2011 NCAA FOOTBALL WEEK 1 RECAP

Hello avid sports fans! We had a great kickoff to the 2011 NCAA season as we saw a few games come down to the wire, while some others were over before the full 60 minutes (and not especially in the sense of blowouts). I will take this time out to review the biggest headlines and tie it in to next week’s predictions coming soon.

FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS—COLLEGE STYLE

While most of us were anxiously awaiting high school football games, a classic game broke out in Waco between No. 14 TCU and Baylor. In one of the more evenly matched all-time historical college rivalries (the series is tied 50-50-7), both teams displayed early fireworks as the Horned Frogs led 23-21 with 12:32 left in the second quarter.

The Bears would then score 26 unanswered points thanks to three Robert Griffin III touchdowns to lead 47-23 after three quarters and possibly giving the 2011 Rose Bowl champions an early dent to their preseason aspirations.

However, TCU and quarterback Casey Pachall would not go away that easily, scoring 25 unanswered in the fourth to take a 48-47 lead with 4:27 remaining in the game and giving Baylor one last chance to win the game.

After two incompletions, Baylor moved down the field bit by bit before Aaron Jones’ 37-yard field goal made it 50-48 in Baylor’s advantage. On the Horned Frogs final drive, Pachall would carry them to the Baylor 40, but a costly interception to Mike Hicks sealed the game and gave Baylor its first win against a ranked opponent since 2004.

RAIN, RAIN, GO AWAY

A unique sight happened in college football this week as two games were called early due to inclement weather, while two others were affected as well.

Saturday, the Michigan/Western Michigan game was called in the third quarter with the Wolverines leading 34-10 at the 1:27 mark.

The following day, Marshall and West Virginia sat through two delays lasting nearly 4 ½ hours before calling the game seven hours after the opening kickoff. West Virginia won 34-13 extending its dominance of its in-state rivals.

Weather also delayed games in Iowa and Notre Dame during the weekend, but both games were completely finished.

SHOWDOWNS WITH A BOWL GAME FLAIR

Two neutral-site games really caught everyone’s attention Saturday as LSU and Oregon did battle in the Cowboys Classic, while Boise State traveled to Atlanta to play Georgia. Here are the three main stories from those games.

1. LSU, Boise looked dominant: Both teams actually faced a handicap in this game. LSU was without suspended quarterback Jordan Jefferson and Boise basically played a de-facto road game despite the game being in Atlanta. It turned out that neither mattered, as both teams won by double-digits. The Tigers’ defense forced four Duck turnovers and Bronco quarterback Kellen Moore went 28-for-34 with 261 yards passing and three touchdowns.

     

     

     2.  Oregon has speed, but not SEC speed: We left off last season with Oregon losing to Auburn 22-19 in the 2011 BCS National Championship Game. Nearly eight months later, the Ducks looked good early, but eventually could not contain LSU as the game wore on. Part of this was due to freshman De’Anthony Thomas losing two fumbles that led to Tiger scores, but the Ducks can play their way back into the title picture. Their game against a ranked team will be on Nov. 12 against Stanford.

     

     3. Georgia…well at least they had nice uniforms: In 2005, Georgia crushed Boise in Athens, 48-13, en route to the SEC title. Exactly six years after, the Bulldogs allowed 28 consecutive points at one point and lost 35-21. Even though Georgia could not make this game good, their uniforms did look well. There were mixed reactions to these, but I actually thought the break from tradition was cool. The silver base/red stripe made them look like centurions from the Roman Empire. You can draw your own conclusions, lol.

WEEK 1 PREDICTIONS

I made these on my Twitter account and I will try to put these on my blog from here on out. I might even add a simulation from NCAA Football 12.

Oregon 35, LSU 32 (LSU won)
Boise St. 41, Georgia 34 (Boise won)
Miami 23, Maryland 21 (Maryland won)

WEEK: 1-2 .333
SEASON: 1-2 .333

Hope you had a great start to the college football season! Week 2 will have a good game in Happy Valley as Alabama and Penn State square off as the marquee game, while others follow.

PLAYOFF OR NO PLAYOFF? THAT IS THE QUESTION...

As the confetti and streamers fell down for Auburn at the University of Phoenix Stadium on Jan. 10, it marked the end of the season but there were still two undefeated teams in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivison--Auburn and TCU.

The National Championship Game itself was good, but who is to say that TCU could not hang with Auburn or Oregon?

Sadly, with the way that college football is currently, we may never find out unless a non-automatic qualifier starts in the top ten of the preseason polls, goes undefeated, and is at least one of two undefeated teams at the end of the regular season.

The Football Bowl Subdivision (formerly Division I-A) does not use a playoff to determine its champion much like the Football Championship Subdivision (formerly Division I-AA). Although another game was added in 2006, there can still be a small possibility of split national champions in the major polls.

The best way to combat this is a 16- or, most preferably, a 32-team playoff. So here are some simple solutions to make this work.

1. Include every conference

- How can you determine a champion without opening access to all 11 FBS conference champions? Many people think a playoff regardless of conference affiliation is the best thing, but isn't that the same as denying the non-AQ's in the current format? In this way, conferences like the Sun Belt would have the opportunity to play for a national title, something which is impossible for them now. 2010 TEAMS THAT FIT THE CRITERIA (11 teams): Virginia Tech, Oklahoma, UConn, Wisconsin, UCF, Miami (Ohio), TCU, Oregon, Auburn, FIU, Nevada.

2. The final regular season Top 25 of the BCS, AP, and Coaches polls are in

-Have you ever heard of a team in the top 25 missing the NCAA basketball tournament? I don't think so. This is why a playoff 32 teams is perfect, because the tournament would still have the quality, yet not be too watered down. REMAINING 2010 TEAMS THAT FIT THE CRITERIA (18 teams): Stanford, Ohio St., Oklahoma, Arkansas, Michigan St., Boise St., LSU, Missouri, Oklahoma St., Alabama, Texas A&M, Nebraska, Utah, South Carolina, Mississippi St., West Virginia, Florida St., Hawaii

3. Filling out the bracket (if necessary)

-This is where if you are a bubble team you are sweating bullets. You have to hope that a double-digit win team gets included if they didn't meet the first two standards. Maybe you include a conference co-champ, or the top teams from the BCS not already selected to the tournament. I'd pick Northern Illinois, Pittsburgh, and Troy for their performances in 2010, but a committee can finish the puzzle.

4. Location, location, location

-Now that the 32-team filled is set, the fun part begins for the venues. The first round should be played at the highest seed's house, but after that, they should play the game at the most prestigious bowls. The top five (Cotton, Fiesta, Orange, Rose, Sugar) will have an even chance at their spots in a five-year span with two hosting quarterfinals, two more hosting the semifinals, and the winning bid hosting the title game. The other 10 bowls will have a permanent spot. VENUES: Sun, Capital One get the last two quarterfinal spots. Alamo, Chick-fil-A, Gator, Holiday, Independence, Liberty, Outback, and Pinstripe are second round destinations.

5. Don't forget the bowl games!

-Although this note is about making a playoff in college football, people (like myself) still love bowl games. The remaining teams over .500 that were not selected for the tournament will get to play in the remaining 19 bowl games. They won't advance if they win but it still keeps a tradition alive. Think of it as the college football version of the NIT.

There you have it. A great solution to the system we have now.

It may not be perfect, but it keeps the integrity and rivalries intact, while finding a clear cut champion.

As Auburn quarterback Cam Newton took in the experience of winning a national championship...

Non-AQ teams like Boise State and TCU wonder will they ever get the chance to do the same.