No One Is Safe - Top 25 (9/23/11)

WOW.
That's really all that needs to be said about the end of the Wisconsin v. Michigan State game. In case you weren't watching, the Badgers jumped out to an early lead before Russell Wilson made the first few "bad" decisions I've seen this year out of the N.C. St. transplant, including an interception and a safety from intentional grounding. MSU carried that momentum into the 2nd half and led by 14 with about 11 minutes left in the game. But Wisconsin fought back, and tied things up with just 90 seconds left. The Spartans tried to get into FG range, but the final drive sputtered after a Kirk Cousins fumble brought up 2nd & 21. He then completed a mid-range pass bringing up 3rd & 6 when suddenly everything changed...

Upcoming schedule and possible layout change

In late October/early November I'll be rolling out another preview for college basketball's power conferences including a somewhat in-depth look at the Big Ten (BIG).  November marks the beginning of the season so I'll try to hold off until then. Besides I know everyone is more interested in football anyway.  The posts may come fast and furious or they may start off fast and peter out like most years; right now it's too soon to say. Until then, please continue to enjoy Taege's weekly BCS preview.

On another note, I'm contemplating doing an overhaul of the layout. I like the color scheme fine but it can get annoying when you try to post something and the format goes all out of whack.  I'll probably tinker with it this weekend and see if there's anything positive in the new Blogger interface (it's possible we may lose Fred McGriff).

I think that's all I've got for now. Carry on.

Pre-BCS Top 25

Tonight the first BCS rankings will come out. Pretty sure we all know the top 3 schools, and the order is a little irrelevant since LSU plays Alabama in a few short weeks. What will be interesting is where the Boise (Blowout) Blue Broncos fall. Odds are good they will be short of all the undefeateds from the major conferences, possibly including Clemson and Wisconsin. Speaking of undefeated teams, a few ran into problems yesterday which results in a new team in the Top 10.

It is so....

Put up or Shut up!

Conference play is in full swing, and there were some heavy-hitting matchups among top 25 teams this weekend. A little redemption for Nebraska and Taylor Martinez against Big Ten perennial powerhouse Ohio State. Who cares if the Buckeyes are down this year due to the scandals? The Huskers are trying to hold onto a respectable season after the defense has vastly underperformed so far this year. Also, the Red River Rivalry was not close, and that's why I think Oklahoma continues to be the obvious number 1.

So, without further adieu...

Conference Shakedown - 10/1/11

Some serious matchups between top 25 schools this week. Some schools stepped up big (Bama, Wisc). Others were a letdown (Neb, Va Tech). I will say this much. The B1G Ten has 1 school carrying the torch for the conference right now, and Wisconsin better win out to keep things respectable. The SEC dominated the news again, and it looks like a Big XII v. SEC title is brewing.

Show me whatcha workin with.

Top 25 - 9/25/11 (Now It Gets Interesting)

Now that the "preseason" cupcakes are out of the way for most major programs, it's time to dig in to some serious conference play. True, a few teams broke out the conference matchups right off the bat, but now there's nowhere to hide for everyone else. So this is the final Top 25 before everything gets the James Bond martini treatment.

Let's go.

Top 25 - 9/20/11

A few days late. My apologies....family in town this weekend. Here weeeee goooooooo!

Top 25 - 9/11/11

Ten years later...

This isn't an article about the terrorist attacks or "where was I", but I think it's important to acknowledge something that has definitely had an impact on me in many areas of my life over the last decade.

That being said, it's also my mom's birthday today. Not a great way to remember someone's birthday, but at least it didn't take a historic event to lock it away in my mind. She's been celebrating 9/11 a lot longer than we've been memorializing 9/11/01. Today is still my mom's birthday first, and the anniversary of a National tragedy second.

And onto the new top 25.

Super Duper Mega Conferences: Pac-16

All this talk of superconferences is not new. In fact, when the Big Ten announced they were looking for a 12th team 2 years ago, I put in my two cents (as I always do) that 16-team conferences were right around the corner. Apparently I was just a little bit premature - er, early - in making such a bold claim. But it is certainly looking more and more like a viable possibility.

So, why not some hypothetical Superconferences? Keep in mind, my firsthand knowledge is only by performance in College Football. And college football is the obvious draw here since NCAA basketball already has a playoff system that people are mostly happy with. I'll try to due some diligence to include academic accolades, but no guarantees.

Imagine 4 conferences with 16 teams each resulting in a veritable "King of the Hill" of college football. Mandatory conference review/realignment every 5 years to ensure up-and-comers get their fair shake too. Today's report looks at a hypothetical Pac-16 since they are the focal point among experts right now.

The 2011 College Football Season is Here

What a better way to avoid back-to-back hangovers and save some $$ than by staying in on Saturday night to blog! It's been a while since I've written, so I'm probably a bit rusty. Let's get to it.