Power Conferences (37%), but all of the wins have been in the islands- which combined with the time change, travel issues and other distractions turns into a huge home field advantage
• Nevada- 2 winning seasons since 1999 and a record vs the BCS of 2-7 (22%)
• Louisiana Tech- 3-23 (11.5%) vs BCS conferences and 4 losing seasons since '99 (playing an independent schedule in '99)

What does this mean? Well, just like members of the media snipe at BCS schools playing a weak non-conference schedule (see Kansas State in the 1990s, Auburn's 2004 13-0 Non-National Title team), these teams have played a weak conference schedule and sometimes, even a weak non-conference schedule (over the 1999-2006 schedule, these teams have played a cumulative total of 24 games against D-IAA or lower division teams). Anytime they go up against a team of merit, they get put in their place. I'm willing to give Fresno State its due, the last year was harsh. But over the past 15 years the Bulldogs have held their own--primarily on the road, no less--yet because of last year, no one wants to talk about them.

Keep in mind not one of the original charter members (BYU, Utah, Arizona State, Arizona, Wyoming and New Mexico) remain in the conference. Hawaii, which joined in 1978, is the longest serving member of the league. The league once tried to be a super conference--expanding all the way to 16 teams--only to see it implode and lose BYU, Utah, New Mexico, Air Force, San Diego State, Colorado State and UNLV to the newly formed Mountain West and see the upstart Conference USA grab UTEP, SMU, Rice, Tulsa and TCU (who subsequently left C-USA for the Mountain West). The fall out of this was simple- the WAC was left to scramble for the remaining pieces- Hawaii, Fresno State and San Jose State grabbed Nevada-Reno, Louisiana Tech and Boise State at the end of the millennium. Next they grabbed Idaho, Utah State and New Mexico State in 2005. The only major media market is the Bay Area with San Jose State and only one school has a stadium with a capacity over 50,000. The league stretches from Northern Louisiana over 6 time zones to Honolulu.
= ?

Odd man out because of geography/time zone/travel costs, Hawaii's the biggest name in this story, but kinda like Screech in the whole 'Saved By the Bell' world. Here he is growing up with Zach, A.C and Kelly Kapowksi at Bayside, then leaving for college and now eerily he won't go away and is part of 'Saved By the Bell: The New Class". Basically, the other folks all left for better places (Kelly for 90210, AC for Dancing with the Stars, Jesse for Showgirls/ Arizona and ASU for the Pac-10; BYU, UNLV, Utah, TCU for the Mountain West; SMU, Rice, UTEP, Tulsa for C-USA) and now the Rainbow Warriors are stuck cobbling together the best of the old Sunbelt and Big West conferences-- the former considered one of the poorest D-I conferences and the latter doesn't sponsor football anymore.

To argue that this is now the best mid-major conference (other than the Mountain West, C-USA, the MAC, the Sunbelt and, too a degree, the remaining D-IA independents) is the football equivalent of making chicken salad out of chicken droppings.

Who Says Academics Aren't in Touch with Reality?

Jim Delaney thinks this is TV Gold

Evidently, Big Ten (Eleven) Commissioner Jim Delaney was smacked in the face with reality by Comcast this past week and now wants an apology for the truth. Yes, it is not politically correct in court of public opinion to be referring to women's sports as "second and third tier sporting events". However, those statements weren't meant to denigrate institutions of higher learner as Delaney accused of Comcast on Thursday, but merely to speak the truth.

The Big Ten (Eleven) Network, was birthed last year and is having a hard time finding a home. Comcast, which dominates the Midwest cable market doesn't want to pay the big bucks that the Big Ten (Eleven) is requesting and feels that it should either be placed on a smaller distribution or as a subscription channel. I have no problem with this-- just like I'd get mad if some new channel that I had no interest in jumped into my basic package and up my monthly bill, I don't think forcing sporting events on the subscribers is necessarily a good thing.

The other big problem is simply the content of the channel. The Chicago Based Network will show all the Big Ten (Eleven) football games not picked up by ABC, ESPN, ESPN 2, or other places. The channel makes its money broadcasting 155 men's hoops games, 70 women's hoops and 170 'other events' like cross country, volleyball, etc. They can also throw in the occassional Big Ten (Eleven) Classic game, since they own the right to all broadcasts going back to 1960. Let's focus on these items:

• The football games. Since ABC & the ESPN networks control the better games, this means at best, the subscriber gets the 3rd-4th best matchup that week (assuming none of the Big Ten (Eleven) are playing AT Notre Dame). THIS BY THE VERY DEFINITION IS 2nd- 3rd TIER PRODUCT.
• The men's basketball games. Again, it doesn't cover the Big Ten(Eleven) championship and ABC-ESPN controls the top games. It does mean that the lesser teams will get on TV more.
• The women's basketball games. 70 games. see above. Yet, they can't even justify giving the same number of games broadcast on their own network to women that they do the men. Talk about Second Class Citizenry.
• The 170 'other events'. Yes, those 170 other events that are so popular that they don't get on TV as of now. These games are literally 2nd and 3rd tier sporting events in the eyes of broadcast executives (and that's being kind). Most likely they would rate below Ice Hockey, Gymnastics and ESPN's coverage of Professional Bowling in Neilson ratings.

Yes, it would be nice to allow Mom & Dad in Dayton a chance to see their daughter on the Minnesota diving team, but in reality-- THIS IS A NICHE PRODUCT, which is exactly what got Jim Delaney's feelings hurt in the first place.