It may be easy to detect and sicken of the East Coast/Midwest/Deep South bias and anti-West/anti-Mountain sentiment found in most of the national sports press, radio, TV, and new media. However, that is no excuse to return the insult and view teams and schools from the central and eastern time zones with anything less than objectivity and equality. It's time to admire two schools and two programs equally: Connecticut and Stanford. Yes, women's hoops.
Stanford beat UConn tonight, ending the Huskies' 90-game winning streak. The streak started after a loss to Stanford almost three years ago. Unbelievable. No, it wasn't greater than UCLA's 88-game men's streak in the '70s. Nevertheless, it was remarkable. Predictably, ESPN (based in Connecticut) focused on Coach Geno's impressions post-game, and treated the victorious Coach VanderVeer's words as an afterthought.
Congratulations to both programs. Here is the real reason to salute them: they do not and never have shirked the responsibility they owe their low-profile sport as high-profile teams to schedule tough each and every year. Unlike most SEC and Big 10 football teams, they do not schedule purely nonconference cupcakes in order to pad the won-loss stats.
Stanford regularly plays tough games at home and on the road in late November and December. For example, they travel to a good Utah team every other year, where the Salt Lake City altitude could be a factor working against them. They also schedule teams like UConn and Tennessee when they can. Equally, the Huskies set up tough games at home and on the road. If Coach Auriemma had his way, they would still be playing Tennessee annually. The Volunteers pulled out of that arrangement.
What these coaches do schedule-wise help to promote the sport, even though it all works against establishing long winning streaks.
As a result, both coaches and teams should be admired and congratulated--as much for losing as for winning. Why? They do the right thing.
Thursday, December 30, 2010
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
THE Ohio State University Dodges a More Just Sanctions Penalty Again REVISION
You've got to hand it to Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith and football coach Jim Tressel. Using the old sports adage "the best defense is a good offense," they recently lamented the "severity" of the sanctions slapped down on six players found guilty of trading or selling football memorabilia for tattoos or cash to a tattoo parlor owner. The dynamic duo promised to appeal the "unjust" penalties, which includes five-game suspensions for five prominent players and a one-game suspension for the sixth. They blamed themselves and the school for not making more explicit the off-the-field rules for players. How ironic, considering Mr. Smith has been a member of both the NCAA Football Rules Committee and the NCAA Committee on Infractions. How ludicrous, considering the violations occurred over a year ago and the NCAA could have given the school a well-deserved spanking with suspensions including next week's Sugar Bowl and the forfeiture of all its 2010 wins. Obviously, to any casual observer with half a brain and some semblance of common sense, the penalties were not severe enough.
Smith and Tressel are aware of the perception of arrogance and special treatment for the Buckeyes. After all, what other school gets away with the official title of THE . . .University? What other school has a pompous pro-BCS blowhard for an athletic director? What other school has such conflict-of-interest ties with its governing body (besides the aforementioned committees, Smith also serves as the NCAA Division One Basketball Committee Chairperson and served on the NCAA Management Council)? Smith learned about arrogance early, having played at and graduated from Notre Dame.
To deflect any cries of cronyism or "special treatment" for its school, Smith and Tressel launched this seemingly sincere bemoaning of the harshness of the penalties befalling their players. They launched an offensive. It's outrageous. A team of attorneys will appeal, trying to reduce the penalties to one or two games. Hey, appeals work in the NFL. Just ask the Steelers and Rothlisberger. Speaking of the NFL, that's exactly what THE. . .University is trying to avoid: the early exodus of several star players to the pro league, encouraged by the half-season suspension.
Naturally, this blogger has long admired the tradition of tough football that Ohio State represented and still represents, from Woody Hayes, Jack Tatum, and Archie Griffin on. Most of its other sports are very competitive as well. But no school should be treated more equal than others. No school should allow its athletic director to rant about the fairness of the BCS bowl system at the expense of non-BCS conferences when said A.D. also has "member of Rose Bowl Management Committee" on his c.v. As Devo used to sing, sarcastically, it's a beautiful world.
Smith and Tressel are aware of the perception of arrogance and special treatment for the Buckeyes. After all, what other school gets away with the official title of THE . . .University? What other school has a pompous pro-BCS blowhard for an athletic director? What other school has such conflict-of-interest ties with its governing body (besides the aforementioned committees, Smith also serves as the NCAA Division One Basketball Committee Chairperson and served on the NCAA Management Council)? Smith learned about arrogance early, having played at and graduated from Notre Dame.
To deflect any cries of cronyism or "special treatment" for its school, Smith and Tressel launched this seemingly sincere bemoaning of the harshness of the penalties befalling their players. They launched an offensive. It's outrageous. A team of attorneys will appeal, trying to reduce the penalties to one or two games. Hey, appeals work in the NFL. Just ask the Steelers and Rothlisberger. Speaking of the NFL, that's exactly what THE. . .University is trying to avoid: the early exodus of several star players to the pro league, encouraged by the half-season suspension.
Naturally, this blogger has long admired the tradition of tough football that Ohio State represented and still represents, from Woody Hayes, Jack Tatum, and Archie Griffin on. Most of its other sports are very competitive as well. But no school should be treated more equal than others. No school should allow its athletic director to rant about the fairness of the BCS bowl system at the expense of non-BCS conferences when said A.D. also has "member of Rose Bowl Management Committee" on his c.v. As Devo used to sing, sarcastically, it's a beautiful world.
Boise State's Clubbing of Utah Exposes the Usual Weaknesses
It has been almost one week since Boise State overpowered Utah in the Maaco Las Vegas Bowl, 23-3. Boise State finished with only one loss, and if they had had a reliable kicker they might have had a top three finish and Rose Bowl victory awaiting them. Alas, such was not the case. Fortunately for brainiac Boise coach Chris Peterson, his brilliant but undersized quarterback, Kellen Moore, should be returning for his senior season next year. Those two will lead BSU's entrance into the Mountain West Conference, where they will no doubt pitch battle with TCU (in its last MWC year) and upstart San Diego State for the 2011 title.
Now to the unpleasant news, and what this post is really about. Utah. Utah's offense, or the lack thereof. Utah's offensive coaching, or the lack thereof. Utah's quarterbacking, or the lack thereof. Please note that I'm leaving Coach Kyle Whittingham out of the blame train. At least for now.
Boise State had four turnovers. As a result, Utah had great field position in the first half. What was the problem? Failure in the red zone. Dropped passes. Inaccurate throws. Predictable plays. Poor execution on the offensive side when it counted most. To their credit, the Utah defense played tough throughout, although the defense wore down in the second half as the Utah offense had too many three-and-outs. Okay, the D did give up a couple HUGE plays in the first half.
By the second half, Boise State was cruising and Utah was reeling in offensive ineptitude. Was it all quarterback Terrence Cain's fault? Of course not. The o-line grew weak, keeping Cain spinning to elude Boise headhunters. The receivers were unreliable at best, including that speedy Smithson character. The solid running backs were rarely gaining big chunks. Would it have made any difference if Coach Whittingham had benched starter Jordan Wynn when he was misfiring against TCU and Notre Dame in preceding weeks, giving Cain more reps and time under center? Not likely, although it would have been a wise decision. Against BSU, Wynn was not available due to injury. Cain started well, but quickly fell into bad habits: happy feet, telegraphed passes, poor ballhandling. Too bad the Utes' quarterback coach, Brian Johnson (star of the undefeated 2008 season), was not available for duty.
The quarterback problem brings up another issue: recruiting. Yes, the Meyer-Whittingham era has produced better athletes than prior decades in Salt Lake City. Last year, six Utes were drafted by the NFL. That's a good sign. But the second half of the season and games against tougher opponents exposed the biggest weaknesses of Utah: poor depth, poor quarterbacking, and poor halftime adjustments. Two of those three are attributable to recruiting. All three fall within the province of the coaching staff. The Las Vegas Bowl was no different.
Why start a true freshman at quarterback, as Coach Whit did late last season? Because Utah had no solid redshirt sophomore, true junior, or senior to replace Brian Johnson. Cain, a JC recruit, was a quick fix with speed, but an inadequate arm. Hence, Wynn started the last few games, and played well a few times. This year, Wynn' s record was spotty. He looked all-world against early pathetic opponents, even against Iowa State. The team started 7-0. Then, the house of cards collapsed against a tough TCU team seeking vengeance for its 2008 loss at Utah. The result? A shellacking worse than the Democrats suffered in this fall's elections. Wynn and Utah were exposed.
Sure, the defense, especially against TCU and San Diego State, was far from perfect. But inconsistent or enfeebled offensive playcalling resulting in turnovers or three-and-outs simply fatigued the defense's thin ranks quicker.
The future for Boise State still looks rosy, even if Mountain West powers are fleeing the conference. As for Utah? Coach Whit better find a new offensive coordinator, a new quarterback, and a lot of quick-fix JC transfers for the trenches fast, or else Utah will be lucky to survive their first year in the Pac-12 with a ,500 record. A game at USC in September? Don't expect the Utes to start 7-0 next year.
Now to the unpleasant news, and what this post is really about. Utah. Utah's offense, or the lack thereof. Utah's offensive coaching, or the lack thereof. Utah's quarterbacking, or the lack thereof. Please note that I'm leaving Coach Kyle Whittingham out of the blame train. At least for now.
Boise State had four turnovers. As a result, Utah had great field position in the first half. What was the problem? Failure in the red zone. Dropped passes. Inaccurate throws. Predictable plays. Poor execution on the offensive side when it counted most. To their credit, the Utah defense played tough throughout, although the defense wore down in the second half as the Utah offense had too many three-and-outs. Okay, the D did give up a couple HUGE plays in the first half.
By the second half, Boise State was cruising and Utah was reeling in offensive ineptitude. Was it all quarterback Terrence Cain's fault? Of course not. The o-line grew weak, keeping Cain spinning to elude Boise headhunters. The receivers were unreliable at best, including that speedy Smithson character. The solid running backs were rarely gaining big chunks. Would it have made any difference if Coach Whittingham had benched starter Jordan Wynn when he was misfiring against TCU and Notre Dame in preceding weeks, giving Cain more reps and time under center? Not likely, although it would have been a wise decision. Against BSU, Wynn was not available due to injury. Cain started well, but quickly fell into bad habits: happy feet, telegraphed passes, poor ballhandling. Too bad the Utes' quarterback coach, Brian Johnson (star of the undefeated 2008 season), was not available for duty.
The quarterback problem brings up another issue: recruiting. Yes, the Meyer-Whittingham era has produced better athletes than prior decades in Salt Lake City. Last year, six Utes were drafted by the NFL. That's a good sign. But the second half of the season and games against tougher opponents exposed the biggest weaknesses of Utah: poor depth, poor quarterbacking, and poor halftime adjustments. Two of those three are attributable to recruiting. All three fall within the province of the coaching staff. The Las Vegas Bowl was no different.
Why start a true freshman at quarterback, as Coach Whit did late last season? Because Utah had no solid redshirt sophomore, true junior, or senior to replace Brian Johnson. Cain, a JC recruit, was a quick fix with speed, but an inadequate arm. Hence, Wynn started the last few games, and played well a few times. This year, Wynn' s record was spotty. He looked all-world against early pathetic opponents, even against Iowa State. The team started 7-0. Then, the house of cards collapsed against a tough TCU team seeking vengeance for its 2008 loss at Utah. The result? A shellacking worse than the Democrats suffered in this fall's elections. Wynn and Utah were exposed.
Sure, the defense, especially against TCU and San Diego State, was far from perfect. But inconsistent or enfeebled offensive playcalling resulting in turnovers or three-and-outs simply fatigued the defense's thin ranks quicker.
The future for Boise State still looks rosy, even if Mountain West powers are fleeing the conference. As for Utah? Coach Whit better find a new offensive coordinator, a new quarterback, and a lot of quick-fix JC transfers for the trenches fast, or else Utah will be lucky to survive their first year in the Pac-12 with a ,500 record. A game at USC in September? Don't expect the Utes to start 7-0 next year.
Friday, December 17, 2010
Mountain West Conference: Checkmate?
The Mountain West Conference undoubtedly thought it had a win-win scenario in place when it invited Boise State to join as a replacement for Pac-10/12-bound Utah and it successfully blocked BYU from joining the WAC with its non-football sports and discouraging the Cougars from going football independent by inviting UNR and Fresno State to join. The egotistical MWC commissioner thought he had gutted the WAC like a fish. High-fives and champagne were in order at his office. The celebration was short-lived, however.
First, BYU was not deterred in its reckless since-Utah-went-BCS-conference-and-we-weren't-invited-we-can't-stay-behind-with puny-MWC-TV-revenues-and-exposure-jealous-mindset adventure of going independent. Remember what Gordon Gekko said in the first WALL STREET movie? "Greed is good." BYU will quadruple (at least) its TV football revenue and vastly increase its exposure by using ESPN and BYUTV for its independent football program. (Who was the wizard behind this idea? Was it one of the worst Cal FB head coaches in recent history, although a fine human being, Tom Holmoe--BYU AD?) BYU's other sports will be in the "mighty" West Coast Conference. It is somewhat ironic that BYU was one of the leader schools in creating the Mt. West by leaving behind the "undesirables" of the bloated WAC and creating a new superconference. The Mountain West was really the first mercenary conference. Of course, they shot themselves in the foot by egotistically creating their own sports network when its demographics and brandname recognition did not warrant it.
Second, Utah State turned down the MWC invite because they actually exercised a foreign concept in modern bigtime athletics: integrity. Hence, the MWC will lose the Salt Lake City-Provo-Ogden television market in the fall of 2011.
Third, TCU (the third MWC football powerhouse) opted to join the Big East for 2012, even though its travel expenses for non-revenue sports will be exorbitant to say the least. Was TCU's departure a result of gravitating towards more TV revenue and a BCS conference, or fleeing from the sinking ship MWC with new bully-on-the-block Boise State (a team that thoroughly spanked TCU in last year's Fiesta Bowl)?
By raiding the WAC, at least the MWC will welcome a dramatically improved Nevada and an always-tough Fresno State, as well as creating new natural rivalries in Nevada-UNLV and Fresno State-San Diego State. Nevertheless, the ruthless actions of the MWC might come back to haunt it in future school and conference maneuvering. How long will Boise State and San Diego State stay? Will New Mexico, Colorado State, and Air Force receive better offers in the near future? Only time will tell.
The WAC has fortified itself for the future by adding Denver and Seattle in non-football sports, and UTSA and Texas State in football. This is a band-aid on a major wound. So far, Montana and UC Davis have rejected WAC offers.
One thing is certain. If the Mountain West Conference vanishes in the next five years, few will shed tears. Mercenary players, coaches, and schools are par for the course in modern collegiate athletics. But a mercenary conference? That is one for the record books.
First, BYU was not deterred in its reckless since-Utah-went-BCS-conference-and-we-weren't-invited-we-can't-stay-behind-with puny-MWC-TV-revenues-and-exposure-jealous-mindset adventure of going independent. Remember what Gordon Gekko said in the first WALL STREET movie? "Greed is good." BYU will quadruple (at least) its TV football revenue and vastly increase its exposure by using ESPN and BYUTV for its independent football program. (Who was the wizard behind this idea? Was it one of the worst Cal FB head coaches in recent history, although a fine human being, Tom Holmoe--BYU AD?) BYU's other sports will be in the "mighty" West Coast Conference. It is somewhat ironic that BYU was one of the leader schools in creating the Mt. West by leaving behind the "undesirables" of the bloated WAC and creating a new superconference. The Mountain West was really the first mercenary conference. Of course, they shot themselves in the foot by egotistically creating their own sports network when its demographics and brandname recognition did not warrant it.
Second, Utah State turned down the MWC invite because they actually exercised a foreign concept in modern bigtime athletics: integrity. Hence, the MWC will lose the Salt Lake City-Provo-Ogden television market in the fall of 2011.
Third, TCU (the third MWC football powerhouse) opted to join the Big East for 2012, even though its travel expenses for non-revenue sports will be exorbitant to say the least. Was TCU's departure a result of gravitating towards more TV revenue and a BCS conference, or fleeing from the sinking ship MWC with new bully-on-the-block Boise State (a team that thoroughly spanked TCU in last year's Fiesta Bowl)?
By raiding the WAC, at least the MWC will welcome a dramatically improved Nevada and an always-tough Fresno State, as well as creating new natural rivalries in Nevada-UNLV and Fresno State-San Diego State. Nevertheless, the ruthless actions of the MWC might come back to haunt it in future school and conference maneuvering. How long will Boise State and San Diego State stay? Will New Mexico, Colorado State, and Air Force receive better offers in the near future? Only time will tell.
The WAC has fortified itself for the future by adding Denver and Seattle in non-football sports, and UTSA and Texas State in football. This is a band-aid on a major wound. So far, Montana and UC Davis have rejected WAC offers.
One thing is certain. If the Mountain West Conference vanishes in the next five years, few will shed tears. Mercenary players, coaches, and schools are par for the course in modern collegiate athletics. But a mercenary conference? That is one for the record books.
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