Thoughts on the BCS National Championship

First off, I would like to give a big thanks to whatever idiot decided to schedule the BCS Championship on a Thursday.  After about 4 hrs sleep, it was pretty tough to wake up for work today.  Living in Gainesville, I knew the town would be real crazy.  I stayed in and watched the game with a very nervous, Tebow-loving Mrs. THRILLHO.  The game was very intense, and there was little sleep for me afterwards with all the honking horns and fireworks going off outside my window till about 4am.

As for the game….  I’m not quite sure how unbiased fans viewed the game (according to the only column I read today, it was a ‘letdown’), but I thought it was an intense chess match between two great teams and coaches.  The momentum clearly changed all game until the late 4th quarter.  I don’t think anyone will argue that Florida looked better in the first half, they didn’t.  Oklahoma left a lot of points on the field, but you have to give the Gators defense a lot of credit, holding the Sooners to ZERO points in two first and goal situations late in the second half, including a nice patty-cake interception by Wright at the goal line right before halftime.

Percy Harvin looked like a man on a mission.  If that was 85-90%, then I would take that over 100% anyone else on the field.  Around 175 all purpose yards after a serious injury.  That play where the defensive lineman yanked his ankle after the tackle was real dirty though.

Tebow's wet dream

What else can you say about Superman?  The quarterbacks on my favorite teams (mainly the Bills) have squashed my expectations.  When I see a QB throw two early interceptions, I expect it to really get in their head (Trent & JP).  Usually QBs will be more tentative with their passes and risk taking.  Tebow is the opposite, his passes get tighter, he makes more clutch plays, he rockets jump passes into tight coverage for game winning touchdowns.  The guy is unbelievable.  What else can be said?  In very critical 3rd and 10 situations, he will see nobody open and run straight THROUGH 2 linebackers.  Every time he hops up, he waves his arms, and gets the crowd going.  You would expect any other QB to lay there for a minute and be taken out for a couple plays.  He just has a combination that no other college player has.  His drive, leadership, talent, and lack of fear (not to mention his circumcision skills) are what made him the most decorated college player in history (I’m talking about his trophies, not his philipino foreskin collection)…. plus he’s like SOOO dreamy!  Anyways, before I finish my Tebow fluffing, I have to say that the guy deserves all the praise he gets, and more (including this years Heisman).  God bless!!

I have to give Bradford some credit though.  He is unbelievably accurate.  Some of his throws were just unreal.  When he was pressured, things fell apart for him.  The 2 interceptions he threw were truly great defensive plays though, and can’t all be put on him.  Both were pretty much taken away from the receivers.  I think we all saw who the best player in the country was last night, and it wasn’t Sam Bradford (*side note, Bradford looks like a douchebag chipmunk). Chris Brown had a fantastic game as well.  The Gators didn’t look ready for the run game and it opened up in a big way.  I

Dominique Franks - Maybe if his eyes weren't so close together, he could see how good Tim Tebow really is.

liked it when Franks (the guy that called Tebow the 4th best QB in the Big XII) got called out by the announcers after Tebow brought the Gators up 2 scores on a very impressive drive.  They said “that might be the dumbest statement ever made”.  Nothing like getting called out in front of the national stage WHILE getting beat down by the guy you called out.  Nice one Franks….  I believe one would call that “eating your words”…

Anyways, congrats to the Gators, they deserved it.  One point away from running the table.  However I must say that I am glad they lost to Ole Miss.  It sparked more playoff debate, and the more debate we get, the more likely a playoff will happen……. one day…….

Finally, as a University at Buffalo alumn, I can safely name the one thing I am MOST envious about regarding the University of Florida is missing class due to football (and sometimes basketball to a lesser extent) IS acceptable!

edit: the announcers treated this like any other hit, but this got the crowd PUMPED…..

here is the 3rd play from scrimmage……

edit2: someone just called me at work and yelled at me for not answering with “Go Gators”…..

Gill Inked

3 years and two days ago the University at Buffalo embarked on a new mission to raise their program from it’s lackluster on-field performance and bring in a new coach with a proven track record to provide the meager fan base something, anything that would make them competitive.

They found a coach, who when first contacted did not know that Buffalo had a division I-A program after the new Athletic Director with a Michigan pedigree couldn’t even get people in his inner circle to provide him with ANYONE that had ANY interest in signing on to become Buffalo’s new head man.

He, or the search committee placed a call to a Player Development Director with the Green Bay Packers to gauge his interest in the position.  He was going to out and out decline the invitation to interview, but then after discussing it with his wife he changed his mind and felt that at the very least this interview would at least prepare him for future job openings.

College Football Title Games

“Class of 1998 HERE I COME!”

Do you remember the Enterprise commercial circa 2006?  With the guy “Moose”  who is told he is “looking good” by a couple of two-bit skanks?  Well that was nothing like my high school reunion.  Yes, I did rent an Enterprise Car at a family discount since I made up that I am someone’s family member, but sadly I didn’t bring the Sentra to pick up ladies.  The Man of Cheese (TMOC) had his mom drop us off and pick us up, well because that’s how we roll.  I can’t find the damn commercial I am referring to, but here is one from a similar time frame.

College Football Week 13

It’s obvious that the world is now obsessed with the sports powerhouse school the University at Buffalo.  They have a bowl eligible football team, a front page article on ESPN.com and they have a hoops team that is undefeated……and only play on the road no less.  Throw in a coach that has more rumors talked about him than celebrities on TMZ, and welcome to the forefront of college athletics UB.

Sadly none of this will matter for me this evening as I will clench my ass cheeks together from 6pm until approximately 10pm.  Each game gets bigger for the Bulls, not big like Oklahoma-Texas Tech, but still big none-the-less.  Just remember the 2008 Bulls, because once again the rumors are swirling like a Lake Erie wind stating that Gill will take any and every job not in Buffalo this offseason.

College Football Week 12

UB Bulls on the precipice of another terrible sports disaster for the city?  I hope not.

Don’t get me wrong, I watched all four quarters and the subsequent four overtimes on Thursday night and I was thrilled with the final outcome.  But this is Buffalo, people……  And that has little to do with the University at Buffalo Bulls being on top of the MAC East in November.  This has everything to do with a city coming so close time and time again, then becoming unraveled like a ball of yarn.

In game 7 of the 2003 ALCS, and the Yankees down to the Red Sox, Derek Jeter famously said to Aaron Boone, “Don’t worry the ghosts will show up eventually.  That pretty much sums up my anxious feeling toward the UB Bulls.  What could possibly go wrong against Bowling Green, here is the short list.

College Football Week 11

“An Ode to Fulmer”

 

The Byrds once sang, “To every season turn, turn, turn.”  Well it seems the puke-clad Volunteer faithful have heeded the advice of and are breaking up with Phil Fulmer.  Usually I would take great pride in mocking such a move but I think that all of these coaching moves are made as snap judgements which are pretty unfair.  At this point who in the world wants to take this job?  I know what the Volunteers base wants, either David Cutcliffe or a young coach who will energize the fan base next season.  But here’s why it is unfair.

Da Bears, Politics, n Penn State

Where to begin, let’s see…  Hello fellow Nagel followers, glad to be back.  I seem to have misplaced my keyboard for quite sometime, but low and behold it was sitting next to the cheap bottle of half empty port (always in front of me), how could I miss it.

These are some crazy times, and we have some important issues to discuss, from the presidential election to the BCS polls to the Chicago Bears defense; they all have serious problems.  I know, I know, lies win elections… certain conferences are “better” then others and Chicago land football is all about bruising defensive toughness.

Bull Honky I say (not actually sure what that means).  But anyway…

Q: Are people really dumb enough to believe these lies?

A: Abso-freakin-lutely

The main reason all these things exist, is because people are not that smart (I include myself in this statement, as I have fallen for it many times, wait no I haven‘t, but at least I considered it a possibility)… refer to exibit A:

(26 August 2006, Leicester, England) Darren’s death was a mystery. The 33-year-old was found slumped in the hallway of his house, bleeding from stab wounds to his chest. Police initially assumed that an assailant had attacked him, but they could find no supporting evidence. A year later, the inquest revealed why Darren can stake his claim to a place among the winners of the Darwin Award.

Darren had called a friend, but minutes after he hung up, rang back to ask for an ambulance. The front door was ajar, and Darren was found lying near a bloodstained lock-knife he had purchased whilst on holiday in Spain. Forensics investigators saw no indication of a struggle, and the coroner reported that the stab wounds seemed to be self-inflicted. However, Darren had shown no suicidal tendencies.

His wife, who was on holiday at the time of the incident, cleared up the mystery, and revealed why our subject will go down in history as a Darwin Award winner. As she was leaving for the holiday, she remembered Darren wondering whether his new jacket was ’stab-proof’.

That’s right. Darren decided to find out if his jacket could withstand a knife attack. Did he choose to test his jacket while it was draped over the back of a chair? No, our man thought that the best approach would be to wear the garment and stab himself. Sadly, his choice of armor proved less resistant to a sharp blade than he had hoped.

The coroner reached a verdict of accidental death by ‘misadventure’.

See, I told you.

I run across people regularly that still think Obama’s Muslim, the Big 10 sucks, and the Bears Defense is why they win games.  Wrong, Wrong, and Wrong.

All political quagmires it seems.  One devised to win an election, one devised to get better rankings and one devised to fit tradition.  So let’s settle this once and for all.  Barrack Obama is a normal American dude, not a terrorist, and he’s a smart guy, and not an anti Semite… The Big 10 is good, even though Michigan stinks and Ohio State loses in big Games, and The Bears have an average defense and a very good offense.  Oh, and Colt Brennen is a stooge, just thought I’d throw that in.

Hmmm, I honestly don’t know what to say to republicans except “really?” and “c’mon”  in the words of Peter Griffin.  I know you’re either poor and religious or rich and greedy, but let’s just put that behind us and make the world better.  To you religious freaks, get over it, we all like to be spiritual but keep it to yourself, maybe you guys can come up with a ban on marriage to God while you’re at it, Jesus.  And to all you evil rich bastards, seriously, have you ever seen Robin Hood?  He’s the good guy, and you’re the bad guys, remember?  Share your shit or we will rob from the rich to give to the poor, cause it’s noble.  You Bastards.  Yet I digress.

Let’s take a look at why people think the Big 12 and the SEC as the holy grail.  I mean how else could you explain Alabama and Texas Tech being ahead of Penn State in the BCS poll, when all teams are undefeated… Texas Tech?  Really?  What a joke.  Oh they must have played harder out of conference teams right?  Let’s see, Eastern Washington, Nevada, Southern Methodist, and Massachusetts.  Ha, did anyone even know these schools had football teams?  These guys had one hard game and they won against Texas at home.  That’s it.  Certainly not reason enough to vault from 7 to 2 in front of Penn State, a team that has also beaten everyone they’ve faced, including Ohio St. on the road.  And let’s not forget that Penn State absolutely destroyed the team that handed USC it’s only loss, Oregon St.  And then when considering the great Alabama, besides Georgia (a team that was obviously very overrated at the beginning of the season) has only played 2 other teams that are over .500 Mississippi and Kentucky, both mediocre teams at best.  So when it really comes down to it, Penn State is just as worthy of the #1 spot as either of these teams, and certainly, you cannot deny Joe Paterno’s undefeated team a shot at the championship.

Moving on.  Moving on.  Wait, I need to write more about the Bears, but first I need to sleep.  Just remember, Kyle Orton is a Stud.

College Football Week 10

White People are Evil in all “Inspirational” Sports Movies

If you’ve ever seen a sports movie with a preachy message about overcoming adversity, and you are white, then you probably have left the theatre with a twinge of guilt or rage after watching the movie.  I know I have, in fact I know racist people who have.  Look, I’m not trying to start a race war here, but I am upset with the portrayal of most white characters in sports movie with racial tension as an undertone.  What do I mean?  Here’s a list:

College Football Week 9

Sorry I missed last week, but wedding bells rang for a friend from graduate school, so LWN was off to MAC destination Ypsilanti, Michigan. 

Highlights from the trip-

College Football: Week 7

The road to the BCS Championship goes through the Big 12?

Chiggity Chase Daniel and Sultry Sam Bradford are lighting up scoreboard from Norman to Columbia to Lincoln to Seattle, both teams have led the conference on a roll that is unprecedented in my recent memory.  I have touched on this before briefly but, can any conference boast the talent that the Big XII has in the QB position?  Hands down SEC folks, the power has shifted to the Midwest.

The offensive rankings are simply too powerful to ignore.