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Thursday, December 7, 2006
College playoffs would be worse than BCS
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Terence Moore
Playoffs? Playoffs?
Those whining about such a needless thing in big-time college football have the same mindset as those always clamoring for the backup quarterback. Just call them masters of the knee-jerk reaction. While they have more than a few thoughts on getting from A to B, they ignore all the likely horrors along the way to Z.
Translated: Bashers of the flawed but perfectly adequate Bowl Championship Series should take a deep breath, count to 10 and acknowledge that a playoff system at the Division I-A level would create a lovely world only in their own shortsighted imaginations.
The BCS mostly works, even with its various controversies. Those controversies are good. I mean, Auburn coach Tommy Tuberville and the rest of the SEC chauvinists can moan forever that the undefeated Tigers got jobbed out of the title game after the 2004 season. Eventual champion Southern Cal would have whipped them anyway, but now Auburn always can claim otherwise.
Here’s another BCS positive: Every game during the regular season counts, and it makes the big ones bigger. With a playoff system, you could forget about something such as this year’s Ohio State game at Texas during the second week. To assure themselves of an impressive record to become playoff bound, teams would be even more prone to play the likes of Samford and Western Kentucky.
Not only that, imagine if there had been a playoff system in place this year before Ohio State’s monster game at the end of the regular season against Michigan. Well, it wouldn’t have been a monster game, because both teams already would have been highly seeded in the playoffs. So if you’re Ohio State’s Jim Tressel, you would resemble your average NFL coach in that situation and rest Heisman Trophy candidate Troy Smith and other starters for long stretches or for the entire game.
In other words, you could say goodbye to the intensity and the integrity of most rivalry games, especially with the playoffs on the horizon. Which brings us to this: If you think universities are ruthless now ousting coaches (Miami just fired Larry Coker after he won 80 percent of his games in six years and a national championship), imagine the speed of the revolving door for such coaches when they go three, maybe two years, without reaching the playoffs.
You’d suddenly have a slew of Jim Boeheims in the sport. He’s the Syracuse basketball coach who wants the NCAA to expand March Madness from 65 teams to whatever.
In fact, Jim Haney, the executive director of the National Association of Basketball Coaches, told the Associated Press this summer that he would prefer to see the hoops tournament nearly doubled to 128 teams to help coaches save their jobs.
That means those who believe the BCS can be replaced by a simple playoff system of four or eight teams also believe that they should strengthen their roofs – you know, in anticipation of Santa landing with his heavy sleigh. As for the truth, if you combine that epidemic of worried coaches with most of the 119 Division I-A teams wishing for a piece of the outrageous revenue that would come from a playoff system, you’ve got something more evil than what supposedly is the satanic BCS.
Courtesy of that outrageous revenue, generated by television rights, sponsorship deals and tickets the price of a Buckhead condo, you would have even more talk about paying players. How much should you pay them, and given Title IX, how would you determine what to give the other athletes in your department, including women?
Oh, in case you’re wondering, here’s how they would pick the participants for these playoff games: The arbitrary way with selected computers and human polls, exactly like they do now for the BCS. It’s just that, given the heightened stakes, folks would be yelling even louder.
Permalink | Comments (89) | Categories: Tech / ACC, Terence Moore, UGA / SEC
Falcons will fall in Tampa
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Jeff Schultz
Before launching into this week’s college-free, bowl-free, fat-free, sugar-free, quite possibly profit-free but surely not Pam Anderson-free (can’t pass up this week’s gem of advice from Her Mammoryness: “Don’t get married on vacation.”) investments, we have a holiday season update.
Maine has denied a request to distribute a new beer label, “Santa’s Butt Winter Porter.” This comes one year after Connecticut prevented the same Shelton Brothers company from distributing “Seriously Bad Elf” ale. Can’t wait for “Reindeer Farts” lager.
The Maine state police say they’re looking out for the kids. They also rejected two labels that show bare-breasted women (though, fortunately, neither was Mrs. Claus).
“Santa’s Butt” depicts a rear view of Nick on a barrel. The Sheltons see nothing wrong with this because, they claim, St. Nicholas was the patron saint of not only children but brewers and barrel-makers. I can’t find evidence of this. But given that St. Nicholas is credited with destroying several pagan temples, it’s safe to assume he later celebrated in boxers and with a six-pack. (I know; I’ve got a nonstop to Hades.)
Does anybody really believe Santa could get through Christmas without a beer? I mean, one sitting at Macy’s alone would drive a man to drink. The girl wants a cellphone. The boy wants a PS3. Now some old dude with a mustache elbows his way to the front, demanding an offensive coordinator. Oy.
And speaking of the Falcons: They live. Go figure. They scored three touchdowns last week. Put that on a beer can. Next it’s Tampa Bay, which is so bad that the Falcons are a road favorite.
Um, what?
Sorry. I can’t jump yet. I’ve seen too many bad elves. Gimme the three points. But Bucs win.
A 12-pack
Saints at Cowboys: In the past four weeks, Tony Romo is 4-0, completed 38 of 47 with three touchdowns and no interceptions in the second halves of games and sunk a boatload of potential Bill Parcells jokes. I’m sorry. Some things just can’t be forgiven. Cowboys cover 7.
Broncos at Chargers: It turns out Jay Cutler really is special. After one start (three turnovers, three sacks, a loss), fans are longing for Jake Plummer. Chargers cover 7 1/2.
Giants at Panthers: New York players have a tough choice: miss the playoffs or save Tom Coughlin’s job. Then again, there’s the playoff check. Giants win.
Patriots at Dolphins: Nick Saban never wanted the Alabama job; he just wanted people in Miami to think he wanted the Alabama job so that they would forget the Dolphins are 5-7. Oops. Make that 5-8. Pats cover 3 1/2.
Colts at Jaguars: Indy is 1-2 since a 9-0 start, which isn’t nearly as important as the fact Peyton Manning is handing off too much and therefore killing my fantasy league team. Colts 97, Jags 3.
Bears at Rams: I see Rex Grossman and the Bears and I think, “Curly driving a cruise ship.” Take Shams and 6 1/2 — and in a straight upset.
Ravens at Chiefs: The Ravens and Steve McNair can clinch a playoff spot. The over/under on car fires in Nashville is 17. Baltimore covers 3.
Bills at Jets: New York’s last four opponents (Bills, Vikings, Dolphins, Raiders) have a combined record of 17-31. If they don’t make the playoffs, they’ll make Nashville’s car fires look like a Bic. This is a win, but take the Bills and 4.
Packers at 49ers: Brett Favre says he’s talking to John Elway about how to deal with losing. The only problem with that is Elway won two Super Bowls at the end of his career and Favre can’t even beat the Jets. San Fran covers 4 1/2.
Eagles at Redskins: The problem is not Joe Gibbs, the coach. The problem is Joe Gibbs, the general manager. Then again, neither right now is as good as Joe Gibbs, the NASCAR owner. Gimme Philly on the road, covering 1 1/2.
Titans at Texans: Houston’s former team and its current one. No city has seen such destruction since Kabul. Titans in an upset, take the 1 1/2.
Raiders at Bengals: One team is walking the Green Mile, the other is forever awaiting sentencing. Bengals cover 11.
Almost perfect
Last week: 4-5 straight up, 3-6 against the line.
Somewhere below sea level: 80-48 straight up, 57-69-2 against the line.
Net profits: Yeah. Right.
Vacation plans: See profits.
Absolute lock of the week: Master.
Permalink | Comments (68) | Categories: Falcons / NFL, Jeff Schultz
Taking the Hawks seriously
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Mark Bradley
Having criticized the Hawks when they were winning only two games a month, I feel the need to point out that they’re now capable of winning two games a week. Fair, after all, is fair.
I don’t know how long it will be until they’re really good. I don’t know if they’ll ever get good. But honesty compels me to admit they’re better than I thought they’d be so far this season. Whenever they lose a game and I figure, “Here comes one of those seven-game skids,” they up and win one that makes me go, “Hmmmm.”
Winning in Denver on Wednesday was one such game. Down by 17 inside the final 10 minutes, they wound up beating a good team on the road. That wouldn’t have happened last year or any year this century.
Does this mean I’m recanting every nasty word I’ve written about this organization? No, it doesn’t. If the Hawks had drafted Chris Paul/Deron Williams or had figured out a way to turn Boris Diaw into a player, they’d have been winning long ago. And an 8-9 record, while good by recent Hawk standards, isn’t good by most any other measure.
But enough of that. Today’s point is that I’m starting to take the Hawks seriously again. I don’t know if I’ll still be taking them seriously a month from now or three months from now, but at this moment I am. I like the way they’re playing. I’m curious if they can keep it up.
If they can, we’ll talk again. If they can’t, forget I ever said anything.
Permalink | Comments (53) | Categories: Mark Bradley, Quick Hit
