This year has seen some real surprises. But these twenty (in no particular order) are college football's biggest disappointments. This is all about not meeting expectations- if a team had low expectations, then they didn't make the list.
Clemson
We expected them to win the ACC, and instead, they just couldn't win. It's a sad state of affairs in South Carolina.
Arizona State
What happened? Sure Rudy Carpenter was dinged up, but the Sun Devils were expected to contend for the Pac-10, and instead, are now contending for a bowl-less season at a dismal 4-6, with a loss to UNLV starting the six-game free fall.
Auburn
The D is overrated, and Tuberville throwing his OC under the bus before one complete season was the low point for the Tiggers. You just knew it was going to be a bad season when TT said the 3-2 game against Mississippi State was a great defensive battle. Heads up Tommy, Ole Miss beat them 45-0.
Florida State
As usual, the Noles failed to live up to Garnet and Gold expectations. And as usual, Bowden will probably not retire because of Joe Pa's solid season pushing him ahead in the race to the greatest number of wins by a college coach. Dadgummit, Bobby, you ain't gonna catch him now.
Iowa
Sure they upset the Nits, but that's it. The rest of the season, the Hawkeyes spent more time with legal counsel than in the training room. 8-4 is nothing to sneeze at, but losses to Northwestern and Illinois are. And before you start jumping on Northwestern's bandwagon, remind yourself that FIVE of the Wildcats' nine wins were over Syracuse, Southern Illinois, Duke, Ohio (Bobcats) and Michigan.
Wisconsin
Well, the perennial Capitol One Bowl delegate finally missed the boat after a truly dismal season. Anytime you have to stage a rally in the 4th quarter to beat Cal Poly in OT, your season stinks. Sure 7-5 isn't bad, but the Badgers' wins are over Akron, Marshall, Fresno State, Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota and Cal-Poly. 'Nuff said.
Georgia
They've had a good season but....getting blown out twice is not impressive. Great, or even very good teams, don't get blown out (Texas Tech being the exception to the rule). They may lose every now and then, but get blown out? NO. Barely beating Kentucky and Auburn means Georgia Tech will probably upset the Dawgs.
- B/R Ticket Guide
Notre Dame
They've improved this year? When you go from No. 115 in rushing offense to No. 92, and the coach says he's going to "pound it" this year, that's not real improvement. Then again, pretty much everything about Notre Dame hasn't improved - except for the schedule's "softness" - and next year's is as soft and cushy as the Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man.
Tennessee
Ok, we knew there was going to be a bit of a fall off, but this bad? The good news is that the Vols are getting a bright, offensive genius as their next coach. Kiff will bring back FUN to Vols football- he's a younger version of Norm Chow.
ESPN
Dr. Lou has made serious gaffes and Herbstreit "scooped' everyone by saying Les Miles was going to Michigan. Then there's this dilly (courtesy of the Chicago Tribune) of Lee Corso on the radio talking about Charlie Weis:
"The entire Catholic Church doesn't have enough money to pay him off at $2.5 million for another seven years or whatever it is. So forget about it. The guy is going to be the football coach and they're just going to have to live with what they've got." Umm Lee, did you temporarily lose your mind? The Catholic Church is so big they even have their own country (sort of) called Vatican City. If I'm not mistaken, ND prints their own money. Good grief.
The NCAA
Three years and counting, still no word on Bush-gate. By the time they get around to charging USC with something, California will have dropped off into the ocean after the Big One.
Fresno State
Wow, from a pre-season BCS-buster favorite to a team that that lost to Hawai'i (in OT), Louisiana Tech and Nevada, the Bulldogs went from snarling to gumming in three months.
LSU
It's not the vaunted D we are disappointed in, it's the fundamentals. Like tackling. And discipline. They show sparks of greatness, but that usually is followed up with long bouts of mediocrity. The bright spot? Frosh QB Jordan Jefferson, a rangy, athletic Randall Cunningham-like clone who has fast wheels and great moves. If he just could lose the whining face antics...
USC
Sure their loss to the Beavs was a loss to a ranked team, but for the first time in a long time, the Trojans can't control their own destiny. Losing the "Little Games" has been a curse for the last two years, and next up for the Trojans? The Fighting Irish. Lose that one, and the Stanford upset will be forever forgotten.
Kansas
They lost a few good players (two good OT's and CB Talib) from last year's Cinderella team, but the schedule got a whole lot harder this year and the Jayhawks were exposed, big time.
South Florida
What happened to the Bulls? Beating Florida International 17-9 early in the season was a huge red flag. Tanking three in a row to Louisville, Cincy and Rutgers, was the final nail in their 2-4 conference-record coffin. Except for West Virginia next week, of course.
Missouri
Were you like I, ready to pencil in Mizzou as the team to beat in the Big 12? Sure Oklahoma and Texas always are the cream of the crop, but honestly, didn't you expect a little more from Mizzou? They have no prayer of beating the Big 12 South champ, and lots of fans will be rooting for them for selfish reasons, but they will be disappointed. Again. And out of a BCS Bowl. Again.
Michigan
It's the manner in which they lost all of those games that is so disturbing. Michigan never tanks games. Their new nickname should be the Shermans, no offense to Unioto High in Chillicothe, Ohio, who are called the Shermans.
The Pac-10
It was an ugly year, and even though there are three teams ranked, one of them will drop this weekend. Losing to the Mountain West Conference over one weekend was bad enough, but having really only one team represent the conference the last seven years is pretty sad. Oregon State can break that streak, but the Pac needs to step it up.
The ACC
The ACC has permeated college football with a noxious odor that won't go away. Honestly, does their champ really deserve a BCS Bowl bid over a team like Texas Tech? If we had a playoff system, we're pretty sure none of these teams would make it past the first round.
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about 1 month ago
Yeah, Kansas got hit hard. From Orange Bowl winners to not even ranked. Ouch.
from about 1 month ago
James,
The sked gave them a big ol can of whoop a##.
about 1 month ago
Nice work Lisa.
I'm surprised you didn't just throw the entire SEC(other than Bama and UF) on the list. I have to admit that the SEC has been average this year.
Except for maybe Ole Miss. Man, they beat Florida and send MSU home with a goose egg in the Egg Bowl. Nice work Rev. Nutt.
As for the Dawgs. They came into this season with high expectations and they didn't live up to them. The defense was getting the job done early, and then fell apart late. The offense was high-powered at times and died for a few series each game.
Two losses on the biggest stages of the season is never good.
Looking miserable against Kentucky and Auburn is never good.
But, beating Tech is always good.
EIAR, B! GATA! NERDS!
from about 1 month ago
Yeah, how about Nutt? I like him....he could put Ole Miss back in the radar, but he has good players because of Ed O. All it takes is a good coach to nurture that talent.
about 1 month ago
Tennessee is hiring Sarkisian? Or Kiffin?
from about 1 month ago
Kiff! I was watching an interview w/ Sark when I wrote this, and goofed on that. It happens!
from about 1 month ago
Hey I don't think either is a bad choice! At least not yet!
about 1 month ago
What about San Diego State? They were supposed to win *at least* three games.
from about 1 month ago
What about dem? Poor Aztecs...I feel sorry for them...but not too much. They're still the prettiest campus, best party-school in the country. And they play pretty good basketball too. :)
from about 1 month ago
Keep your head up Eric, SDSU cruelly exposed Notre Dame right away. That's something.
about 1 month ago
Enjoyed this one. You could add the loss to Michigan to Wisconsin's little blurb. That was a truly pathetic football game for all parties involved.
Glad that the entire ACC got a mention, too. Not only does it highlight how bad that conference was this year, it means Clemson is on the list twice, deservedly so :)
from about 1 month ago
Thanks Joe.
about 1 month ago
Dang, if I would've read the Clemson overview before the season, I probably would've cried.
from about 1 month ago
Or Auburn's!
about 1 month ago
Great writing as usual Lisa. I took a break from writing for a bit, so thats why I wasn't writing for B/R. But I am back, and I read this at least 5 times and laughed at the Sherman's bit all times
...I dont know why haha
The worst on the list though
The ACC
Whoever they send to their BCS bowl will get creamed
from about 1 month ago
Creamed by Cincinnati? The Big Least is not exactly full of juggernauts ... let's see, Georgia Tech beat Georgia, Clemson CRUSHED South Carolina and Wake Forest took care of Vanderbilt this weekend ... maybe the ACC's not quite as bad as everyone thought. I'll gladly take VT or Boston College over Cincinnati (not by much, though) in what will easily be the least interesting BCS game of them all ...
Only the Big Least could have provided a team that probably won't be favored in the Orange Bowl.
from about 1 month ago
Haha it will be a not so watched bowl. I will watch it though. I don't know I don't trust VT at all. One game they can execute and do good, the next they get their asses handed to them.
from about 1 month ago
Thanks Reggie! They will probably get the Big East champ in the Orange...perfect.
from about 1 month ago
i love the name Shermans. It's tough-sounding, isn't it? Welcome back!
about 1 month ago
i really dont think USC should be on the list. I mean they have only one loss and Oregon St. has gotten hot at the right time. Its not like USC has majorly underacheived like Clemson or LSU. They're ranked 5th in the nation and have an outside shot to be in the title game i wouldnt consider tht a disappointment
from about 1 month ago
Yeah I agree USC should not be on this list. True they came into the season ranked high and earned a first place spot early in the season, but after that slip-up, against a ranked team, it was straight back to business. They have an outside shot at the title game and I believe they are the only team in the nation who can beat Florida.
from about 1 month ago
USC has underachieved...maybe not majorly, but they did so none the less. This has been said to be the best USC team ever, which means they shouldn't lose to a team like OSU that is 8-4 now. USC has actually underachieved that past couple years based on who they lost to. I could understand if they lost to a good team, but when they lose games to OSU, Stanford, UCLA....that's underachieving
from about 1 month ago
They had the NC in their hands then laid an egg at Corvallis. They have lost there before recently, so it's not as though they got caught sleepwalking. They knew the Beavs could beat them.
about 1 month ago
OU (Rock) 65-21 over TT
TT (Scissors) 39-33 over TX
TX (Paper) 45-35 over OU
OU 100-66 (+34)
TX 78-74 (+4)
TT 60-98 (-38)
I'll take Oklahoma and a burrito...
about 1 month ago
USC probably shouldn't be on the list but how has FSU underachieved? I don't even think they were ranked in the preseason and now they have good shot at a 9 maybe 10 win season. This team wasn't expected to win the ACC or anything like that. They also have a young team, playing over 20 freshman. So I really don't see how they have underachieved.
from about 1 month ago
because it took 2 FCS schools to get them there.
about 1 month ago
ASU was such a joke this year. Ahh, before the season started, I was thinking maybe Rudy could be a day 2 pick, now he couldn't even work for ESPN. What's with ESPN hiring so many former athletes. I just realized Jay Williams is working for ESPN. Those 2 free throws against IU haha, always be remember for that. I HATE DUKE. sorry for going off topic lol
from about 1 month ago
K-
Rudy was dinged up though, actually, the Pac-10 had numerous QB injuries. Like 8 or 9? Sad indeed.
about 1 month ago
Nice! can't disagree with most of it except for the Lane Kiffin/ Norm Chow comparison, he's run out of dodge with 3 years is my guess. A rough conference for a guy whose last stint as a head coach saw his team look just flat out unprepared.
Not sure FSU is an under achiever but Florida sure is, losing at home as a 25 point favorite is the worst loss that any of the teams that enter the season with 1 loss suffered.
I think the polls were once again a failure as well.
Tough to call the ACC a disppointment, if anything the Big Ten was a joke, with the expectations. The ACC is young as 2 of the powerhouses played primarily freshamn this year: FSU, Miami, and VT...as you know this stuff is totally cyclical.
from about 1 month ago
Mitch, you have to be the only human who thinks FL is an underachiever. I don't get it: You are a point spread guy. You rail on the polls as well.
Ole Miss is now 8-4, will be ranked around 20 at season's end, and barely missed on a 10-win season (close losses to Bama, Vandy, and Wake--all three are games they nearly won).
Any chance Ole Miss was better than people thought when that 25 point spread came out--any chance they should have been considered a much better opponent? For example, what would the line be if they played tomorrow?
Not only that, you refuse to look at FL's wins for some reason.
Call it cyclical all you want, the ACC is bad. Imagine a BC-VT ACC title game. 5,000 people would show up.
from about 1 month ago
Florida fans consider this a "special" team, special teams don't lose at all. When you set the bar high then you have to reach it to not be disappointed. I can tell you I have been pretty disappointed with 1 loss seasons. I think t's great that FLorida has achieved the status of a 1 loss team, but they are nothing more than that. Ole Miss Beat FLorida bu t also beat memphis, samford, louisiana monroe, auburn, arkansas, lsu..not much expcept for the win at florida.
I don't refuse to look at Florida's wins but I just say lets see them do it on the road agianst a quality opponenet, not something they ever do, classic underachievers who constantly get a pass that no one else gets.
from about 1 month ago
hmmmm...Gators underachievers? No way. I'm willing to let teams slide on a fluke loss- USC, Penn State and Florida all weren't paying attention on their one-loss days. But they didn't get blown out. That's the diff....Tech did get blown out by OU.
about 1 month ago
How can Florida State be a dissapointmen since they have not been relevant in college football in years.
from about 1 month ago
Good point.
about 1 month ago
i dont know why everyone says Notre Dame was a dissapointment. they won 3 games last year, and they improved to 6. how were they a dissapointment. dissapointing is when they go below expectations. what did everyone expect them to win this year? 8-9 wins? that means they would have gone to a january bowl game, and notre dame was no where close to going to a bowl game.
from about 1 month ago
Josh I don't disagree with you but if you ever watched any college football coverage/analysis this year then you know most experts picked the Irish to win at least 8 or 9 games... a couple even said 10! And lets not forget Lou Holtz said they would win 10 and possibly even 11! So although I agree they are a better team than last year... people expected them to be better... expectations too high... just like FSU
from about 1 month ago
Let's see....they lost to Syracuse, weren't competitive against USC, and lost to Pitt and UNC. Weis projected a 9-12 win season, so six is pretty bad. They also barely beat SDSU and Stanford, and let's not forget NAVY. With that sked, most elite BCS conference teams would be 12-0.
about 1 month ago
Great article Lisa! I always enjoy your stuff. However, I don't think USC being on this list is fair.. one loss because of one bad half... this team is young, the defense is veteran but they haven't been the problem...the offense is really young so i wasn't shocked when oregon st had a good scheme against USC's offense for that first half.
Also, how can you put FSU on this list? People picked them to go 7-6 or worse because of how "strong" the acc was supposed to be. They are 8-3 and they should be 9-2 or maybe even 10-1; They lost on the last lay of the game to georgia tech with that terrible fumble and they played hard and close vs BC with their best wide receivers out, 5 of them lol... they are probably going to get killed by the gators today but still.. fsu is on their way back up
good stuff though lisa!
from about 1 month ago
FSU should be on the list because two of their games were FCS schools. As far as USC, the OSU loss was bad. They've improved since then, but the offense is flighty, and inconsistent. Now, their D is another story...wow!
about 1 month ago
USC should be on the list because everyone handed them a slot in the MNC game after the Ohio State game and they blew it.
The pundits said this could "be the best USC squad ever" and they laid an egg in Corvalis.
However, Pete Carroll still has his consecutive BCS Bowl streak going, even without the Rose Bowl, so all is not lost in LA LA Land.
-I think Mark May is still calling this the best USC squad ever. What a douche.
from about 1 month ago
robert-
May loves the Trojans, Lou loves ND, Herbie loves the SEC and Corso loves Oklahoma...it all works out.
about 1 month ago
yea yea - you put it perfect
its not the losses, but the lack of desire to compete thats disconcerting
2009 beckons .... this one am afraid is one to forget - lise
cheers
from about 1 month ago
but do you really see us improving - i mean, we have so many freshmen and soph. in the team. OSU has 18 seniors and we still have ROD
do you really see us improving ?
from about 1 month ago
Long....
I do see Michigan improving next year...and by a lot. Michigan has two QBs that would not start on most DI Scout teams. All your close losses would probably be wins if you had a decent QB. Next year you will have two incoming Frosh QBs that will probably take over the starting position. That will be huge. You also have your entire offense back with a full years worth of experience. A year of experience can make a huge difference also. Defensively, you lose a few guys, but you also gain some very good talent. The defense will probably be rough thru the first 5 games or so until the get a chance to play together and gel. I see Michigan winning 8 games next year
from about 1 month ago
Long, exactly. It's the way they lost.
about 1 month ago
whoa! as a clemson fan I was overwelmed with the major victory over south carolina. Perhaps the end of the season will be like the entire year was supposed to go, and perhaps Dabo Swinney will have his chance to be a proven coach. GO TIGERS!
from about 1 month ago
lol....even a blind squirrel finds a nut.
about 1 month ago
Louisville wasn't expected to do much, but to be 5-6 at this point with eight home games is incredibly disappointing. Put this one on Kragthorpe.
from about 1 month ago
Agreed. If he doesn't get things going next year, he's in trouble.
from about 1 month ago
He's done nothing to prove he should still have a job. Kragthorpe says he's building the program, yet he continues to recruit JUCOs.
about 1 month ago
Lise, this is why I love CFB! Clemson beat Carolina, Kansas beats Mizzou, LSU loses to The Razorbacks, and Georgia D gets trampled by Ga Techs running game. What a day!
You talk about disappointing - the Dawgs have had a very mediocre year. 9-3 may not be the end of the world, but most of our victories were not impressive - especially from a defensive standpoint. I enjoyed this read as I do all of your articles. POTD
from about 1 month ago
Deano!
Most teams would love a 9-3 record, but I know how high the expectations were. (trust me, I got beat up when I called them pretenders early in the season- I feel bad when I'm honest).
They can have a nice season if they beat Michigan State (or OSU) in the Capital One Bowl! :)
about 1 month ago
funny thing: the badgers should've LOST to cal poly. the mustangs kicker missed something like four or five PATs, including one in overtime. i thought wisconsin could've won the big 10, especially playing OSU and PSU in madison this season, but it just wasn't meant to be...the quarterbacks sucked, beckum wasn't any good when he wasn't injured, the defense was bad, and the offensive line was an unathletic mass of humanity, unlike previous years when they had big athletes on the line like joe thomas...
while i'm talking about joe thomas...i saw his cleveland browns jersey for sale in a mall in milwaukee...and i was wondering if anyone knows about any other offensive linemen jerseys for sale in retail stores (foot locker, finish line, etc)?
from about 1 month ago
yeah, I didn't get to watch the game, but it didn't sound pretty. Do you feel better now venting? It always makes me feel better! :)
from about 1 month ago
oh yeah, it has gone unmentioned so far that wisconsin was also one of michigan's two conference victories...the badgers lost to the second laughingstock of the country...after notre dame, of course
about 1 month ago
Great article. But the SEC should be added to the list. This was an extremely down year in the SEC. I mean sure the top 2 teams in the SEC could and should beat anyone in the country but the rest of the SEC is ridiculous. Including Georgia, and LSU! Georgia has no defense whatsoever and will surely be the first SEC team to lose to Ohio State in a bowl game. LSU is a straight up joke. When Ole Miss finishes 2nd in the West with a new head coach in his first year at the school something is wrong. Not to mention my Vols laying an egg all season. And Auburn, the preseason pick to win the West, not didnt even get to a bowl game. It's a sad, down year in the conference. The top 2 will still throttle anyone they play in the bowls but I would not pick one SEC team in any other bowl game. At least not until we hear who they will be playing.
from about 1 month ago
Football is cyclical.
Georgia will play either OSU or Mich. State. Florida will play OU most likely, and win. That should make you feel better! :)
from about 1 month ago
As a Dawg fan, I challenge what you said about our defense!!! Okay, actually I agree. It is pathetic when your offense outs up the points and our D can't stop anyone. Having said that, I would rather stand our chance against Ohio State than Texas Tech - because we reek against the pass.
I'm interested in your thoughts on your new coach.
about 1 month ago
Does this mean Ball State is the best team?
Another great article from our premier writer.
from about 1 month ago
BT-
Thanks for the props from b/r's favorite writer. Where is Uncle Joe? We need his words of wisdom! I picked Buff in an upset over Ball State...have to get co-worker Whitlock in a tizzy.
about 1 month ago
I would add the Texas A&M Aggies. The way they talked about new head coach Mike Sherman in the off season, you would have thought Brett Favre was going to come out of retirement to play for A&M, instead, they had one of their worst seasons in history. It started with a home loss to Arkansas State, and went downhill from there. The 49-9 loss to Texas didn't help Sherman's cause either. I'm not sure when the last time they had a losing record at home was, and they went 2-5 in Kyle Field, a place that used to be considered very scary.
about 1 month ago
How about a follow-up on the "20-Biggest Surprise Winners" that were NOT touted as strong finishers in 2008?
about 1 month ago
Before the season, I made a prediction to a few friends that Tennessee would go 9-3 or 10-2 and Notre Dame would at the very least get 8 wins.
Boy, was I wrong.
from about 1 month ago
College-
It's OK, I thought Fresno State and Arizona State would set the college football world on fire!
about 1 month ago
Lisa,
Did you see where RichRod at Michigan blamed the past coaches for having a hand in creating this season's mess (3-9)? Based upon his past comments while he was at other schools, as well as his performance and comments this year at UofM, it appears as though Rodriguez takes credit for NOTHING .... except victories, of course!
Wow, this guy has no integrity - a necessary ingredient for a successful leader! Any thoughts?
from about 1 month ago
Paul-
I didn't hear that, so of course, I can't comment. But I think if he is going to cast blame, he should perhaps look at forcing the spread on an offense that wasn't recruited for that system.
about 1 month ago
You need to take Iowa off and put Illinois on.
Illinois went to the Rose Bowl last year and started the season ranked 15-20 (http://collegefootball.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=826102, http://www.nationalchamps.net/2008/sub/index.htm, http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/rankingsindex?seasonYear=2008&weekNumber=1&seasonType=2), most expecting them to compete in the upper tier of the Big Ten and play in the Outback bowl or better. Instead, they're 5-7 with wins over Eastern Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Louisiana-Lafayette, and Iowa (all but Michigan at home). They lost to Western Michigan and to Minnesota at home.
Iowa, on the other hand, was projected to finish .500 or worse and this was supposed to be Ferentz' last chance to keep his job (and the bulk of those legal troubles happened BEFORE the season). Didn't even get a vote in the preseason polls and finished 8-4, beat a top 10 team, and swept their main rivalry games. A disappointment? Are you joking?
from about 1 month ago
No, I;m not joking. Yes, most of the bad stuff happened before the season, but that IS a huge disappointment, nonetheless. It's not always about records.
I didn't have high hopes for Illinois- they lost Mendenhall so I knew they wouldn't be up to task.
about 1 month ago
USC as a disappointment I don't know about that. They did come back against Oregon State and had a chance to win. The Trojans are now in control of their destiny to go to the Rosebowl they have to beat UCLA who for some reason doesn't like to be on offense.
USC only gives up 7.8 points per game and 210.5 yards per game. That's incredible to me even if it's a down year for the Pac-10 there's no doubt that USC didn't get down on themselves after the loss to Oregon State.
What you could say that has been disappointing is Oklahoma. There kick return coverage has been horrible this year. I would say that the defense has been also disappointing giving up 25 points per game and allow 360 yards per game.
about 1 month ago
Lisa-
You wrote:
Michigan
"It's the manner in which they lost all of those games that is so disturbing. Michigan never tanks games. Their new nickname should be the Shermans, no offense to Unioto High in Chillicothe, Ohio, who are called the Shermans."
My response is that I'm definitely not surprised with how Michigan's season played out because I knew they were going to be bad. Yeah, I didn't absolutely know, but I had a pretty good idea that they weren't going to be the usual Michigan this year. Of course Rodriguez comes into play as well. He always "spoils the milk" with a lot of his affiliations. Michigan needs to get a coach in there whose top priority is to win football games, not worry about how much money they are making!! So what do you think Lisa, will Rod stay or go?
from about 1 month ago
Seriously? Yeah screw winning at every college you've coached at money rulez.
from about 1 month ago
Where did you get he was worried more about money than winning? What has he done over this past season that would suggest the same?
Myself along with most experts predicted Michigan to finish 5-7. After the very first game when I saw how bad their two QBs really are, I thought they would be lucky to finish 4-8. They have two QBs that wouldn't start for most DI Scout teams. What did you really think was going to happen this year?
So far, RRod has done a great job recruiting. He has two top QBs that should be ready to enroll in January along with several defensive players that they really need. RRod is setting up this Michigan team to be very successful in two more years. They will have a very good chance to win 8 games next year.
from about 1 month ago
Leanna-
Well, you have to give him at least three years to get his players in. I knew they wouldn't win a lot of games, but I still expected them to show up and play with some heart.
about 1 month ago
Hey Lisa, how is USC overrated considering they were upset once this season? UF should also be added to this list b/c they were upset by Ol'Miss and at home.
I would also add West Virginia to the list b/c they were considered the favorites to win the Big East and took a step backward this year offensively. The second major disappointment this year was Rutgers b/c they were viewed as a darkhorse Big East contender but unfortunately they decided to schedule some decent schools and it turned out that they were a weak team feasting on the Norfolk States. Kind of think of it, the entire Big East needs to be added to this list. Cincinnati lost by 3 TDs to OU, WVU lost to ECU and their big wins were against ND, Auburn and Kansas (pls correct me if I am wrong).
Lisa, do you foresee a split national title (AP and BCS) assuming that UF beats Bama and then UF loses an ugly constest (note that I did not say blow out) against OU (assuming they win the Big 12), UT wins its bowl game against Ohio St/Utah and USC blows out PSU or vice versa (I predict a big USC win)? Thanks.
about 1 month ago
Lisa,
I am a regular reader (lurker, if you will) here at B/R and really like your articles because for the most part you support your opinions with facts and have sound arguments to back them up. I must say, however, that you may have prematurely labeled the ACC a 'disappointment'. The ACC has done quite well against the supposedly strong SEC in regular OOC games thus far, and I strongly believe conference superiority arguments should wait until after the bowls are played out. But I agree that the winner of the BC-VT title game is NOT deserving of the BCS bid. I would have gladly tuned in to watch the Yellow Jackets, however!
PS: I recently found out that anyone can sign up and write articles on B/R, so I decided to give it a try. Hopefully I can manage to write a few articles and be part of this wonderful site!
from about 1 month ago
CS-
I like you! Articulate, and well-spoken. Let me know when you do a write-up! I knew folks wouldn't agree with the ACC assessment, but Va Tech vs BC? What happened to FSU, Miami etc?
PS- lurkers are always welcome!
about 1 month ago
DEAR MANAGER, COACH, TECHNICAL ADVISER, MY NAME IS UCHE FROM NIGERIA. I AM 18YEARS OLD AND I PLAY FOR UNDER 16, 17 AND IN JUNIOR TEAM. I AM A VERY TELENTED, FOCUSSED AND SKILLFULL PLAYER WITH GREAT POTENTIALS. I WOULD LIKE TO PLAY IN YOUR YOUTH FOOTBALL ACADEMY TEAM AND I PROMISE TO DO MY BEST IN THE UPLIFTING OF YOUR ESTEEMED FOOTBALL CLUB. I BELIVE THAT MY TRIALS WILL DEFINITELY CONVINCE YOU. I WAS BORN A FOOTBALLER AND WAS TRAINED AS A ULTILITE PLAYER AND I WOULD LOVE IF YOU GIVE ME THE CHANCE/OPPORTUNITY TO PROOVE MYSELF TO YOU AND THE CLUB. I AM A GOOD FOOTBALLER AND I WANT TO TAKE MY FOOTBALL CARRIER TO THE NEXT LEVEL. I WOULD REALLY LIKE TO JOIN YOUR YOUTH FOOTBALL ACADEMY AS I WANT TO MAKE NIGERIANS PROUD OF ME. PLEASE KINDLY BRIEF ME ON HOW I CAN JOIN YOUR YOUTH FOOTBALL ACADEMY AS I PROMISE TO UPLIFT THE CLUB TO A GREATER HEIGHT. ATTACHED IS MY FOOTBALL CV FOR YOU TO GO THROUGH. I DO HOPE TO READ/HEAR FROM YOU COACH/MANAGER. THANK YOU. YOURS FAITHFULLY MY E-MAIL CHIBEST_01@YAHOO.COM PHONE +2348080460051
about 1 month ago
DEAR MANAGER, COACH, TECHNICAL ADVISER, MY NAME IS UCHE FROM NIGERIA. I AM 18YEARS OLD AND I PLAY FOR UNDER 16, 17 AND IN JUNIOR TEAM. I AM A VERY TELENTED, FOCUSSED AND SKILLFULL PLAYER WITH GREAT POTENTIALS. I WOULD LIKE TO PLAY IN YOUR YOUTH FOOTBALL ACADEMY TEAM AND I PROMISE TO DO MY BEST IN THE UPLIFTING OF YOUR ESTEEMED FOOTBALL CLUB. I BELIVE THAT MY TRIALS WILL DEFINITELY CONVINCE YOU. I WAS BORN A FOOTBALLER AND WAS TRAINED AS A ULTILITE PLAYER AND I WOULD LOVE IF YOU GIVE ME THE CHANCE/OPPORTUNITY TO PROOVE MYSELF TO YOU AND THE CLUB. I AM A GOOD FOOTBALLER AND I WANT TO TAKE MY FOOTBALL CARRIER TO THE NEXT LEVEL. I WOULD REALLY LIKE TO JOIN YOUR YOUTH FOOTBALL ACADEMY AS I WANT TO MAKE NIGERIANS PROUD OF ME. PLEASE KINDLY BRIEF ME ON HOW I CAN JOIN YOUR YOUTH FOOTBALL ACADEMY AS I PROMISE TO UPLIFT THE CLUB TO A GREATER HEIGHT. ATTACHED IS MY FOOTBALL CV FOR YOU TO GO THROUGH. I DO HOPE TO READ/HEAR FROM YOU COACH/MANAGER. THANK YOU. YOURS FAITHFULLY MY E-MAIL CHIBEST_01@YAHOO.COM PHONE +2348080460051
from about 1 month ago
I'm getting spam on b/r? OMG.
about 1 month ago
You should WVU to your list. They started out preseason #8 and now look at them. They are not ranked, have lost 4 games, and are third in the BE....which is having a bad season. They returned 8 of 11 starters on offense including Heisman hopeful Pat White along with their entire OL. Their defense was a little young but has a lot of experience and they have played extremely well this year. I put the blame on this season on the coaches. They took a team that averaged over 40ppg last year, returned practically the entire offense and are averaging around 20ppg. When was the last time WVU had 4 losses in a season? That would be the 2004 season.
from about 1 month ago
I always give a team with a new coach a hall pass. Unless it's Michigan.