With the start of the 2008 college football season behind us and the first Buckeye game hours away, it’s an ideal time to look around the college football landscape. The way the 2007 season unfolded, it’s becoming more and more apparent that having only one rooting interest in a team is nearly impossible as there is an entire college football ecosystem intertwined with the BCS, ESPN, AP voters, and seemingly anyone else with an opinion and internet connection.
So before you scold Mark May for his condescending attitude, wonder if Lou Holtz is going senile, or find yourself jumping for joy for a long shot like Stanford and Appalachian State, let’s take the time to take a look at some of the storylines and big questions in 2008.
Big Ten Gut Check
The volatility in perception of any major conference can largely be attributed to two major factors.
1- Out of conference success
2- Bowl games- It should be noted the Big Ten has not won a Rose Bowl since Bill Clinton was in office (0-5).
While reports of the Big Ten’s demise have been greatly exaggerated, the “downtrodden” conference has a great opportunity to repair the reputation of the conference in the next 30 days. Below is a list of games of significance to keep an eye on:
8/30
Illinois vs. Missouri – This game seems to be really flying under the radar. I really believe Missouri is a top 5 Team, so an Illinois win would be great win for the conference right out of the gate.
Michigan State vs. Cal- Two-evenly matched teams. I think the winner will find themselves ranked at the end of the year while the loser will be muddled in a crowded second tier within their respective conference.
Michigan vs. Utah - Will Rich Rod open up with a win? If the Wolverines open up with a loss, it’s going to put an ominous shadow over the Wolverines and the conference. On the flip side, Utah is being not getting the credit they deserve and would be a legitimate challenge for any top 25 team.
9/6
Penn State vs. Oregon State- The Nittany Lions have been crowned as a popular dark horse to contend in the Big Ten. They’ll have a home field and talent advantage against the Beavers and will look to make a statement with a convincing win against a scrappy Pac Ten foe.
9/13
Ohio State vs. USC- This is the big one. No school has more to prove in out of conference play than the Buckeyes. USC gets a pass for not meeting expectations last year but may find their reputation challenged as college football’s elite program with a loss on their home turf. Also it would be great to make Carson Palmer and now LenDale White, eat their words.
Michigan vs. Notre Dame- Chris Fowler called this “maybe one of the most interesting Michigan/Notre Dame games ever,” and I can’t help but agree. Earning a win here is not as important as avoiding what will be a high profile loss.
Purdue vs. Oregon- It won’t define the conference, but will be a nice resume win for whatever team and conference earns the victory.
9/20
Michigan State vs. Notre Dame- A win here for the Spartans positions them for a run at a New Year’s Day bowl game while a Notre Dame loss may begin to signal the end for Charlie Weis.
Iowa vs. Pitt- The Panthers are a popular pick to win the Big East coming off their big win against West Virginia last year. The jury is still out on if Iowa has bottomed out, but a win against Pitt would go along ways to putting some momentum back behind the Hawkeyes.
9/27
Purdue vs. Notre Dame- Three consecutive games against the Big Ten for the Fighting Irish. A winning record puts them in the running for a respectable bowl while one or zero wins may send the team into another spiral.
Big Ten Network- Mission Accomplished
I have read plenty of banter from both sides on the integrity, viability, and sustainability of the Big Ten Network. In all honesty, I don’t know if there is much of debate anymore.
Last year was painful to endure, as countless football and basketball games were unavailable due to lack of distribution. However, the network weathered the storm and reached a string of very meaningful distribution deals this summer.
Just how successful were they? In the last week alone they have reached distribution deals with the second, third, fourth, and eighth largest cable providers in the country to go along with their earlier distribution deal with the countries largest provider, Comcast.
The remaining major holdouts are rumored to be very close too agreements as well.
The Big Ten Network launched with the ambitious goal to showcase more conference athletic events via a sustainable and profitable cable network. A year removed from their launch, it’s clear they are successful on both fronts with an optimistic outlook for improved programming and further distribution on other cable providers. More importantly, it’s very likely the Big Ten Network will become a staple in sports packages for those outside the Big Ten Region.
While it maybe a little annoying for the minority of those who find themselves on the outside looking in or in a position where they will have to pay, the fact remains this has been one of the most successful cable network launches ever. No other conference has a network devoted to their athletic programs, and it seems that no other conference wants to take on this colossal undertaking.
At the end of the day it was an uphill climb and a huge roll of the dice, but the conference and the individual schools are better off thanks to the Big Ten Network.
Why the Lack of Fanaticism in Pac-10 Country?
I recently had a Bucknuts member inquire why the West Coast doesn’t seem to have the same level of fanaticism compared to much of the rest of the country. Being born and raised on the West Coast, I put a lot of thought into my response and attributed it to four major issues.
1) Big Cities+ Pro Sports Teams= Lack of Interest
Ohio State, Michigan, Penn State, Texas, Oklahoma, Florida, Georgia, Alabama, and Nebraska are a who’s who of the largest and most passionate fan bases in the country. One thing you will notice is that most of the programs hail from smaller cities that lack major pro sports teams (minus the Blue Jackets of course).
Looking at the Pac-10, six of the ten major schools are all in the backdrop of major metropolitan areas with multiple pro teams. Arizona State plays second fiddle to the Suns, Cardinals, and Diamondbacks while UCLA and USC have to compete with a hoard of teams in Southern California. Stanford and Cal are an afterthought here in the Bay Area compared to the pro teams of San Jose, Oakland, and San Francisco. The Huskies do all right in Seattle but are still the lesser stepchild to the Seahawks.
2) The Expansive Region the Conference Covers
As a student at Ohio State, I traveled to nine of the ten other Big Ten schools for football games (Minnesota was too far of a drive). Most conferences are similar where a crazed fan can hit the road on a given weekend and be within 10-hour drive of the majority of schools within the conference.
Unfortunately this doesn’t apply to the Pac-10, where a road trip from Arizona to Washington will take you over a day of driving. Essentially in Pac-10 country, whatever school you maybe located near, only 2-5 schools are within a reasonable driving distance limiting the amount of road trips a fan can partake in.
3) The Time Difference
I absolutely love College Game Day, but it’s a bit of a hassle to roll out of bed to catch it at 7:30 am during my precious weekends. With the entire West Coast usually sleeping in during a good portion of the noon eastern kickoffs, it’s not a mystery why the uptake on college football is a little slow.
This is only a portion of the problem as Thursday night games kickoff during commute hours, night games here kickoff while the rest of the country is calling it a day, and higher profile national games not shown due to local games later in the day being given priority.
4) We Just Don’t Care
No excuses here, but for whatever reason the West Xoast just doesn’t get geeked up like the rest of the country. People in the Bay Area are more likely to visit Techcrunch.com then Bearinsider.com or a similar Stanford site. While the Bay Area is somewhat consumed by technology, it’s nothing compared to Southern California’s obsession with the entertainment and music industries.
Residents in and around Phoenix and Seattle also are somewhat guilty of this cosmopolitan and somewhat yuppie lifestyle that seems to be almost mutually exclusive to the tailgating, road tripping, and constantly screaming life of a college football diehard.
That’s not to say that there aren’t diehards out here, but the cliché is still true that you’re more likely to find a group of guys eating sushi or grabbing a smoothie talking about work, politics, or the latest Judd Appatow movie rather than a group of guys at a local pub drinking and screaming their guts out watching a college football game.
10 Questions to Ponder in No Particular Order
A while back I developed these questions for an article that never materialized. It’s a good list, so why not ponder them yourself?
- Can Tebow repeat as Heisman winner despite being asked to do less?
- Is LSU wounded already with the departure of Ryan Perrilloux?
- Is the Big 12 the best conference in football?
(Don’t laugh this one off. Offensively they are by a wide margin)
- What historically strong program rebounds and what program continues to struggle between Notre Dame, Michigan, and Nebraska?
- A lot has been made about the lack of black head coaches at the collegiate level. With that in mind, can Tyrone Willingham and Randy Shannon turn things around at Washington and Miami?
- Have team departures effectively killed the Big East’s competitiveness in the BCS?
- A decade ago Phillip Fulmer, Joe Paterno, and Bobby Bowden were recognized as the elite coaches in college football. With a lot of turmoil surrounding those programs, will any of them make a run at a BCS bowl in 2008?
- With last year’s freshmen class making a huge stir across the country, how many sophomores will be named All-Americans? (Candidates include Sam Bradford, Knowshon Moreno, LeSean McCoy, Michael Crabtree, Arrelious Benn, DeMarco Murray, Anthony Davis, Eric Berry, Everson Griffen, Trinton Sturdivant, Rob Gronkowski, Kareem Jackson, Jeremy Maclin, and Major Wright among others.)
-Who has the best defense in the country?
- How will scheme changes affect offensive production at Texas A&M and Michigan?
10 Games Most Likely to Effect the BCS in No Particular Order
Last year a dozen or so games had dramatic effects on the BCS. Below is a best guess at ten games likely to have a big impact on the BCS in 2008.
9/12
USF at Kansas
9/13
Ohio State at USC
10/4
Ohio State at Wisconsin
10/11
Texas vs. Oklahoma (Neutral field)
LSU at Florida
10/18
Missouri at Texas
10/23
West Virginia at Auburn
10/25
Georgia at LSU
11/1
Georgia vs. Florida (Neutral field)
11/22
Texas Tech at Oklahoma
In Closing….. Five Predictions for 2008
5) 2008 will be the year of the Big 12, with the most teams in the top 25, top 10, as well as most Heisman finalists.
4) It’s very plausible that we will see another two-loss team in the BCS Championship game again.
3) You will see at least two teams in BCS bowls who have never played in a BCS bowl before.
2) Number-one ranked Georgia will fail to make a BCS bowl.
1) The winner of the USC vs. Ohio State game will play in the national championship game.
