A weekend of GREAT games has come to a close. My backspace button came apart earlier tonight, so typing all of this out is going to be pretty inconvenient.
I think I'm safe with criticizing the officials in Friday night's Cincinnati/West Virginia matchup since they werent from the SEC. The end result was close, but had the refs done their job diligently and opened their eyes to the fact that one of Cinci's touchdowns did NOT break the plane and was subsequently fumbled, the game would've at least resulted in OT. But, is it really any surprise that the refs screwed up the outcome of yet ANOTHER game? In any case, the Bearcats are still undefeated, and people will still proclaim that they are the greatest team in Ohio. Funny how some people seem to be reprimanding Ohio State for not putting Cincinnati on the schedule this season. (Approaching sarcasm.) Shame on the Buckeyes for not being able to look into the future and see that Cinci will actually go 10-0 and become a BCS contender. Instead, they scheduled Navy, who came into the season with the best rushing offense in the country, and USC, who is usually consistently loaded with talent. How weak! (End sarcasm.) Funny how when Ohio State DID schedule Cincinnati, it was considered a "cupcake" game. Ohio State has played Cinci 10 times, and has beaten them 10 times. The last time they faced each other was in 2006, and Ohio State defeated them 37-7. A likely scenario is that Cinci didnt want to play Ohio State again anytime soon.
Surprise, surprise. Texas beat up on yet another consistently bad team. Surprise, surprise that they had yet another cake walk against a team without their key players. *Yawn* I'm bored with them.
Sooo, I've been accused of being a bandwagoner and letting my admiration for Tebow blind me because I'm picking Florida to beat Alabama. Actually, it's called watching both team's games, observing their play, and determining for myself in that way who I think will win. Also, given both team's recent pasts, I'm not yet ready to give Bama the benefit of the doubt. I think last year's Alabama team is better than this year's, and well, we all know what happened to them last season. I still think Florida looks like the better team, and unless they lose to FIA or Florida State, I still believe they deserve to stay #1. South Carolina gave Florida a ball game, but I knew they'd eventually turn into the disappointing team we all know them to be. That reminds me. South Carolina players supposedly go on to work in gas stations, but apparently, Tennessee players go on to ROB those gas stations. If Lane Kiffin has any ounce of dignity left, he should kick those thugs off the team. These athletes who choose to commit crimes in their free time dont deserve the amazing opportunity they are given that most men would kill for. I would kick them off the team and make sure they are taking my order at Burger King for the rest of their lives.
Speaking of people who should have their jobs taken away from them, Notre Dame blew another one. I wonder what the hunchback of Notre Dame's excuses were for that loss. There has to be some underlying, legitimate reason as to why Notre Dame keeps losing that doesnt consist of them just being a bad team, having questionable coaches, and making horrible play calls. There is a conspiracy going on. After all, Weis is a genius. Geniuses have 1 good year their first year of head coaching, WITH THE PREVIOUS COACH'S RECRUITS, and are deserving of a 5-year extension. Their winning season was obviously all thanks to Charlie. ND has too much pride to ever recognize or admit when they are wrong and made a mistake. Charlie is Catholic and Irish, so he's amazing anyway. Let's just disregard the fact that most of ND's greatest coaches were neither Catholic nor Irish. Let's jump on the Weis bandwagon, anyway! I actually like Notre Dame, but I've been disappointed in the program as a whole ever since they hired Weis. They fired Willingham for undisclosed reasons, which I was a little upset about, and brought in a guy who is inexperienced at the college level and blames everyone and everything else for their losses. It's gotten so irritating. The bigwigs need to swallow their pride and arrogance and get back to being the Notre Dame team they should be. That starts with getting rid of Weis and WISELY choosing a new guy.
I love how USC was ranked so highly at the beginning of the season, and as always, they were projected to be in the national championship, but now that they have been showing their true, young-team colors, the excuses are flying. "They have a freshman qb, their defense is young, most of their coaches have gone to other schools to coach," BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH. Why didnt anyone find it significant to make mention of any of that at the beginning of the season? Oh, because USC always "reloads," and is usually the best thing the Pac10 has to offer, so there ya go. Ohio State was never given any freebie excuses last season when they had a freshman qb and some young, offensive guys.
Of course, the best and most exciting game of the day was Ohio State and Iowa's matchup. I should've known it wouldnt be easy. It was a true, BigTen title matchup and an instant classic. My heart was pumping, my hands were shaking, my blood pressure was probably through the roof, but it was all worth it in the end. My voice even sounds different from the screaming that escaped from my mouth due to a few, exciting, key plays. Those were easily the 2 best defenses in the BigTen conference. Iowa's freshman qb looked impressive, too. I think they have something good with him in the future years. When it comes to freshman qb's, it could go either way. You will either see a freshman who is nervous and makes mental errors, thus tarnishing his team's fate in any given game, orrrrr, you will see a freshman qb having a breakout game, which a lot of the time is due to the fact their opponent's defense doesnt have any film on the guy and thus doesnt know how to defend him. Well, the latter is basically what I had to experience tonight. In any case, we are Rose Bowl bound, and it was thanks to our own, inexperienced, freshman kicker that we are smelling those roses. The only criticism that I have is that Tressel is perfectly content with just not losing, as opposed to WANTING to win. He wont let our offense, which needs all the confidence they can get, attempt to make big plays. He is perfectly content with running up the middle on 1st and 2nd down, and sometimes even 3rd down, so as to play it safe and run the clock down. Well, when you're playing against a team that actually has a solid defense, YOU CANT CONSTANTLY RUN THE BALL UP THE MIDDLE. THE OPPOSING TEAM'S DEFENSE WILL SURELY GET THE MEMO AND STOP YOUR OFFENSE QUICKLY. If it's the 4th quarter and you're blowing out a team, that's different, but when you're only 1 score up on a team or tied, you have to play to WIN. Ohio State has most definitely gotten better, particularly after the heart-wrenching loss to Purdue. Oddly enough, though, USC has gotten worse. I dont think it makes us look any better to have lost to USC, who now looks no less than horrible. But anyway, I have concluded that Ohio State football will surely be the death of me. When I have my first heart attack, and the doctor runs some tests and tells me I need to eat right and exercise, I'll just say, "No, doctor. I just need to stop watching Ohio State games."
Saturday, November 14, 2009
Monday, November 9, 2009
Tim Tebow
Yes, it's true. Nobody can write a sports blog without writing about the phenomenon, the anomaly, the superman that is...Tim Tebow.
A lot of people seem to have beef with the fact that I consider myself a Tebow fan. Why, you ask? Well, like I said in my previous blog, I am an Ohio State fan. I happen to live in Columbus, Ohio, so there are still some bitter people in this state. Yeah, Florida kicked our butts and embarrassed us in the 2006 national championship, but they were just clearly the better team. (Oddly enough, that was when I became interested in studly #15, while he ran through our defense...sadly.) First of all, Ohio State's performance was absolutely pathetic. We could not do anything right on either side of the ball. I'm not going to hate Florida for showing up to play. I actually recognize my own team's faults and failures. I'm mad at them for playing so horribly. I dont know what they were doing in the weeks before the big game, but it obviously wasnt gearing up for the game and taking it seriously. Now, if I'm not going to express hatred for Florida as a team, then I certainly am not going to hate a guy who only played a small role in defeating us. I used to get dirty looks and sarcastic comments when wearing a Tebow jersey out in public, but not so much anymore. I think people are finally over it. However, it's now SEC fans who seem to have a problem with my admiration for Timmy. These, of course, would be fans of teams who have gotten their butts kicked by Tebow, so there's the reason for their embitterment, I guess.
Although no one can deny Tebow's incredible athleticism, I like him more for what he stands for OFF of the field. I dont mean to gush over him, but I'm annoyed with others being annoyed about all of the attention he receives from the media. Well, why shouldnt he? There will very rarely (if ever) come a time when we see such a fascinating figure on the football field in this lifetime. Tebow has made and broken records all throughout his college football career, and is well on his way to a 3rd national championship. I cannot speak for everyone, but I would personally much rather constantly hear about someone as All-American, respectable, generous, and God-fearing as Tebow than I would about many other athletes or even celebrities. Tim Tebow could truly be labeled a role model. I'm sick of hearing about people undeserving of all of the attention they receive just because they are a complete trainwreck, constantly getting into trouble and doing outrageous things to get attention. Now, Tebow isnt perfect. No one is. But, until I see photos and/or videos of him throwing back some beers while being surrounded by scantily clad women licking whipped cream off his nipples, or worse, then I will consider him better than most 20-somethings. (There is a video out there that shows Tebow walking off the football field, frustrated after a slow start against Vanderbilt on Saturday that hints that he mouthed the "f" word. Even if he really had said that, that is the worst thing I have yet to hear about him. In any case, find me 1 person in this world who has never used a curse word, especially out of frustration, and I would call them a liar.) How many guys in their 20s, especially in the spotlight and ambience that someone like Tim Tebow is in, can stand up for what they believe is right and say no to temptations that plague our society and conflict with their values and religion? NOT MANY. I'm hoping and praying that Tebow stays strong in the Lord and doesnt fall too hard. Buckeye or not, I will always root for Tebow to do well in every aspect of life.
A lot of people seem to have beef with the fact that I consider myself a Tebow fan. Why, you ask? Well, like I said in my previous blog, I am an Ohio State fan. I happen to live in Columbus, Ohio, so there are still some bitter people in this state. Yeah, Florida kicked our butts and embarrassed us in the 2006 national championship, but they were just clearly the better team. (Oddly enough, that was when I became interested in studly #15, while he ran through our defense...sadly.) First of all, Ohio State's performance was absolutely pathetic. We could not do anything right on either side of the ball. I'm not going to hate Florida for showing up to play. I actually recognize my own team's faults and failures. I'm mad at them for playing so horribly. I dont know what they were doing in the weeks before the big game, but it obviously wasnt gearing up for the game and taking it seriously. Now, if I'm not going to express hatred for Florida as a team, then I certainly am not going to hate a guy who only played a small role in defeating us. I used to get dirty looks and sarcastic comments when wearing a Tebow jersey out in public, but not so much anymore. I think people are finally over it. However, it's now SEC fans who seem to have a problem with my admiration for Timmy. These, of course, would be fans of teams who have gotten their butts kicked by Tebow, so there's the reason for their embitterment, I guess.
Although no one can deny Tebow's incredible athleticism, I like him more for what he stands for OFF of the field. I dont mean to gush over him, but I'm annoyed with others being annoyed about all of the attention he receives from the media. Well, why shouldnt he? There will very rarely (if ever) come a time when we see such a fascinating figure on the football field in this lifetime. Tebow has made and broken records all throughout his college football career, and is well on his way to a 3rd national championship. I cannot speak for everyone, but I would personally much rather constantly hear about someone as All-American, respectable, generous, and God-fearing as Tebow than I would about many other athletes or even celebrities. Tim Tebow could truly be labeled a role model. I'm sick of hearing about people undeserving of all of the attention they receive just because they are a complete trainwreck, constantly getting into trouble and doing outrageous things to get attention. Now, Tebow isnt perfect. No one is. But, until I see photos and/or videos of him throwing back some beers while being surrounded by scantily clad women licking whipped cream off his nipples, or worse, then I will consider him better than most 20-somethings. (There is a video out there that shows Tebow walking off the football field, frustrated after a slow start against Vanderbilt on Saturday that hints that he mouthed the "f" word. Even if he really had said that, that is the worst thing I have yet to hear about him. In any case, find me 1 person in this world who has never used a curse word, especially out of frustration, and I would call them a liar.) How many guys in their 20s, especially in the spotlight and ambience that someone like Tim Tebow is in, can stand up for what they believe is right and say no to temptations that plague our society and conflict with their values and religion? NOT MANY. I'm hoping and praying that Tebow stays strong in the Lord and doesnt fall too hard. Buckeye or not, I will always root for Tebow to do well in every aspect of life.
College Football- Week 11
I should be studying right now, buuuut, I have some things to say about the college football games I observe as the weeks go by, and it apparently isnt enough that I can do that on 2 trash talking pages on Myspace. I know. Kids these days. They have no sense of responsibility and hard work. Forgive me for being more passionate about sports than I am about reading several sample reports of medical records. I probably should have gone to school for broadcasting or sports medicine, but I didnt, so moving on....
I know the regular season is almost over and I'm a bit late in creating a football blog, but much like my choice in furthering my education, I just didnt think of other possibilities. However, at least the end of the season tends to be more exciting, as the top 10 changes every week, and undefeateds drop like flies. This is the most crucial time of the year.
First and foremost, I would like to see that through it all, I am an Ohio State Buckeye. That is who I tend to root for on Saturdays. Rest assure that that doesnt mean I am going to be biased and gush over them every week. I honestly believe I am the most critical, realistic fan out there. This season has been a bit sketchy for my Buckeyes. I'm not going to go on a rant about their up-and-down season, but instead, I want to focus on week 11. I almost feel like Ohio State has done a complete 180 in 1 week. The team that played AT Penn State is the team I had expected to see this ENTIRE season, but didnt. The final score should have been 24-0, but Heaven forbid the officials allow JoePa's team to get shut out in their own stadium. (Oops..I guess I can be expecting a fine for $30,000 in my mailbox soon!) On a positive note, at least they improved on all sides of the ball during one of the most must-win games of their season. They finally looked like BCS bowl contenders. Now, if Pryor could only continue to stay poised and calm, quit yelling at other teammates for not miraculously catching a ball that he ever so inaccurately threw, and stop showing his support for thugs that he has no ties to and subsequently making a jackass out of himself when defending it with such classics like, "Everyone kills people," then I think he will ultimately become the great college QB we were all once hoping he'd become. I'm not going to reach far and say he could be a Heisman contender his last 2 years. All I want is some bowl wins. In the case of Penn State, however, their ultra-sugary cupcake schedule the last 2 years hasnt done them any good. I know JoePa wants to pad his wins and all, but doesnt he want to beat ranked teams and win a bowl game? Beating up on teams most of the season that have never been, and never will be, good is costly when it comes time to actually playing somebody that isnt Division 1-AA or non-BCS. However, I commend them for scheduling Alabama the 2nd week of next season instead of somebody like, Coastal Carolina Institute of Agriculture...or something like that.
Oh, but speaking of Alabama. Well, and Florida. SEC fans are believing that the officials have done an incredible job in making sure that both of them are undefeated when they face each other in their championship game. That has some backbone to it. I dont remember a time when I've seen so many bad calls made in 1 conference. (Uh oh...tag on an extra $30,000 for insulting the refs!) Does it really matter? Florida is going to kick their butts again, and Alabama will have to settle for the Sugar Bowl--again--and possibly play TCU, where they will get blasted by yet another non-BCS school. Muahahahaha. Ok, that may be a stretch for now, but it's my wishful thinking.
Iowa, Iowa, Iowa....oh, how you have disappointed me so. I SO wanted Iowa to be undefeated when they came to Columbus. It would've given my Buckeyes an ounce more respect for defeating a top ranked team; especially an undefeated one. Well, in any case, with or without Stanzi, I still think Ohio State would've taken care of business. Our defense is just too good. I cant see them allowing Iowa to get lucky in the 4th quarter like they have most of the season. As much as I was hoping they'd be undefeated until after this week, it is possible that Northwestern would've had their number regardless of Stanzi playing or not. Northwestern had the lead even before he got injured. Get well soon, Stanzi! I hate seeing any athlete go down like that.
In other hopes and dreams, I was wanting UCONN to upset Cincinasty. I mean, Cincinnati. Not to discredit their perfect season thus far, but the BigEast(Easy) is quite possibly the weakest conference in college football right now. I dont know how they'd fair in a bowl game this season. Before that even, I think they will have a rough time against West Virginia and PITT. Either team needs to shut them up as far as I'm concerned. I'm so sick of hearing about how Cinci is the "best" team in Ohio. Some people are reaching a bit far when they say Cinci "owns" Ohio. Oh, really? If a team happens to own a state, it's because they've consistently beaten all or most of the teams in it. Cincinnati has NEVER, EVER beaten Ohio State. Their players seem pretty confident in making it known that they are better than Ohio State, because they DIDNT have to play them this season. Cinci, you're a one hit wonder. NEXT.
The last notable team I want to discuss is the Texas Longhorns. What happened to the Big12? Last year, they were arguably the 2nd best conference in college football. People apparently disregarded the fact that the conference as a whole has no defense, but anyway, who do they have now? Texas and...Texas. That is it. I'm not sold on them yet, anyhow. Their schedule in and out of conference has been quite favorable. Nevertheless, they have still struggled with teams that no one in the top 10 should be struggling with. A lot of their 1st half performances have unimpressed me. Sure, they will probably end up the national championship undefeated, but how will they fair? They complained pre-bowl game last season that they had an easy matchup with Ohio State, and that they deserved the national championship, only to end up struggling with a supposed "overrated" Ohio State team and pulling out a miracle win the last 16 seconds. I think they would have been owned by Florida if given the chance. With that said, if Texas ends up receiving their chance against Florida in the national championship game, I think Florida will tear them up. Texas isnt the team they were last year. They are worse.
That wraps up my 1st edition of my college football analysis. I'll try to be more entertaining as I get used to this whole blog thing. Dont hold your breath, though.
I know the regular season is almost over and I'm a bit late in creating a football blog, but much like my choice in furthering my education, I just didnt think of other possibilities. However, at least the end of the season tends to be more exciting, as the top 10 changes every week, and undefeateds drop like flies. This is the most crucial time of the year.
First and foremost, I would like to see that through it all, I am an Ohio State Buckeye. That is who I tend to root for on Saturdays. Rest assure that that doesnt mean I am going to be biased and gush over them every week. I honestly believe I am the most critical, realistic fan out there. This season has been a bit sketchy for my Buckeyes. I'm not going to go on a rant about their up-and-down season, but instead, I want to focus on week 11. I almost feel like Ohio State has done a complete 180 in 1 week. The team that played AT Penn State is the team I had expected to see this ENTIRE season, but didnt. The final score should have been 24-0, but Heaven forbid the officials allow JoePa's team to get shut out in their own stadium. (Oops..I guess I can be expecting a fine for $30,000 in my mailbox soon!) On a positive note, at least they improved on all sides of the ball during one of the most must-win games of their season. They finally looked like BCS bowl contenders. Now, if Pryor could only continue to stay poised and calm, quit yelling at other teammates for not miraculously catching a ball that he ever so inaccurately threw, and stop showing his support for thugs that he has no ties to and subsequently making a jackass out of himself when defending it with such classics like, "Everyone kills people," then I think he will ultimately become the great college QB we were all once hoping he'd become. I'm not going to reach far and say he could be a Heisman contender his last 2 years. All I want is some bowl wins. In the case of Penn State, however, their ultra-sugary cupcake schedule the last 2 years hasnt done them any good. I know JoePa wants to pad his wins and all, but doesnt he want to beat ranked teams and win a bowl game? Beating up on teams most of the season that have never been, and never will be, good is costly when it comes time to actually playing somebody that isnt Division 1-AA or non-BCS. However, I commend them for scheduling Alabama the 2nd week of next season instead of somebody like, Coastal Carolina Institute of Agriculture...or something like that.
Oh, but speaking of Alabama. Well, and Florida. SEC fans are believing that the officials have done an incredible job in making sure that both of them are undefeated when they face each other in their championship game. That has some backbone to it. I dont remember a time when I've seen so many bad calls made in 1 conference. (Uh oh...tag on an extra $30,000 for insulting the refs!) Does it really matter? Florida is going to kick their butts again, and Alabama will have to settle for the Sugar Bowl--again--and possibly play TCU, where they will get blasted by yet another non-BCS school. Muahahahaha. Ok, that may be a stretch for now, but it's my wishful thinking.
Iowa, Iowa, Iowa....oh, how you have disappointed me so. I SO wanted Iowa to be undefeated when they came to Columbus. It would've given my Buckeyes an ounce more respect for defeating a top ranked team; especially an undefeated one. Well, in any case, with or without Stanzi, I still think Ohio State would've taken care of business. Our defense is just too good. I cant see them allowing Iowa to get lucky in the 4th quarter like they have most of the season. As much as I was hoping they'd be undefeated until after this week, it is possible that Northwestern would've had their number regardless of Stanzi playing or not. Northwestern had the lead even before he got injured. Get well soon, Stanzi! I hate seeing any athlete go down like that.
In other hopes and dreams, I was wanting UCONN to upset Cincinasty. I mean, Cincinnati. Not to discredit their perfect season thus far, but the BigEast(Easy) is quite possibly the weakest conference in college football right now. I dont know how they'd fair in a bowl game this season. Before that even, I think they will have a rough time against West Virginia and PITT. Either team needs to shut them up as far as I'm concerned. I'm so sick of hearing about how Cinci is the "best" team in Ohio. Some people are reaching a bit far when they say Cinci "owns" Ohio. Oh, really? If a team happens to own a state, it's because they've consistently beaten all or most of the teams in it. Cincinnati has NEVER, EVER beaten Ohio State. Their players seem pretty confident in making it known that they are better than Ohio State, because they DIDNT have to play them this season. Cinci, you're a one hit wonder. NEXT.
The last notable team I want to discuss is the Texas Longhorns. What happened to the Big12? Last year, they were arguably the 2nd best conference in college football. People apparently disregarded the fact that the conference as a whole has no defense, but anyway, who do they have now? Texas and...Texas. That is it. I'm not sold on them yet, anyhow. Their schedule in and out of conference has been quite favorable. Nevertheless, they have still struggled with teams that no one in the top 10 should be struggling with. A lot of their 1st half performances have unimpressed me. Sure, they will probably end up the national championship undefeated, but how will they fair? They complained pre-bowl game last season that they had an easy matchup with Ohio State, and that they deserved the national championship, only to end up struggling with a supposed "overrated" Ohio State team and pulling out a miracle win the last 16 seconds. I think they would have been owned by Florida if given the chance. With that said, if Texas ends up receiving their chance against Florida in the national championship game, I think Florida will tear them up. Texas isnt the team they were last year. They are worse.
That wraps up my 1st edition of my college football analysis. I'll try to be more entertaining as I get used to this whole blog thing. Dont hold your breath, though.
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