Dunk of the Decade, End of Another Alford NIT Run

You may have seen this on one of the ESPNs. If you frequent www.marchtomadness.com, you’ve probably already seen it.

This is a Wyoming player taking dunking to a new level. You decide if the level is higher or lower.

Big Ten Football 2009: Cupcakes Galore

With the confirmation Wednesday that Illinois will close its season with a game at Cincinnati, all the Big Ten football schedules are set for 2009.

First off, while Illini fans sound irritated that their team will play Fresno State at home and Cincinnati on the road — both capable squads – after the Big Ten season is over, at least they’re real opponents.

Good for the Illini. It may mean another 5-7 season or, worse, a trip to the Motor City Bowl at 6-6. But it at least shows some willingness to play competition.

Either that, or Illinois Athletic Director Ron Guenther failed miserably at finding a patsy to squeeze into his schedule. I hope it’s that deal about wanting to play someone.

If only every Big Ten AD and coach had the same attitude. Hey, the Big Ten isn’t winning BCS titles anyhow and flops miserably every time it sends Ohio State to slaughter in the championship game. So why not make the regular-season more meaningful with actual ballgames?

Only 14 of the 44 nonconference games in ’09 are against BCS conference teams or Notre Dame. That’s ridiculous.

Are you the Big Ten or just the Ten? Actually, you’re the Eleven, but that horse has been beaten to death.

Only three league teams — Illinois, Iowa and Minnesota — are playing two BCS conference teams among their four non-league games. Wisconsin isn’t playing any.

Before noting the cupcakes, let’s give some kudos to the proud and the few who are at least playing interesting games.

Ohio State gets the return date on its home-and-home series with USC.

Purdue heads to Oregon after hosting the Ducks last fall.

Indiana filled out its schedule by taking a game at Virginia, thus becoming the only Big Ten team to play two of its nonconference games on the road.

Cal is playing at Minnesota and Arizona is at Iowa, so those are 2008 bowl teams from the Pac-10 coming into Big Ten lairs.

But by and large, Big Ten non-league slates are another big pile of bleccccch.

Nine games are against FCS (I-AA) opposition. Purdue and Ohio State are the only Big Ten teams not devouring FCS prey. A few are among the cream of the FCS crop, like Northern Iowa and Wofford. But …

Delaware State (5-6 last year) at Michigan?

Towson (3-9) at Northwestern?

Eastern Illinois (5-7) at Penn State?

Penn State is playing all four of its nonconference games at home, against Akron, Syracuse, Temple and mighty Eastern Illinois. That’s absurd. Are you a football power or not? If you are, act like one and schedule somebody.

Playing two Mid-American Conference teams, an FCS squad and Syracuse, the Least of the Big East, is great for wins. It won’t work too well in those BCS computers, though.

Ranking the non-league schedules by toughness is difficult, because most are lousy. But here goes:

1. Illinois: Vs. Missouri in St. Louis, Illinois State, Fresno State, at Cincinnati (The series with Mizzou is a good one, and Cincinnati is fresh off an Orange Bowl appearance.)

2. Minnesota: at Syracuse, Air Force, California, South Dakota State (Air Force and Cal went to bowls, Syracuse is on the road, and S.D. State is one of the better FCS teams a Big Ten team is playing.)

3.  Purdue: Toledo, at Oregon, Northern Illinois, Notre Dame. (Toledo was lousy in ’08, but the other three went to bowls and Oregon won 10 games.)

4. Wisconsin: Northern Illinois, Fresno State, Wofford, at Hawaii (The three FBS teams went to bowls, and Wofford won nine games and played South Carolina to a 10-point game.)

5. Ohio State: Navy, USC, vs. Toledo in Cleveland, New Mexico State (The USC game goes a long way here, obviously.)

6. Michigan State: Montana State, Central Michigan, at Notre Dame, Western Michigan. (Doesn’t look like much, but the three FBS teams went to bowls, the two MAC teams are in-state clubs that will be motivated, going to South Bend is no picnic, and Montana State was 7-5)

7. Iowa: Northern Iowa, at Iowa State, Arizona, Arkansas State. (UNI’s a terrific FCS team, and Arizona’s legit. If Iowa State were just a little stronger …)

Now it gets bad.

8. Indiana: Eastern Kentucky, Western Michigan, at Akron, at Virginia. (Western Michigan is a good program. Playing on the road twice should count for something, though all it really means is Indiana is a Big Ten football program without much clout.)

9. Michigan: Western Michigan, Notre Dame, Eastern Michigan, Delaware State. (Four home games. Not a Top 25 team in the bunch. This isn’t the Michigan scheduling we’ve known for the last half-century. Bo Schembechler would never have scheduled Delaware State.)

10. Northwestern: Miami (Ohio), Towson, at Syracuse, Eastern Michigan. (Not a good opponent in the foursome. Only playing Syracuse on the road keeps the ‘Cats from being ranked below … )

11. Penn State: Akron, Syracuse, Temple, Eastern Illinois. (What, Slippery Rock, Swarthmore, Susquehanna, and Scranton/Dundler-Miffin weren’t available?)

Recruiting Rankings Don’t Tell Tale for Iowa, or Notre Dame, or Florida State …

There’s a reason why Iowa football coach Kirk Ferentz doesn’t get too flustered by recruiting rankings.

Namely, they don’t necessarily translate into wins and losses.

Our good friends at thewizofodds.com compared Iowa and West Virginia’s recruiting rankings of the last eight years to more-touted programs like Miami, Florida State, Tennessee and Notre Dame.

Then the Wiz looked at those program’s won-lost records in that time.

You Iowa fans out there may get a kick out of this:

http://www.thewizofodds.com/the_wiz_of_odds/2009/02/ok-heres-the-breakdown-in-rivals-recruiting-rankings-since-2002-i-took-little-old-iowa-and-its-classes-of-slow-white-farm.html

I Cast an AP Top 25 Ballot, But You Can Do the Campaigning

Something bizarre and potentially dangerous has happened in college football this week.

I have become one of the 65 voters in the Associated Press college football rankings.

In late November? How? Why? And most of all … me?

The how is easy. Eric Page had been Iowa’s representative on the AP panel. But he has quit his sportswriting job at the Quad City Times to take a position at a Quad Cities college. Page joins the million or so people who have left newspapering in November, but at least his departure was voluntary and for a better station in life. Good for him.

I guess it’s fitting I work in sportswriting, because I need a turnstile to count all the people I’ve seen come and go in the newspaper biz.

So last week I got a phone call. AP decided it wanted Iowa to have a vote through the final three weeks of the regular season and after the national-title game is played next Jan. 8. Would I do it?

I asked myself what was in it for me, and the answer was nothing. Then I thought some more. I could get some Hlog fodder out of it. And, of course, the threat of violence from fans of teams who felt wronged. The Hlog fodder cancelled out the fear of personal harm, so I agreed.

I did this once before, way back in 1993. My pick for the No. 1 team at the end of the season was Notre Dame. The national-champ was Florida State. I still think I made the right call.

So, tonight after the material from the Iowa-Minnesota game is shipped off to the Gazette and Gazetteonline, I’ll cobble together a Top 25. I will do so not having seen the Texas Tech-Oklahoma game, which stinks. Nor will I have seen BYU-Utah, or Michigan State-Penn State, or Pittsburgh-Cincinnati, or any other game involving a ranked team or a squad vying for a ranking.

So I’ll have to rely on the scores, and published accounts of the games. But if you want to offer kernels of valuable information you think I need to know to cast a more-informed ballot, I encourage you to post your comments here anytime Saturday.

And now, off to Minneapolis.

The Hlist: Terrelle Pryor is the Man

Opening kickoff

“This was billed as a statement game at Pitt, but the only statement one could decipher afterward was this: ‘We’re not as bad as Iowa.’” — Joe Starkey, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

First downs

1. Pryor Engagement: So this is how the Terrelle Pryor era began as Ohio State’s starting quarterback. Four touchdown passes and 66 yards rushing in a 28-10 win over Troy.

“I’ve been making plays all my life,” said the freshman.

But Pryor doesn’t sound like a total braggart.

“I thought I messed up a lot,” he said. “When we sit down in the film room, I’m going to get yelled at a lot. That’s a good thing.”

Even with Illinois’ Juice Williams, Purdue’s Curtis Painter and Penn State’s Darryl Clark, Pryor may already be the Big Ten’s best quarterback.

2. Excess of SEC-cess: The Southeastern Conference plays a little football.

This week in the AP rankings: 3. Georgia, 4. Florida, 5. LSU, 8. Alabama.

Florida mauled conference rival Tennessee in Knoxville, 30-6. Gators head coach Urban Meyer lauded his defensive line coach, someone well-known to Iowans.

“I just look at our D-line and they hung with a very good offensive line,” Meyer said. “Dan McCarney is a special coach. He’s energetic and you see it translating onto the field.”

Vanderbilt (4-0 overall, 2-0 in the SEC) hasn’t had a winning season since 1982. It climbed into the AP poll at No. 21, its first appearance in the rankings since 1984 and second since 1958.

“I think it’s a pretty good reward for a good start,” Vanderbilt Coach Bobby Johnson said of the ranking. “Our guys are pretty smart. They realize it won’t help you win games.”

3. JoePa Can’t Kick: Penn State is 4-0 after a 45-3 drubbing of Temple. The Nittany Lions have beaten the Owls the last 26 times they met.

PSU Coach Joe Paterno watched the second half from the Lions’ coaches’ box in the press box. He hurts. His right leg has been sore since he made an onside kick to close the Thursday practice before his team’s first game. That’s a ritual Paterno had long had, for fun. No more.

The media wanted news about the leg after Saturday’s game.

“I’ve got a bunch of guys out there fighting all kinds of adversity with different lineups, hanging in there together, all right?” Paterno said. “And you’re worried about my leg. Now, if you were a bunch of good-looking girls, I’d feel better about it.”

4. Ball of Fire: Ball State had lost all 43 of its games against teams from the six BCS conferences. Then it won at Indiana, 42-20, to improve to 4-0.

Sadly, Ball State receiver Dante Love’s football career is expected to be over because of the back fracture he suffered in the game. Love entered the game as the nation’s leader with 144.3 receiving yards a game.

The good news is, according to a Ball State spokesman, that Love is expected to be able to live a normal and healthy life after rehabilitation.

Fumbles

1. Peanut Gallery is Nuts: Booing college quarterbacks has become a national phenomenon.

Ohio State senior quarterback Todd Boeckman took just two snaps against Troy in a reserve role. He got loudly booed at Ohio Stadium when his lone pass was incomplete. This was the guy who threw 25 touchdown passes for last year’s Big Ten champions.

“Hey, we’re just kids,” said Buckeyes defensive lineman Lawrence Wilson. “We’re not professionals. There is no way adults should treat us that way.”

Boston College quarterback Chris Crane got jeered in the second quarter in his team’s home game against Central Florida.

“You hate to see that,” said BC Coach Jeff Jagodzinski about the booing. “Especially at home. But I guess it’s all part of (the game).”

Crane proceeded to play very well in the second half, leading the Eagles to 31 points in their 34-7 win.

Presumably, the fans cheered him.

2. Rocky Top Rocked: Losing 30-6 at home to Florida isn’t playing well in Tennessee.

Volunteers Coach Philip Fulmer is 5-12 against Florida. Since winning the 1998 national championship, he’s 20-25 against ranked opponents.

The booing was loud at times in Knoxville on Saturday. “There’s probably not anybody happy with me right now,” Fulmer said.

Jimmy Trodglen of the Clarksville Leaf Chronicle is one unhappy Tennessee sports editor.

“The Vols lack discipline, there’s no leadership on or off the field, play-calling is questionable and Fulmer continues to be outcoached,” Trodglen wrote.

“It’s time for Fulmer to pull onto Cumberland Avenue with his belongings carefully packed and not stop until he reaches his home.”

3. Irish Lapped: Notre Dame got caught with a laptop computer in the coaches’ box during its game at Michigan State.

Irish Coach Charlie Weis said the incident was a matter of an improperly located student manager recording down-and-distance information for game-tape dubbing.

“You’re allowed to do that,” Weis said. “But the one area where you’re not allowed to do that is in a coaching area.”

Michigan State caught the violation during the game, but Spartans Coach Mark Dantonio shrugged it off.

“I’ve never seen a computer or a camera make a tackle, catch a ball or anything,” Dantonio said.

No computer and few Irish defenders slowed MSU back Javon Ringer. He had 39 carries, 201 yards and two touchdowns in MSU’s 23-7 win.

4. Dark Knights: Rutgers was the feel-good story of college football when it went 11-2 in 2006. But the Scarlet Knights are again lousy. They fell to 0-3 for the first time since 1999 after a 23-21 loss to Navy, and looked stupid doing so.

Rutgers quarterback Mike Teel threw a punch at teammate Glen Lee as Teel came off the field late in the game.

“I apologize for losing my cool,” Teel said. “He was telling me to keep my head up and to get off the field. He was doing the right thing and what I did was so totally wrong.”

“It’s just in-house family stuff,” Lee said.

To which Tom Luicci of the Newark Star-Ledger replied, “Maybe if the family is Archie and the rest of the Bunkers.”

OK, the reference is a bit dated.

Final gun

“Call it whatever you want: courage, guts, confidence, arrogance, fearlessness, stones. Doesn’t matter what you call it, only that LSU Coach Les Miles has it.” — John DeShazier, New Orleans Times-Picayune.

Miles’ Tigers used a halfback pass for a TD and recovered an onside kick in the third quarter in their 26-21 win at Auburn.

The Hlist: Week 2

Compiled from published sources nationwide and the only three people who find Jerry Seinfeld’s Microsoft commercials with Bill Gates funny.

OPENING KICKOFF

“That was pathetic. It was a pathetic performance. OU should’ve won the game. I don’t know how we came out with it.” — Ohio State wide receiver Brian Hartline after the Buckeyes rallied for a 26-14 win over Ohio, a 33-point underdog.

FIRST DOWNS

1. Big Ten Rolls an 11: The Big Ten went 11-0 Saturday. However, the league met just two teams from BCS conferences, and those were Oregon State and Duke. Also among the vanquished were Eastern Illinois, Northern Colorado and Murray State. And Florida International.

Ohio State struggled with Ohio and Michigan did likewise with Miami (Ohio).

But Minnesota deserves some propers for winning 42-17 at Bowling Green, which won at Pittsburgh the previous week.

“I said we’ve taken the steps necessary to be an improved football team. I think it’s pretty evident that we are,” said Gophers Coach Tim Brewster.

Minnesota was 1-11 last year, so it’s not like the 2-0 Gophers had to take a major leap to be better.

2. Big 12 Rolls a 12: The Big 12 swept its dozen games Saturday for the first time in league history.

Just one of the teams conquered, however, was a BCS conference member. That was Cincinnati, which got doubled over at Oklahoma, 52-26.

Among the other victims: Northwestern State, Southeast Missouri State and Montana State.

Colorado had to come from behind for its 31-24 victory over Eastern Washington.

“I don’t like to talk bad about teams,” said Eastern Washington defensive back Ryan Kelly, “but (the Buffaloes) aren’t going to get that far in the Big 12. They aren’t playing like a Big 12 team. They’re playing like a Big Sky team.”

3. Flavor of the Week: That would be East Carolina, which has the most impressive two-week track record in the nation with wins over Virginia Tech and West Virginia.

“It is so much fun to stand on the sidelines and watch our defense play as good as it is,” said ECU Coach Skip Holtz, the son of Lou Holtz.

The Hlist would rather stand on the sidelines and watch Skip’s team than sit at home and listen to Lou babble on ESPN. The Hlist would rather watch Florida International play Maine than listen to Lou babble on ESPN.

4. Beware, Hawkeyes: What in the name of cream puffs and cupcakes was Iowa thinking when it scheduled a home game against Arkansas State for next season?

The Red Wolves of Jonesboro aren’t Maine or Florida International. They (gasp!) have a true major-college football program. They opened the season with an 18-14 win at Texas A&M, then came home and struck down Texas Southern, 83-10. It was the most points by an FBS program in three years, and it was ASU’s biggest win since a 101-0 savaging of Arkansas State Teacher’s College in 1917.

The Red Wolves’ Corey Leonard finished 9-for-10 passing for 229 yards and four touchdowns. He wanted a pass interference call on his only incompletion.

“It was a tough thing, but 9-for-10 with four touchdowns isn’t a bad night’s work,” Leonard said. “That was pretty good.”

FUMBLES

1. Rule of Dumb: The Play of the Week was Washington quarterback Jake Locker throwing the ball into the air to celebrate a potential tying touchdown run against BYU.

Locker received an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, so the subsequent extra-point kick was from 35 yards instead of 20. It got blocked, and the Huskies lost, 28-27.

His flip of the ball wasn’t taunting. It was barely even a flip.

“I guess I’m sorry for celebrating the game of football,” Locker said.

“It wasn’t premeditated. But, in hindsight, it was something I shouldn’t have done. I’ve never done it in the past.”

The officials said they had no choice but to call it. There’s nothing in the NCAA rule book about letting common sense override a technicality.

Steve Kelley in the Seattle Times: “Games are meant to be played with joy. And there never, ever should be anything wrong with doing what Jake Locker did in the final seconds of one memorable Saturday afternoon.”

2. Worst of the West: It was a bad day all around in Washington. California gave Washington State a 66-3 thrashing at Wazzu, the worst defeat the Cougars have endured since they began playing football in 1894.

“They were a lot bigger, a lot stronger and a lot faster,” said WSU Coach Paul Wulff.

And better. A lot better.

USC plays at Washington State on Oct. 18. Try not to look.

3. Mismatch Mania: FBS (I-A) teams won 21 of 22 games against FCS (I-AA) teams Saturday for a two-week total of 52 of 54.

Despite being without a dozen key players who are suspended until Sept. 27 for their roles in an academic cheating scandal last year, Florida State slipped past Western Carolina, 69-0. Had FSU not missed a 43-yard field goal in the second quarter, the game would have been a rout.

Kansas State squeaked past Montana State, 69-10.

“It didn’t feel easy to me,” K-State Coach Ron Prince said. Uh huh.

TCU edged Stephen F. Austin, 67-7.

“I don’t mean this to sound badly,” TCU Coach Gary Patterson said, “but that’s what you want to do when you play a I-AA team.”

4. Unarmed Army: The one FBS team to lose to an FCS club was Army, on the wrong side of a 28-10 score against New Hampshire.

“I’m embarrassed,” Army Coach Stan Brock said. “I’m ashamed — not that we lost to the University of New Hampshire, because they are a good football team, but by the way we did it.

“I apologize to the United States Military, Corps of Cadets, anybody really who watched that game. That’s not the way that these kids need to play this game.”

“I didn’t see anyone quit,” said Army defensive back Lowell Garthwaite. “We’re not quitters. We’re Army football players — we don’t quit.”

FINAL GUN

“Michigan will play Notre Dame next. Maybe the Irish can look a little stronger against a weak opponent like that.” — Mike Downey of the Chicago Tribune after Notre Dame’s 21-13 win over San Diego State.

Sunday’s Seven: College Football Week in Review

1. The Big Ten went 11-0 Saturday. That’s perfection. It also isn’t all that impressive since 10 of those games were at home, and only two of them were from teams in BCS conferences. Those two were less-than-mighty Oregon State and Duke. But nobody lost.

2. Among the teams the Big Ten conquered were Florida International, Murray State, Northern Colorado and Eastern Illinois. Not a great showcase day for the Big Ten Network.

3.  Oklahoma is the best team in the country. Right now, anyway. The Sooners belted Cincinnati, 52-26, and Cincinnati is pretty good. OU had 592 yards. Who’s going to beat that team in the regular season?

4. The rankings, as always, are a joke. East Carolina is 14th in the AP poll, 20th in the coaches’ rankings.  In two weeks, the Pirates have beaten Virginia Tech and West Virginia. Name another team that has done more. I’m not saying they should be No. 1. But look at several of the teams ranked above ECU and who they’ve played. Virginia Tech and West Virginia, folks.

5. Juice Williams had one touchdown pass and two interceptions in Illinois’ 47-24 win over Eastern Illinois. Not too good, right? Well, Juice also rushed 16 times for 174 yards and two TDs. Very exciting player.

6. Notre Dame isn’t good. Again.

7. Did I say Oklahoma had the best team in the nation? I meant USC.