Har-baughlls Out

I've been involved in sports in one form or another all my life.  Playing as a kid and becoming a fan to now working in the industry.  Living in Vegas you see and hear some crazy things.  As a writer in a sportsbook, you hear even crazier things when it comes to betting theories.  For the nearly three years I was behind the counter, I heard countless ideas that left me shaking my head.  But in the last couple days I've finally had enough.  It is time to draw a line  Not some fake line in the sand that can get erased either.  This is a carved in granite, deeper than the Grand Canyon line. 

The theory I have heard on more than one occasion this week revolves around the NFL conference championship games.  It goes like this; IF the Ravens win on Sunday, you know the 49ers will win because Jim Harbaugh will want to play his brother in the Super Bowl.  HUH?!?!  REALLY???  Now, I've heard numerous excuses to place a bet on a particular side, but this is by far the most ludicrous.  When I heard it the first time I basically laughed it off.  But upon hearing it a few more times I had to say something or my head would have exploded.  For this theory to even be plausible, one has to assume that a coach of an NFL team, playing for an opportunity to lead his team to the largest stage in his sport, is somehow not already trying his hardest.  Think about that for a moment.  Keep thinking.  Now, add on top of that the coach in question is one of the most intense, and it gets even more ridiculous.  I'm no cheerleader for Jim Harbaugh.  I think he has done a remarkable job in his first season, but other than that I'm pretty indifferent.  But to imply that the guy is magically going to try harder because his brother won earlier in the day is insane.  However, let's go down that path for just a step.  Let us spend a minute in fantasy land and pretend that Jim Harbaugh will suddenly care more and want to win more if his brother is successful.  IT'S TOO FRIGGIN' LATE!!!  Ask anybody that knows anything about football and they will tell you that the majority of success comes from preparation.  IF Baltimore wins Sunday, Jim won't be jumping into his DeLorean, firing up the flux capacitor with 1.21 gigiwatts of plutonium power,  and travelling back in time to make his team practice more or break down more film.  I doubt the playcalling will be any more intense if Baltimore wins rather than loses.  Whatever is going to happen to the 49ers on Sunday will be happening whether the Ravens win or lose.  The outcome will not be determined in any way, shape or form based on what happens in Foxborough. 

(Deep breath)  Ok, now that I have that out of the way, the Ravens and 49ers will win this weekend.  I was asked when the playoffs started who I thought would be in the Super Bowl and I predicted those two teams so I will stick with them now.  But it has nothing to do with super magical motivation.  I just believe those are the better teams left.  All year long we witnessed an offensive explosion with passing records being shattered.  The old theory had been blown up, offense can win championships.  Then last week happened and both the Packers and Saints got beat.  Whoops.  Defense does still win championships and that's where my money will be this weekend.  Good luck, and remember, never bet what you can't afford to lose.   

Is It Over Yet?

It wasn't nearly as tough as I thought it would be, but I didn't watch one play of the BCS Fraudulent game last night.  Based on comments I've heard today and read on twitter, doesn't sound like I missed too much.  Perhaps the most interesting thing this bowl season has been the decline in TV ratings and attendance.  Perhaps the powers that be are finally getting the message.  It looks like the plus 1 formula will be coming soon, which isn't great, but at least an improvement.  But since the season has now come to a close, let's think about what could have been.  I agree with the authors of Death to the BCS that a 16 team playoff, with games on home campuses until the title game, is the best method.  The other levels of college football use this system and despite what critics say, it can work at the FBS level.  I won't get into all the arguments here, just go read the book.  The primary reason I like this method is it gives every school a chance.  Each conference champion is in the playoff and joined by the top 5 teams that do not win their conference.  There is no limit to the number of teams from any given conference either.  If this system were in place for this season, here is what the playoff bracket would have looked like.

 1)LSU
16)Arkansas State

 8)Kansas State
 9)Wisconsin

 5)Oregon
12)Southern Mississippi

13)West Virginia
 4)Stanford

 3)Oklahoma State
14)Louisiana Tech

 6)Arkansas
11)TCU

 7)Boise State
11)Clemson

15)Northern Illinois
 2)Alabama

See any interesting matchups there?  I would be very excited to see Boise getting to host a team from a BCS conference in a game that really meant something along with Stanford, led by Andrew Luck, hosting WVU, where his father is the athletic director. 

While this is the method I think is the most fair, I also realize it will probably never happen in my lifetime.  And while I am a big fan of the traditions in college football, I no longer believe that conference alignment is one of those.  With the changes that have taken place recently, it is obvious that the schools don't truly care about this either.  That is why I came up with my own system of aligning teams.  The basic premise of my system is that during the regular season, teams in a division play the same teams.  Currently, teams competing for a division title are often not playing comparable schedules.  This year, for instance, Georgia didn't play any of the top three teams from the SEC West, which were clearly superior to the other three.  South Carolina, on the other hand, did have to play Arkansas, and lost.  As it turns out, the Gamecocks finished one game behind the Bulldogs.  Now, we never know what would have happened had both teams played the same schedule, but it hardly seems just to determine champions in such an unfair way.  That being said, here is my model for the new college football.

Mid-East                           
Ohio State                       
Michigan                         
Michigan State                
Notre Dame                   
Boston College               
Cincinnati                       
Indiana                             
Purdue                              
Wisconsin                       

Penn State                        
Pittsburgh                      
West Virginia                  
Virginia Tech                    
Virginia                           
Syracuse                           
Connecticut                       
Rutgers                           
Navy                              

South                          
Florida State               
Miami(Florida)          
Florida                        
Tennessee                 
Georgia                        
Georgia Tech        
Wake Forest         
Louisville                 
Kentucky   

Alabama
Auburn
LSU
South Carolina
Clemson
N.C. State
North Carolina
Maryland
South Florida

Mid-West
Nebraska                     
Arkansas
TCU
Missouri
Kansas State
Kansas
Illinois
Northwestern
Minnesota

Oklahoma
Oklahoma State
Texas
Texas A&M
Texas Tech
Mississippi
Mississippi State
Vanderbilt
Baylor

West
Arizona
Arizona State
Utah
BYU
Air Force
Colorado
Iowa
Iowa State
Boise State

USC
UCLA
California
Stanford
Oregon
Oregon State
Washington
Washington State
Fresno State
The idea with this system is that each team plays the other 8 within their division and they play 3 other games against teams from another conference, but not from the division within their conference.  Division champs are determined by division record and the two champs meet up for the Conference championship, essentially the first round of an 8 team playoff.  Yes, I realize that is only 11 games, which is really what college football should get back to.  One argument against a playoff is the number of games, but college presidents had no problem adding a 12th game when it meant another home game and more money.  Bowl games could still exist and be filled by all the teams eligible that don't make the final four.  I also like the idea of the European soccer leagues that drop and add teams based on performance.  Teams that finish last in their division drop out and the teams not included here will get a chance, based on being successful on the field.  This will help eliminate schools benefiting from success decades ago and will reward schools getting it done. 

So there it is, my elaborate plan for college football.  Let me hear what an idiot I am. 

Idle No Longer

As the college football season trudges along to its' conclusion, it got me reminiscing about why it is my favorite sport.  It's pretty simple, and probably not much different than anyone else, but it goes back to when I was a kid.  Living in Ohio, fall was the best time of year due to weather and football.  We had high school football on Fridays, college on Saturdays and the pros on Sundays.  As a naive kid, it couldn't get any better.  I remember spending Saturday afternoons raking leaves with my dad and playing catch as we listened to the Ohio State games on the radio.  The mid 80's were a special time for us from Massillon, Ohio since Chris Spielman, our hometown hero, was leading the defense for the Buckeyes.  I was in second and third grade when Chris was playing high school football for the Tigers, and he was as close to a God as I could imagine.  Every kid in town wore their high tops with the laces undone just like Chris, that is until one kid broke an ankle and the school system required we tie our shoes(thanks Todd Fair).  Chris was a high school superstar before EsPN was making everyone a star and he even appeared on a Wheaties box while still in high school when being on a Wheaties box meant something.  So it was in these formidable years I was introduced to Script Ohio, Hail to the Victors, Chief Osceola and Howard's Rock.  I got hooked on college football and the all pageantry and tradition that came with it.  Unfortunately I had to grow up and learn some truths. 

It's 2012 now, and college football is the most corrupt sport we have this side of FIFA.  I won't go into all the details, but if you have not yet read Death to the BCS, please do so.  It does an excellent job of highlighting how we have gotten to the point we are now with the sport I, and millions of others, love.  College football is the only sport where at the beginning of the season, if you are in the MAC, Sun Belt, WAC, Mountain West or Conference USA, you CANNOT win the national championship.  No matter how good you are or by how many points you win all your games, you will not get to play for the title.  What other sport tells nearly 50% of its' participants, before ever playing a game, that you will not have an opportunity to prove you are the best team.  The entire concept of this is ridiculous.  Yet, we as college football fans continue to accept it.  Sure, we like to piss and moan about the BCS system, but every year we still tune into games, buy jerseys and support the corruption with our dollars.  Well, I plan to finally take a stand.  I realize it won't mean much in the big picture, but that will no longer deter me.  My wife has a quote on our refrigerator from Helen Keller(no relation and yes, I've heard all the jokes so feel free to stop chuckling now).  The quote goes, "I am only one, but still I am one.  I cannot do everything but still I can do something.  I will not refuse to do the something I can do."  I've read this numerous times and thought it was great, but never acted on its premise.  That ends today as I will boycott the BCS Championship this season.  I may be the only one to do it, but I will still do it.  And in the effort to not refuse to do what I can, I am also going to ask all of you to boycott as well.  The chances of that are slim, but if you love college football, and want to change the system, this needs to be done.  There is no other way the decision makers will hear us.  They only respond to money, so taking our eyes away from the televisions is the biggest statement we can make. 

Good luck, and remember, never bet what you can't afford to lose.