Ball State Football

12-1 isn't as good as 13-0.  But MAC referees aren't as good as advertised.

You might call me a homer and you might say I'm biased...  And you'd be right.

The entire dynamic of the game changed when the referees called MiQuale Lewis', reviewed, and recalled his touchdown incorrectly, the "dropped" pass, that again was incorrectly reviewed, and again when they missed a call on a defensive pass interference.  But did the refs cost BSU this game?

Short answer, yes.

When MiQuale Lewis rushed into the endzone, it put Ball State up 24-14, and all momentum was with the Cardinals.  Life was good.  I saw a replay on the screen, and it confirmed what I saw, touchdown Lewis.

But then it happened.  The ref overturned the call.  What?!  How did this happen?  The ball was clearly over the plane of the goal!!!

The problem wasn't solely the refs, and I won't completely place blame on them since the team fumbled four times, and had two of them returned for touchdowns.  I refuse to say the Bulls earned this though.

The Cardinals had seven points removed off the board, and then Buffalo had seven points handed in the gift wrapped fumble.  From that point, the game changed.

I can't explain how exactly it happened, but the team was different after the fumble.  As surprised as I was to see the horrid reffing, I was still not as shocked at how it kept recurring.

There was the "incomplete" pass to Briggs Orsbon.  The ball never hit the ground.  The momentum for BSU was again slashed.

As a player streaked down field (I can't remember who), there was a Bull that tackled him around the seven-yard line, and then the ball hit at the 2.  The game was over.

I never lost faith.  I never thought Ball State would lose that game, but no matter how hard we tried, the refs kept handing the game back to Buffalo.

The Cardinals played hard, but fell short of the 13-0 mark, but if you root for BSU, you need be proud of the fact that they played well in spite of the fact that 3 blown calls sucked the life out of this team.

And don't forget the bowl game.  I'll see you there.

Chirp Chirp.

I don't know if it's the coaches or the administration who is at fault; I only know that it's not the players.  The players and the fans, for that matter, have been cheated.

I'll keep this short and sweet.

The Ball State Cardinals (12-1) were offered a bid to the Humanitarian Bowl to play Boise State (12-0).  Yes, it was on Boise's Smurf Turf.  Yes, it was a long way for Indiana fans to travel, but just how many Ball State fans will be traveling to their bowl game anyway?  Especially now?

In case you aren't already aware, the Buffalo Bulls (8-5) stampeded over the Cardinals in the MAC Championship game tonight, 42-24.

They had a chance to go mano-a-mano, two undefeated teams battling it out in what surely would have been a more entertaining proposal than any Ball State will now receive.

If they had lost, it could have been written off as a road game against a BCS-quality team.  If they had won, Ball State could have put themselves more permanently on the mid-major map, both in terms of recruiting and hype.

Instead, they were cowards and turned down the bid.  Maybe they did the fans a favor. If they played at all as they did against Buffalo, it would have been an embarrassing display against the Broncos of Boise State.

I don't pretend to have inside knowledge of what goes on in Muncie, Indiana, but shame on whoever is responsible for the decision of turning down the Humanitarian Bowl invitation.

For those that say the Buffalo loss proves they shouldn't have accepted the invitation, I call bullshit.  It makes it all the more obvious that they shouldn't have looked the gift horse in the mouth.  They would have had a shot at redemption and relevance, on a (still) reasonably large stage. 

Now, they will only have a shot at partial insignificance (if they win) or complete insignificance (if they lose).

Good luck playing in the random December bowl that no one but the most diehard of college football fans will be watching.

The Ball State Cardinals, the 12-0 Mid-American Conference champions, denied their invitation to play in the Humanitarian Bowl.The game would be against 12-0 Boise State, the Western Athletic Conference champions.

It would be played on Boise State's home blue turf, and would be one of the best matchups of the bowl season, since it would have been the only bowl matching up two undefeated teams.

But the game will not happen. The decision by Ball State not to accept the bid is a puzzling one. Did they expect a BCS bowl bid after playing one of the easiest schedules in the country?

Their opponents combined record is 54-88, and only three of the teams they played finished with a winning record. Yet, they are too scared to finally play some legit competition.

People have wanted to see all year if Ball State was for real. They were always the lowest ranked undefeated team throughout the year, and deservedly so, because they did not beat anyone good.

Ball State is embarrassing the MAC, achieving one of the best seasons in MAC history but then being to scared to play in the highest-profile bowl invite ever by a MAC team.

Ball State's athletic director Tom Collins said, "I think it would be great for television, but I'm not sure it's fair to our student-athletes to ask them to go out and play on Boise State's home field."

Who cares if it is technically an away game and not on a neutral site? What is the difference between that and any other away game the Cardinals have played all year?

Ball State has one of the top five quarterbacks in the country in Nate Davis, and this would be a great time for NFL scouts to see how he plays when he goes up against quality competition. Boise State has just three losses in the past three seasons, and in 2007 they upset Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl.

Ball State coach Brady Hoke and athletic director Tom Collins are making the team look like they are afraid to play quality competition, and are using the Boise State's home field advantage as an excuse.

If they had won this game, they would have been mentioned in the list of the top non-BCS schools in the country. Right alongside Utah, BYU, Boise State, TCU, and Fresno State.

The likely alternative for Ball State? Ball State may be invited to the Motor City Bowl in Detroit, to take on either Notre Dame or North Carolina State. If they win either of those games they will not prove anything, and if they lose to either of them all that they accomplished this season will be written off.

Notre Dame lost to Syracuse a few weeks ago, one of the worst teams in college football, and their fans started throwing snowballs at players. NC State is a .500 team that has won their last four. Either way, the competition is nothing compared to Boise State.

Ball State is making a mistake. To make it this far, representing the MAC, and to shy away from a major bowl bid shows they are afraid to take on college football's best, and that they will never be considered one of the best non-BCS programs.

As an alum and super homer when it comes to Ball State athletics, it might surprise you to hear the next sentence.

Ball State football does NOT deserve a shot at a BCS bowl.

Even if Utah or Boise State had lost a game, and the real BSU was ranked in the top 12, they still should be snubbed for any of the BCS games.  Here’s why.

Ball State has run the table thus far, advancing to 12-0 and shooting up to No. 12 in the BCS rankings. However, it did it in the Mid-American Conference, which truly isn’t a power conference. The athletes aren’t as big, fast, strong, or anything like the athletes in the Pac-10, Big Ten, Big 12, etc.

Teams like the Cardinals in a mid-major are just better athletes than the teams in their conference. Nate Davis has an NFL arm; it’s just that bigger programs weren’t willing to help accommodate someone with a learning disability.

Ball State would also get run out of the building. Not just because the Cards don’t have super athletes on the team, but the lack of speed on defense would kill them. The only time they won by less than 10 points was against Central Michigan, who has a fast and mobile quarterback.

If they faced Tim Tebow, what would happen when he also has Percy Harvin attacking them at all directions? It wouldn’t be fun to go watch a BCS game when Ball State was getting slaughtered. It would, however, be great fun to go watch them win in the MAC’s biggest bowl game (keep in mind I’m assuming that Buffalo is going down this Friday).

When your signature win is against another mid-major, then it’s just that much harder to actually make a case for them to be invited to a BCS game. It’s not like the Motor City Bowl is a chump or gimmie, either. Projections show North Carolina State, Iowa, or Minnesota, three very good football programs.

There’s more to the story, though, with Brady Hoke and Davis about to be on their way out. I’d love to think that if BSU can run the table and go 14-0 without a BCS win, that maybe Hoke and Davis decide they can do it one more year here, and go after a BCS birth.

It’s a little selfish, and a lot ridiculous since I think Davis has already packed his bags for the NFL and Hoke can’t have a better season than this with his alma mater, but it would be great to have them both back next season.

When the bowl selections are made, and the games are announced, I’ll start getting my affairs in order so I can take the road trip to (hopefully) Detroit and watch my beloved Cardinals make me the proudest alum ever. Sorry, David Letterman, I’ll be just a little more proud.

Chirp Chirp.

Despite the "Nay-sayers," of the world, Ball State Football is still pecking at the BCS door. Here's why.

Nate Davis is the real deal when it comes to college football quarterbacks. He has the arm, the legs, and even more importantly the on field savvy to get the job done. No wonder so many pro scouts are in and out of Muncie, Indiana salivating at the prospect of getting this kid in the draft. That being said the squad as a whole is teaming with talent that former Michigan Assistant head coach and defensive co-ordinator, Brady Hoke has put together.

This team is good despite who they have played. They can only set out to win what the schedule dictates and that is what they have done. Unfortunately, only the BCS now can show the nation just how talented a team they really are. Something Hoke and the Mid-West already know.

“Obviously, it’s good to win,” Ball State head coach Brady Hoke says. “I am really happy for this group of kids and this senior class to come together and accomplish what they set out to get but we’re not finished yet.”

For those who still wonder how that could be accomplished, here is the guidelines set by the BCS...

According to the BCS rules: "The champion of Conference USA, the Mid-American Conference, the Mountain West Conference, the Sun Belt Conference, or the Western Athletic Conference will earn an automatic berth in a BCS bowl game if either: A. Such team is ranked in the top 12 of the final BCS Standings, or, B. Such team is ranked in the top 16 of the final BCS Standings and its ranking in the final BCS Standings is higher than that of a champion of a conference that has an annual automatic berth in one of the BCS bowls."

As of today Ball State is ranked 15th and is therefore in the top 16 BCS Standings.  The number one team in the Big East is Cincinnati who is ranked 16th and is therefore ranked below Ball State.  So Ball State according to BCS Rule B would be in a BCS Bowl game. Of course this would change if Cincinnati moves ahead of Ball State in the BCS standings, or if Buffalo wins the MAC championship or if Ball State moves out of the top 16.

One final thought...look at the teams the Cardinals have dismantled and who those teams have beaten. Someone is going to get attacked by a big bird...and it won't be a pretty site.

I predicted all of this in August, and many of you justifiably thought I was simply mouthing off about my favorite football team in hopes of shining light on my long forgotten, never-remembered, mediocre playing days at Ball State and hamming it up in hopes of landing an invite to Dave Letterman's "Late Show."

Look, there are people with tape of Western Michigan's Joel Smeenge waltzing by me in 1987 and 1988. I have no interest in drawing attention to my playing career. And as much as I love and support my fellow BSU alum, Letterman, the "Late Show" doesn't quite stack up to sharing Oprah's stage. I've been to the mountain top.

My goal as a journalist/columnist is to be right about issues others don't see coming or don't have the courage/intellect to address.

Ball State football in 2008 provided a perfect storm. And the more I thought about this column and tracked my Cardinals throughout the season, the more perfect this storm became.

The column became bigger than an I-told-you-so moment. If I wrote a column every time I was right about something, I'd spend my entire career penning columns lampooning Charlie Weis' collapses. That would get old ... after four years or so.

Ball State's football season perfectly illustrated my problem with ESPN and why I believe the World Wide Leader is the most evil and destructive force in the sports world. It has driven and hastened the destruction of authentic, independent, democratic, courageous sports journalism.

ESPN is the enemy of the truth, and all who believe a pursuit of the truth is the lifeblood of a genuinely free society must stand against the Wal-Mart-ization of sports journalism.

I reached this conclusion when trying to figure out why Ball State quarterback Nate Davis isn't one of the top-five Heisman Trophy candidates and Ball State coach Brady Hoke isn't the front-runner for national coach of the year.

Do not laugh. I'm not on a high from Tuesday night's 45-22 thumping of Western Michigan, which secured Ball State's undefeated regular season and placed my Cardinals in the MAC Championship game. I'm not an overzealous fan. I was cold and rational in August when I told you the Cardinals had the schedule, personnel and maturity to run the table.

And I'm cold and rational now when I tell you that Nate Davis is the best player in college football and Hoke has turned in 2008's best coaching performance. I love Ball State. I'm not willing to lie for Ball State.

If it was 1985 and Sports Illustrated and print journalism were still the institutions driving the conversation in the sports world, a Ball State football alum and a late-night talk-show host wouldn't be the media people telling you about Davis and Hoke.

Believe it or not, before ESPN purchased the majority of relevant sports programming and seduced most of the creative, independent-thinking, connected sports writers to join its evil empire, there was this magical time when substance and the little guy actually had a voice in the sports world.

There was a time when writers would champion guys such as Gordon Lockbaum (fifth in 1986 and third in 1988) and Joe Dudek (ninth in 1985) for the Heisman Trophy. It's difficult to believe now, but in 1982 the 10 top vote-getters were all actually really, really good college football players: Herschel Walker, John Elway, Eric Dickerson, Anthony Carter, David Rimington, Todd Blackledge, Tom Ramsey, Tony Eason, Dan Marino and Mike Rozier.

Yes, back before one television enterprise monopolized the sports world, you actually could put together a serious run at the Heisman even if you weren't the starting quarterback of the top-ranked team Kirk Herbstreit and Brent Musberger just anointed.

Since 2000, here are your Heisman Trophy winners: Chris Weinke, Eric Crouch, Carson Palmer, Jason White, Matt Leinart, Reggie Bush, Troy Smith and Tim Tebow.

Do the 10 guys I named from 1982 form a better group than the eight winners from the new millennium, and if so why?

The conversation about the Heisman Trophy and all things in sports has been dumbed down by the World Wide Leader.

This year the network pretty much decided you had to play quarterback in the Big 12 to be in consideration for the Heisman Trophy. At different times throughout the season, Chase Daniel, Sam Bradford, Graham Harrell and Colt McCoy have been declared the leading candidates to win college sports' most prestigious individual award.

When Oklahoma embarrassed Texas Tech, Bradford shot past Harrell. Here's what's frustrating. I live in Big 12 country. I follow the league and have watched them all play regularly. Texas Tech receiver Michael Crabtree is the best football player in the Big 12.

Here's what's more frustrating. Not one of the Big 12's quarterbacks is in the same physical ballpark as Ball State's Nate Davis. It's not close. They can't match his arm, instincts, touch, accuracy, presence, ability to move in the pocket, out of the pocket or make plays when things break down.

They can't match his resume. Getting Ball State to 12-0 under the best circumstances is far more difficult than getting Oklahoma to 11-1. I know Ball State's schedule isn't as difficult as Oklahoma's. I also know Bradford is surrounded by far more talent than Davis.

Look, if the sports world didn't operate under the control of a sports-media dictatorship, I wouldn't have to provide you the context. A powerful, unbiased, independent journalist would've traveled to Ball State during the summer and talked with the man who recruited Tom Brady to Michigan (Brady Hoke) and the man who coached Tom Brady at Michigan (Ball State offensive coordinator Stan Parrish).

Hoke and Parrish can put Nate Davis in context more effectively than I can.

Nate Davis has the tools to be better than Tom Brady. Hoke and Parrish will tell you that, and they absolutely adore Tom Brady.

If you watch Nate Davis play, he looks like the second coming of Brett Favre.

Now, ESPN2 has broadcast Ball State's last four games. The first game I believe Lou Holtz and Mark May provided the color commentary. It was their first real look at Davis, and they were appropriately complimentary and a bit guarded. The second game was against Miami of Ohio and a non-descript B team called the game.

The last two games were against Central Michigan and Western Michigan, two top-40-caliber squads who provided the Cardinals legitimate tests. Ray Bentley, an all-time great at CMU, a former NFL linebacker and a passionate follower of MAC football, was the color commentator.

Unfortunately, ESPN did not require Bentley to leave his Central Michigan pom poms at home. Nor did the network force Bentley to disclose all pertinent information, such as the fact that his son is a walk-on member of the CMU football team and that the Ball State coaching staff declined to offer Bentley's kid a scholarship despite Bentley's request.

If the viewers knew all the relevant information coloring Ray's commentary, then they probably would've understood why Bentley spent the entire Ball State-CMU broadcast pretending that CMU's outstanding MAC quarterback, Dan Lefevour, was on the same level as Ball State's once-in-a-lifetime passer.

As a journalist, it's important that I disclose to you that I love Ball State. When I have a bias, I let you know it in hopes that you will read my commentary in context. I'm hoping most of you reading this realize or remember that I worked at ESPN for many years and parted company (was fired) with the network three years ago primarily after Mike Lupica and "Sports Reporters" producer Joe Valerio made it clear that I would not be allowed to talk about Barry Bonds and steroids in a way they found disagreeable. (There's more to the story and you can Google and find all of the additional background rather easily.)

ESPN is so financially tied to the organizations it covers and so devoid of basic journalistic ethics that it cannot properly analyze the sports world. ESPN just bought the BCS television package. It has a vested interest in promoting all things BCS.

If you're going to televise multiple Big 12 games in primetime on ABC and ESPN, you have every reason to promote the myth that the majority of Heisman Trophy candidates play in the Big 12.

Let me tell you what passes for courage and independent thinking at ESPN. Chris Fowler dropped Ball State out of his AP top-25 ballot last week after the Cardinals beat a then-9-2 Central Michigan team on the road.

I'm not someone who believes Ball State belongs in a BCS bowl game. Any team — not just a mid-major — needs a top-25 victory on its resume before you even begin the BCS argument. We don't have it. Right now, we've earned the right to be ranked — in my opinion — anywhere from No. 18 to 23. If we finish 14-0, I'll be satisfied with a ranking between No. 10 and 15.

What Fowler has done is ridiculous and reeks of the kind of simple-minded arrogance that permeates ESPN. Fowler has had his ass kissed for too many years. He travels around the country during football season and everywhere he goes, there's an Army of BCS sports information directors waiting to kiss his ass and tell him how great "GameDay" is.

He has never been a professional journalist a day in his life. He's a TV personality. He knows what someone else has told him. I'm not 100 percent sure, but I'd suspect he hasn't worn a jock since junior high school.

This is the combination that is killing the sports media. No journalism background, no real athletic experience and no backbone. No clue. Fowler wouldn't make a competent blogger.

"GameDay" and Fowler are unlikely to ever visit Muncie, Ind. ESPN2 televises midweek MAC games in November. Fowler must primarily worry about his reception at BCS institutions. You would not believe how many alleged "journalists" and "media personalities" spend much of their time fretting about whether an SID, a coach or a player likes them. It's an embarrassing obsession among the media.

Fowler knows little about football and nothing about Ball State. His celebrity status justifies his AP vote.

He can't fathom the difficulty of going undefeated in any conference, especially one that is traditionally as evenly matched as the Mid-American Conference.

Brady Hoke built the Ball State football team around two players, Nate Davis and receiver Dante Love. In the fourth week of the season, in the middle of the school's most important game of the season, an Indiana University football player nearly paralyzed Dante Love with a legal and fair hit.

Love lay stretched out on the field motionless for more than 20 minutes. I knew the season was over. Love's career was over. He was Robin to Davis' Batman. Seventy percent of Ball State's offensive playbook was predicated on getting the ball to Love or pretending to give the ball to Love. He returned kickoffs, was our No. 2 tailback and quarterback. He was going to catch 120 passes. NFL scouts loved him.

Hoke and his team adjusted on the fly. Hoke orchestrates the defense. For two years, Davis, Love, Stan Parrish and the offense carried the football.

Brady Hoke and the defense elevated their production and performance from the moment paramedics carted Love off the field. While the offense struggled to score points without Love, the defense kept the opposition out of the end zone and created turnovers.

Ball State is the most disciplined, well-coached team in college football. Check the stats. The Cardinals almost never get penalized. We're the least flagged team in the nation. We're in the top 20 in the country in turnover margin.

Someone like Chris Fowler can't grasp how that helps you win football games. No penalties, no turnovers and Nate Davis are how Ball State would beat the ACC or Big East champions, teams that will play in BCS bowl games.

When you have a great quarterback and a coach who has matured over six years into one of the best in the business, anything is possible, even a school like Ball State being in the BCS discussion.

This story needs to be told. It's an awesome tale with lots of gory details. Hoke is at a university where the administration works pretty much in direct opposition to the success of the football program.

Our school president, Jo Ann Gora, wants to be the face of the university until the moment she lands a job at an elite East Coast university. She stars in the TV commercials aired on ESPN2. Three years ago she delighted in paying the women's basketball coach more money than Brady Hoke, a Ball State alum with very deep roots at the school.

At one time, President Gora had the ideal, liberal sports resume: A female women's basketball coach (Tracy Roller) was the highest paid coach at the school, an angry, spoiled, militant, high-profile black man was the men's basketball coach (Ronny Thompson) and the football coach and his staff were the lowest paid in the conference and didn't have offices.

Roller had a self-admitted mental breakdown and quit shortly after inking her new contract. Thompson claimed Gora's athletic department was racist and quit.

Hoke built one of the nation's best teams, is the MAC's eighth-highest-paid coach and still doesn't have his own office.

Stories like Hoke's and Davis' used to define my profession and enrich our enjoyment of sports. Now we're fed a steady diet of Donovan McNabb didn't know games could end in a tie and fake Red Sox press conferences.

We're dying by suicide and ESPN is Dr. Jack Kevorkian. You're dying, too. ESPN just hasn't told you yet.

You can e-mail Jason Whitlock at ballstate0@aol.com.

This article originally published on FOXSports.com.

Read more of Jason's columns here.

I asked Ball State wide receiver Briggs Orsbon if he thought his Cardinals should receive a BCS bid (provided they finish the regular season undefeated).  His answer?  You’ll just have to keep reading below about Ball State’s latest win...and the final regular-season Diamond in the Rough profile.

1. DIAMOND IN THE ROUGH: BALL STATE 31, CENTRAL MICHIGAN 24

Two great teams.  Two great quarterbacks.  One great game.  It’s a shame somebody had to lose.

Ball State’s perfect season remained intact for another week with a hard-fought, come-from-behind win on the road against MAC rival Central Michigan Wednesday night.  BSU quarterback Nate Davis threw two fourth-quarter touchdown passes as the Cardinals escaped Mount Pleasant* with a 31-24 win.  Davis only completed 12 passes on the evening, but four of them went for scores. 

* Note: They call it Mount Pleasant, but Weather Pleasant it was not.  Snow came down consistently throughout the evening, and the fans had some serious cold and elements to brave...good thing the game seemed to be worth it!

Across the field, CMU star Dan LeFevour took advantage of the national spotlight with a 345-yard passing performance (even more impressive considering the snowstorm), but a late interception killed the Chippewas’ final chance to rally.  LeFevour (who I’ve often described as a poor man’s Tim Tebow) also carried the ball an astonishing 24 times in the contest.

Speaking of running the football, Ball State’s tailback MiQuale Lewis finished the night with 177 yards on the ground, improving his season average to 132 yards per game.  In the end, Ball State’s balance and execution was enough to outlast the Chippewas, their pumped-up fans, and even their flashy new “Vegas gold” jerseys.

The game-winning score for the undefeated Cardinals came with 7:34 to play, snapping a 24-all tie.  On a critical 3rd-and-8 play, Nate Davis threw a perfect 11-yard strike to freshman wide receiver Briggs Orsbon in the corner of the end zone.   In an e-mail to “Carrying On,” Orsbon described the all-important final touchdown.   

“The idea of the play was either to get an out route with me or get Darius Hill over the top. However, it is normally a shorter route for me, but I had to adjust because of the 3rd-and-8 situation. Coming up to the line I recognized the defense was in man coverage and the DB was playing a good seven yards off of me, so I knew there was a good chance of the ball coming to me.

"Honestly, the ball seemed to be traveling in slow motion. It was the importance of the situation that made it such a difficult catch, but practicing plays like that on a daily basis prepares you for those types of plays.”

Briggs is right, by the way.  In case you didn’t get to see the highlight, it was an incredibly difficult catch, but one he will remember for a very long time. 

Now normally at this point in the column, I list a bunch of random thoughts about this week’s Diamond in the Rough.  However, there’s a more pressing issue on my mind, so I’m going to preempt that section with this pointed question:

Briggs Orsbon...if you win out, do you think your team deserves to go to a BCS game?  What about the national championship game?  COACF readers, Bleacher Creatures everywhere, and college football fans want to know.

Drumroll, please.

“We try not to get to wrapped up in all the rankings and that stuff, and just let it all fall into place. We also have to win a few games before we start worrying about any bowl games. However, with our circumstance I think we deserve a shot just like any other team in the country. If we aren't put in one of those games, then the country will never know if we deserved to be there or not.”

Before he finishes, here’s the quote I absolutely love:

“We didn't pick the teams on our schedule—we are just going out there and playing against them.”

Well put, Mr. Mid-Major.  I wish your Cardinals had a chance to control your own national title destiny.  But most of America (or at least the people with the money) seems to think a system where computers spit out the two schools with the biggest linemen and most banners is preferable.

Sigh.

2. LOU HOLTZ SPECIALS

 

Reader submission from Greg:

"This has been the best part of the game for Michigan...the punting game!" – Brad Nessler

“Don’t let the truth get in the way of a good story.” – Todd Harris

“You guys aren’t having a domestic, are you?” – Paul Maguire

“Go have another cookie, Paul.” – Brad Nessler

“I’m not going to speculate there, although I just did.” – Todd Harris

“Good non-speculation speculation.” – Ray Bentley

 

And although not from an actual game, this was the best quote I heard all week from an announcer:

“I think I’m smarter than I think I am.” – Mike Golic.

 

3. THAT CAN’T BE RIGHT

 

The ridiculous stat lines and improbable scores that make you think the sports ticker has malfunctioned...

 

Oklahoma 65, Texas Tech 21.  I watched this game, as many of you did, so I didn’t exactly see the score on the sports ticker.  But who would have really thought that a 10-0 team would/could lose by 44?

 

Syracuse 24, Notre Dame 23. (Yes, that would be eight-loss Syracuse and its lame-duck coach winning at South Bend.  With the loss, Notre Dame set a record for most defeats in a two-year span (14).  How’s that resumé coming, Mr. Weis?)

NCAA D-II playoffs: Abilene Christian 93, West Texas A&M 68.  There’s not enough room on the entire Bleacher Report site to start listing all of the amazing stats and records from a mind-boggling shootout like this one.  You can research the running back with seven touchdowns, the quarterback with six, and all the rest of the ridiculous numbers yourself.

After struggling mightily through his senior season, including missing the last three starts due to injury, Curtis Painter came out of nowhere on Senior Day to lead Purdue to scores on ALL 10 DRIVES...eight touchdowns and two field goals.  Painter finished with 448 yards and five touchdowns to help give Joe Tiller a proper sendoff—the Boilermakers throttled the Hoosiers, 62-10.

62-10.

(Sorry, I just wanted to write that score one more time!)

4. THANK GOODNESS FOR MY DVR

 

Here’s the jaw-dropping highlights that were worth rewinding for this week:

Ohio State’s Ray Small did a great job juking a defender instead of running out of bounds on an enormous 80-yard punt return against archrival Michigan.

Georgia Tech RB Jonathan Dwyer was downright nasty Thursday night, simply running over a Miami defender to pick up 35 yards on 1st-and-25.  That hit will leave a bruise.

Oklahoma WR Manuel Johnson made the play of the week with a one-handed grab on a 66-yard touchdown pass.  To top it off, Johnson actually had a brace on that arm due to an elbow injury he had suffered earlier in the season. 

Any other nominees from the faithful readers/commenters? I look forward to hearing about them!  Anyway, I saw the above three plays live, which make them my favorites by default!

5. SINCE I DO LIVE IN OHIO... (news from around the Big Ten)

 

Penn State and Ohio State finished their conference seasons at 7-1, with impressive wins over Michigan State and Michigan, respectively.  The Nittany Lions get the league’s BCS berth, thanks to a 13-6 victory in Columbus last month.

Remember a few weeks ago, when I wrote that Minnesota might be the worst Top 25 team I’ve ever seen?  I think I’ve brought that quote up a few times since then...basically because I was right.

The Gophers started 7-1...and have now lost four in a row, most recently a 55-0 drubbing at the hands of Iowa (in the Metrodome, no less).  With the one-sided triumph, the Hawkeyes captured the famed bronze pig “Floyd of Rosedale”...

...if a bronze pig is indeed something to be desired.

One other note from the Big Ten...Wisconsin is extremely lucky.  It’s that simple.  The Badgers escaped with an overtime win against Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo, 36-35...and the visiting Mustangs missed not one, not two, but THREE extra points in the game.  Ouch.

 

 

6. MAYBE OFFICIATING IS EASIER THAN I THOUGHT

 

Did anyone else see the atrocious 15-yard penalty on Oklahoma safety Nic Harris for a perfectly legal hit on a Texas Tech wide receiver?  I can’t really describe how bad the call was...basically the receiver got sandwiched and the second safety (Harris) hit him hard.

Somehow, the referee decided that since the ball had already hit the receiver’s hands, the safety’s hit was unnecessary roughness (even though the receiver was still trying to grab the ball).  I know I said I couldn’t really describe how bad the official’s decision was, but I’m going to try.

That call was awful, dreadful, shocking, poor, appalling, disgraceful, terrible, frightful, horrible, despicable, and outrageous.

End thesaurus search.

Maybe officiating is easier than I thought.

7.  EVEN THOUGH SEVENTEEN IS A RANDOM NUMBER

 

Here’s the Top 17 ballot I submitted today…I do so with a growing sense of frustration, because I think undefeated teams deserve more recognition.

If I knew y’all wouldn’t laugh so much, I would probably go Alabama, Utah, Ball State, Boise State as the top four...but oh well.  I’m beginning to reluctantly concede that the undefeated mid-majors will never get a shot...so I waste less and less effort trying to argue why they should.

1. Alabama

2. Florida

3. Texas

4. Oklahoma

5. USC

6. Utah

7. Penn State

8. Ball State

9. Boise State

10. Texas Tech

11. Oklahoma State

12. Missouri

13. Ohio State

14. Georgia

15. Cincinnati

16. TCU

17. Oregon State

8. FINAL THOUGHTS ON THE FINAL EDITION

 

Thank you for reading “Carrying On About College Football” all year!  Even though there are some regular-season games left, I’m going into semi-retirement now that my Boilermakers have played their last game of 2008.   Carrying On will return in January for one last article: a wrap-up of the entire bowl season (complete with the highlights, quotes, and randomness that this column is known for). 

Anyway, I appreciate you taking the time to interact with me throughout the season, especially those of you that have been around since Week One, and I’m glad for the friends I’ve made as a result.  I leave you with the random thoughts that will keep me awake tonight (along with the Mountain Dew and the fact that Lakers games start quite late in Ohio.)

- Can we rename the Washington/Washington State game the “Sour Apple Cup”?  Kinda figured that one would go two overtimes...with how bad these teams’ seasons have been, it seemed like the type of game that nobody really wanted to or deserved to win.

- When’s the last time Mississippi won at Death Valley (LSU) and the Swamp (Florida) in the same year?

- Did you realize the Cincinnati Bearcats have back-to-back nine win seasons?  Talk about quiet success.  To put nine wins in perspective...that’s as many as Michigan and Notre Dame have. Combined.

- If you look up the word “mulligan” in the dictionary, you’ll find something about a golfer getting a “second chance”...and most likely, an accompanying picture of Justin Kahut.

Kahut is the Oregon State kicker who missed a game-tying extra point with 3:58 to play in Tucson Saturday night, seeming to cost the Beavers a chance at their first Rose Bowl in 44 years. Kahut’s story has a happy ending, as the kicker redeemed himself with a game-winning 24-yard field goal as time expired.  Final score: Oregon State 19, Arizona 17.

- Last, but not least...for as much fuss as everyone is making about the possibility of a three-way Big 12 South tie that would be decided by BCS rankings (which I’ll agree is really stupid), I’m surprised by how little attention a different scenario has gotten.

Do you realize that if Oklahoma State (the No. 11 team in the country, in case you’ve forgotten) can knock off the Sooners in this weekend’s rivalry game (which will be played at home in Stillwater), Texas Tech could end up playing Missouri in the Big 12 championship game?

The South champ would not be Oklahoma (because of their two losses).  Nor would it be Texas (because the tiebreaker is no longer three-way, and the Red Raiders beat them head to head).

I think it would be slightly hilarious if the Raiders lose by 44 this week...and beat out the No. 2 team in the BCS (Texas) for the division title next week.  Translation: The way that college football determines its champions and championship game participants is officially...strange.

But you knew that already.

With that, I bid you all adieu until January.  Enjoy the holidays...and the football!

Tim Cary (yes, Cary...as in “Carrying On”) is a resident of Springfield, Ohio and a die-hard college football fan (especially when it comes to the Purdue Boilermakers).  To submit thoughts, ideas, questions, arguments, or anything else for “Carrying On About College Football,” e-mail: carryingonabout@yahoo.com.

Check back during the bowl season for a final edition of COACF, only on BleacherReport.com.

Can a mid-major conference team ever play for a national championship under the current BCS system?

In past years, I would cynically think that it is impossible for a team outside the Big Six to have a chance at the biggest game of the year. But as I re-examined the requirements for the top two teams in the BCS standings, I see no reason why, with the right scheduling, a mid-major team couldn’t play for a national title.

With that realized, it seems apparent that most of these schools do not want to play for a national title.

Some BYU fans, and fans of other mid-major teams, claim the BCS was set up to ensure that another national champion did not come from a “lesser” conference, like when BYU took the crown in 1984.

Though I was not old enough at the time to read, let alone analyze the controversy, all the articles I have read from 1984 that criticized the Cougars’ title criticized their strength of schedule. Yet the Associated Press and the USA Today polls both voted BYU number one, and their votes gave the Cougars the title.

Today, each team’s BCS ranking is comprised of one-third USA Today Poll, one-third Harris Interactive Poll, and one-third computer rankings. The USA Today Poll is the roughly the same as it was in 1984. The Harris Interactive Poll took the place of the AP Poll and is deemed to be fairer because its voters statistically represent all 11 conferences.

With two polls comprising the majority of the vote, there should be no argument that the BCS uses polls to keep out a mid-major team, since the polls are what gave BYU the title in 1984.

The remaining third variable that was not a factor in BYU’s title year is the computer rankings. The computer measures statistical variables such as strength of schedule, performance against ranked opponents, etc. More of this is explained at the BCS website, along with links to the seven different computer formulas used to determine the BCS computer rank.

With so much emphasis put on the two polls, there seems to be as much of an opportunity for a mid-major team to rise to the number one spot now as there was in 1984. In fact, with the inclusion of unbiased computer formulas, there seems to be an even greater chance that a mid-major team could rise to the top with quality wins.

One key factor in most of the computer ranking formulas is wins over ranked opponents. Some formulas use top 10, top 25, top 30, top 50, so essentially, teams are rewarded for wins over good teams. Similarly, the members voting in the polls will also reward a team for beating another good team.

Thus, the way to play for a national championship is...schedule and beat good teams! Brilliant, right? This was a long road to the obvious, but if the answer is so simple, then why are so many fans complaining that the BCS is unfair and does not give everyone a shot?

The answer is that the four BCS Bowl games are unfair to everyone (except the ACC and the Big East), but the BCS Title game is based on performance and statistics. Any team can help their chances of getting there based on scheduling.

If any mid-major team could play for a title, then why don’t we see it happening? Most mid-major schools don’t want to play for a shot at the title.

To get to the title game, a team would need to schedule as many top teams as possible to increase their strength of schedule. This increases the chance that the team could lose. It is possible that at places like Boise St., Utah, and BYU, the boosters and the fans would rather see check marks in the win column than witness losses to good teams in an effort to raise the team’s stock.

This is one explanation I can think of. Why else would BYU schedule Northern Iowa (I-AA or Championship Subdivision) in their non-conference schedule for this year?

Why would Utah schedule Weber St. (also Championship Subdivision), or why would Hawaii also schedule Weber St., or why would Boise St. schedule Idaho St. (again, Championship Subdivision), or why would Houston schedule Southern, or why would Tulsa schedule Central Arkansas, or why would Ball St. schedule Northeastern, or why would TCU schedule Stephen F. Austin?

The list of mid-major contenders scheduling Championship Subdivision teams amazes me. I understand that teams want a warm-up game, but why schedule a team outside the top 120 when you know your conference opponents will be lucky to break the top 50? It is a plan for mediocrity.

The only exception to this list is Fresno St. With the exception of perhaps Toledo, they went out and got the best opponents they could play. If Toledo is their worst non-conference team they played, then they are many steps ahead of the above named teams that each played a team outside the Bowl Subdivision.

Fresno St. also has the well known “anyplace, anytime” motto that they proclaim and invite any challengers to their home for a game, and offer to travel to any school to play. This strategy did not pan out this year, as Fresno St. lost several games, but they seem to be one of the few teams attempting to raise their national perception.

Some will argue that small schools like Central Arkansas need games like those to test their programs and provide funds for the school. I agree, but why can’t they play those games against the other 110 Division I football teams that are not in the peculiar situation that the top mid-major teams are in?

Teams from the Big Six conferences can afford to play games against Championship Subdivision teams because Big Six teams can expect to face ranked opponents through in-conference play. Teams at the bottom of the stack in conferences outside the Big Six can also afford to play the small schools because they are not looking to place their programs in the top 10.

Others will argue that big teams refuse to play mid-major teams because if they lose then it looks very bad, and they cannot run that risk. I do not think this is a valid point. Many well-known programs, such as Oklahoma, Wisconsin, Florida, Oregon St., Oregon, UCLA, Washington, Michigan, and Stanford, lined up across the ball from teams representing the MWC and the WAC this year alone.

These types of non-conference games are happening. I am arguing that mid-major teams are each squandering one game a year and could make these influential games happen one more time each season.

Imagine if BYU, TCU, Utah, or Boise St. added Miami, Florida St., Boston College, or Nebraska to their schedule. An additional win over these top 30 ranked schools would provide additional leverage and respect from the polls and the computers.

Imagine if the 2004 Utah team had shellacked Pitt in the regular season rather than in the Fiesta Bowl. Urban Meyer’s team may have had a chance to line up against USC or at least SEC Champ Auburn, rather than an unfulfilling beatdown of the Big East placeholder.

What has happened is that mid-major teams have all followed the Notre Dame strategy and have taken the coward's way out.

Notre Dame receives an automatic berth to a BCS Bowl and a huge payout if they are in the top eight at the end of the year. Therefore, it is not to ND’s financial advantage to overachieve. Number eight pays just as well as number one, so they schedule decent teams and hope to minimize their losses.

Mid-major conferences are guaranteed a BCS Bowl—and of course, the big money—if a team finishes in the top 12, or if a team is in the top 16 and its ranking is above that of a champion of a conference that has an automatic berth.

Based on history, a team from either the MWC or the WAC will be ranked the highest if undefeated. Therefore, there is no financial incentive for a team to finish higher than 12th as long as that team finishes highest among the mid-majors.

Does anyone find this ridiculous? Are all these students just playing for money? According to the BCS, they are. Why not stick it to the suits and the computers and go for the gusto? Get the boosters on board, fatten up the schedule with as many high quality teams as possible, and then try to run the table.

If it works, and the cards fall right, we could experience a Cinderella story in college football for the first time in 24 years.

The formula is known to all the teams who play D-I football, so why not use it to your advantage? I don’t think that most of the teams I mentioned aren’t trying. I believe they are. I just think if they want a national title, they only need to try a little harder to be given a shot at the crown.

The Arena: Kelly/Shorts Stadium (Mount Pleasant, MI)

The Date: Nov. 19, 2009 at 7 p.m. (EST)

The Prize: MAC West Title (barring a letdown next week)

Entering the Ring in the Right Corner

With a record of 10 wins and zero loses, the Ball State University Cardinals. Ball State is best known for the continuing references to David Letterman, surprise quarterback Nate Davis, tiny running back MiQuale Lewis, and being called a "BCS Buster."

Entering the Ring in the Left Corner

With a record of eight wins and two losses, the Central Michigan Chippewas. CMU is best known for highly-touted quarterback Dan LeFevour, winning close games (seven of eight wins by 10 or less), TWO consecutive MAC championships, and having the 20th highest winning percentage in FBS.

I hope you will tune in on Wednesday night to see this clash of the titans.

Ball State's closest game was a 12-point win against Navy. The Cardinals have won by an average of 22.2 points per game.

They have not lost a game since Jan. 5 of this year and are currently ranked 17th in the BCS.

Central Michigan is the exact opposite of Ball State. The Chippewas play close games, with wins of three (in overtime), three, one, 10, 10, two, three, and 19.

The Chippewas have two losses, to Purdue by seven and No. 11-ranked Georgia by 39.

Each team enters the contest undefeated in MAC play, 6-0 in the conference.

Only one team will leave Mount Pleasant, Mich., undefeated in conference. Which will it be?

My pick: Ball State 35, Central Michigan 23

In the University of Michigan basketball season preview, I noted that the Michigan hoops team won only one more game than the Michigan football team last year. With the 2008 football team losing the most games in school history, there's no doubt the hoops squad will exceed its win tally with far greater ease this season.

Although the Wolverine basketball players were able to sneak by, not every school was as fortunate. Last year, there were three schools that were Division 1-A for both basketball and football in which the hoop squad failed to eclipse the football team’s win total.

Allow this helpful chart to break it down for you:

            2007-2008 Wins

School                                     Basketball                        Football

Rice                                                3                                3

Ball State                                        6                                7

Oregon State                                   6                                9

At this point in the football season, Oregon State has seven wins with a couple winnable contests remaining before a bowl game; Rice already has seven wins with two home games left before a bowl game; and Ball State is a perfect 10-0.

So unless the basketball teams have improved, it’s only going to get tougher for these win-deprived programs to catch up to their football counterparts.

Update: Check out my article on football teams that outscore their school's basketball teams by clicking here.