Robbins Sports Blog

The Associated Press and BCS powers made another Gator national championship official today.  At the same time they made a statement for any team that doesn’t belong to the SEC, ACC, PAC 10, Big 10, Big East, or Big 12:  Your chances of becoming national champion are nearly impossible.

After a dominating win over Alabama, who less than a month ago led Florida going into the fourth quarter of the SEC Championship, Utah’s Coach Kyle Wittingham was quick to proclaim his team as #1 in the country.  Apparently none of the other coaches felt the same way.  At least they didn’t feel strongly enough about it to jeapordize their BCS vote (those with BCS votes are expected to unanimously elect the winner of the BCS Championship Game to be the national champion).  The Utes only hope for a share of the national title was through the AP poll, where they picked up 16 first place votes.  However, 16 votes left Utah far short of being competitive with the Gators…off the field.

Since the system is obviously broken (still) for this year, we can only speculate as to who really is the #1 team in the country.  We can only guess whether Utah would have beaten Florida, Oklahoma, USC, Texas, Penn State or any other team who, going into the bowl season, thought they should have a chance to hoist the national championship trophy.

The highlights of Utah’s resume include:

• A perfect season (13-0) 
• Three wins over ranked teams (TCU, BYU, and Alabama).
• A compelling, dominating performance over Alabama.

As impressive as that resume is, there are some obvious weaknesses.  Utah’s overall season is comparatively light when placed next to Florida’s six wins over ranked teams (including four in the top ten), or even against Oklahoma’s five wins over ranked teams.  There was only one common opponent shared by Utah and either of the BCS Championship teams:  TCU.  Oklahoma made quick work of the Horned Frogs at home.  Utah had to come from behind with a last minute drive to pull out their home victory over TCU.  I’ll admit that most of the time it does no good to play the “Who Beat Who Worse” game in college football.  However, it’s pretty clear that week after week, Florida and Oklahoma were facing a different level of competition than what Utah saw in teams like Utah State, Wyoming, San Diego State and the like.  Had Utah played the same schedule as Florida or Oklahoma, it’s very difficult to see them going undefeated, especially when they struggled to beat a team like 4-8 New Mexico.

If the college football audience as a whole were asked to put their money on one team that has the best chance of beating any other team in college football, it’s very likely that Florida would get the pick.  Coincidentally, the BCS is all about the distribution of college football’s money.  The reality is that the Gators did get the nod.

The sad problem is that the system is obviously flawed, and there are major obstacles blocking a better method of choosing the best team in college football.  For now, non-BCS schools would best be served scheduling and consistently beating the top teams from BCS conferences.  For instance, BYU’s non-conference schedule for 2009 includes a road game against Oklahoma and a home game against Florida State.  If the Cougars somehow manage an undefeated season next year, it would be harder for the BCS formula to keep them out of the national championship mix.  If Utah had even one more win over a top-10 team in 2008, their case would be much stronger.  As it stands, even a perfect season for Utah doesn’t give them a convincing argument that they are the best.

Last Saturday I witnessed the worst coverage of college football I’ve seen in a long time.  After not finding the BYU-Washington game on my local Versus or The Mountain channels, I checked my TV guide to find that FSN was covering the game as part of their PAC-10 package.  Recognizing that the commentary would likely have a Washington slant to it, I was still amazed at the bias I heard throughout the game.  Constant jabs at the Mountain West and BYU got very annoying.  It came as no surprise then that the blame for Washington’s loss was placed singly on the referee who threw a flag on Jake Locker for unsportsmanlike conduct after a last second touchdown.  What really surprised me was the reporting that followed on ESPN and among the college football world generally.

Immediately after the game, FSN’s postgame coverage had a banner across the bottom of the screen that read “Bad Celebration Call” and had a picture of Jake Locker next to it.  One of the analysts was obviously furious, admitting that he was “steaming” over the call.  I have a better idea for the producers there at FSN.  Why not have your graphics guys draw up and post an image of the extra point being blocked after BYU’s defensive front surged through the line?

I have to admit, I hate celebration penalties just as much as the next college football fan.  I think they should be taken from the game except in extreme cases.  However, I can’t even hear the argument for the pouting that came from Mark May and the other cry babies who somehow saw a different angle as Locker simply “flipped” the ball over his shoulder.  Wow!  I’ve never seen a “flipped” ball get 2.5 seconds of hang time.  Mark May’s and Lou Holtz’s evaluation of what happened can’t be explained any other way than by speculating that they must have nephews on the Husky team.

The reaction to one simple (and correct according to the rules) call leads me to think that somehow BYU wasn’t supposed to win this game.  Leading up to the touchdown, I was already frustrated at an obvious hold (one of BYU’s defensive ends was dragged down from behind while Locker hit a receiver with a 20-yard completion) and the dreamed-up “intentional grounding” interpretation of Locker’s fumble a few plays before.  Even if the officials had gotten the unsportsmanlike conduct penalty wrong, which they didn’t, they obviously kept Washington in the game to make it a close one.

Maybe the experts need to shown the numbers.  BYU had 138 yards more offense than Washington.  Expect for an official signalling a touchback before checking to see who recovered a fumble in the end zone, BYU should have been ahead by two touchdowns in the final seconds of the game.

The outcry over one little (correctly called, I should emphasize again) penalty seems pretty dubious.  What does the press have against the humble Cougs?  Maybe the angst is generated from the awful realization that a team full of mostly white, Eagle Scout, former LDS missionaries could come into Seattle and knock of a PAC-10 team.  I don’t really get all the wrath.  Washington hasn’t been any good in a long time, and it’s not BYU’s nor the officials chore to give them a win just because Ty Willingham’s coaching staff is on the bubble.  Get a load of this statement, reported in a Seattle newspaper by a fellow named Steve Kelley:
    “This is a make-or-break season for this coaching staff, and a call that bad can affect the long-term future of the program.”
    I’m sure the guy who made the call had that perspective rolling through his head while he watched to see if and when the “flipped” ball was going to land.  Maybe the Huskies should initiate a lawsuit against the ref and seek punitive damages.  If they had a PAC-10 jury, I’m sure they’d be able to collect something, maybe even overturn the score.

     At least this scandal might take some of the heat off of Sarah Palin.  It seems like maybe the same group of people are behind both investigations.  I’m just interested in hearing what Steve Young has to say…about BYU’s win.

This past week in college football was a dandy. With another wave of upsets and two of the nation’s perennial powerhouses (Notre Dame and Michigan) losing for the second consecutive week, football fans around the country are gearing up for what is likely to be a very unpredictable season in college football. However, some things seem as if they will be very stable this year; namely the success of the USC Trojans and the LSU Tigers.

USC and LSU are ranked #1 and #2, respectively. Each has a perfect record and has completely routed the competition, leaving no doubt as to their supremacy on the college level. With two such teams clearly ahead of the rest of the field, we can start imagining how the championship game will play out. Will it be John David Booty marching his explosive teammates up and down the field? Or will the tenacious, relentless Tiger defense be too much for Pete Carroll’s players. Only time will tell. But, even though the eventual meeting between these two football giants is about 4 months away, the question as to who currently deserves the No. 1 ranking invariably arises.

Some say that until someone shows that they can beat USC, the Trojans deserve the top spot. However, I personally believe that LSU has the edge. Here’s why.

LSU has played 2 games. In both, the outcome of the game was decided in the early in the first half. In the season opener, LSU simply overwhelmed Mississippi State 45-0. Yes, Mississippi State is probably the worst team in the SEC, but to hold any team to 0 points is impressive. The Bulldogs couldn’t even muster up enough steam to get within field goal range. I don’t care who the opposition is, that’s pure domination. Then in their second game, LSU proved that not only can they put the smack down on mediocre teams, but they can also beat good teams. And when I say beat, I mean really beat. The Tigers absolutely wiped the floor with the Hokies, 48-7. And let’s not forget, Virginia Tech was ranked 9th in the nation at that point.

On the other side of the ball, USC is 1-0 after beating the Idaho Vandals 38-10. Beating a team by 4 touchdowns is always a good result, but the Idaho Vandals? Come on USC! The score should have been even more lopsided. If you compare a 38-10 USC victory over Idaho to LSU’s 45-0 massacre of Mississipi State, which victory seems more impressive? LSU’s!! Furthermore, USC has yet to be really challenged by a worthy opponent, something that LSU met with ease.

So, until USC shows that they too can dismantle ranked teams a la LSU, I have to give the edge to the Tiger’s in the national ranking. At this point in time, LSU’s resume is simplt more impressive. Does that mean USC is not a championship contender? No! In fact, I hope to the high heavens that both USC and LSU go the distance. That way, we will be able to see who really is the best team when they face off in the national championship. Though, if I were a betting man, my money would definitely be on the Tigers. But hey, a lot can change between now and then. I may be eating my words come January.

Nishan Wilde is VP of Sales at Robbins Sports and Athletics, an online resource for Portable Scoreboards and Gym Bags.

Today is an exciting day for college football fans.  If you’re like me, you can’t get enough of the pre-season hype from ESPN and other media as the professional analysts attempt to be prophetic about the outcome of the season.  I had to laugh recently when I watched Lou Holtz and others attempting to make a prediction about who would win the national championship game between USC and LSU, as if the game between the two teams was already scheduled.  The national championship game is four months away. With a full season of football ahead of us, anything can happen.  The outcome of the college football  season is a permutation that includes so many unmeasureable and unpredictable factors,  such as a team’s motivation for any particular game, injuries, clutch coaching decisions, referee calls, and so much more. One of the most inviting aspects of college football is the understanding that fans and participants alike are going for a ride that has more question marks than ready answers.

Here are some of my thoughts on some of the issues and highlights of the 2007 college football season.

Conferences – How do they compare?
It’s pretty well understood in the college football world that the SEC fields the best teams and players Saturday after Saturday.  Florida proved last year that the best of the SEC was way too much for the best of the Big 10.  It would have been interesting to see USC compete for the national title with the Gators last year, but they lost to UCLA, who then went on to get handled by Florida State, who last season was not even an also-ran in the ACC.

A recent MSN poll had 50% of respondents choosing the SEC as the best conference, followed by the Big 10 (17%), Big 12 (11%), the PAC-10 (9.2%), the Big East (7.6%), and lastly the ACC (5.4%).  As a Florida State fan, it’s difficult for me to see our conference perceived so lowly.  The inclusion of Virginia Tech, Boston College, and Miami a few seasons ago into an already somewhat competitive conference was supposed to put the ACC on the same level as the SEC, but Miami and Florida State have been major disappointments recently, and other ACC teams haven’t performed well out of conference either.  I expect that to change this year, with Miami and Florida State regaining their places in the Top 10, and the competitive level of the whole conference moving up a few notches.  By the way, how did the Mountain West Conference get left out of that poll?

Heisman Race
As a former defensive player, it’s difficult for me to concede that the Heisman Trophy is supposedly given to the “best” college football player, but scoring and offense make the highlight films more than hard hits and tough defense.  True to tradition, the top contenders for the Heisman this year are all running backs and quarterbacks.  Over the past twenty years, 11 times the Heisman was given to a quarterback, 6 times it was awarded to a running back, twice a wide receiver got it.  So, quick trivia question:  Who was the only defender to receive the award in the past twenty years?  Answer:  Charles Woodson won it as a cornerback at Michigan in 1997.  Good luck to the guys on the tougher side of the ball, but I’m predicting a quarterback will win it this year – either John David Booty or Colt Brennan.

Bobby Bowden and Joe Paterno
The battle continues this year between these two great-grandpas.  I guess something has to be said about their competitive natures, but on the other hand their programs are both suffering because Bowden and Paterno haven’t learned how to find hobbies that are as fulfilling as walking the sidelines during major college football games (And heck, Paterno can’t even walk the sidelines anymore).  Apparently neither of these coaches intend to stop coaching until 1) the other one retires, or 2) he dies of old age.  I personally think that they could learn a lesson from LaVell Edwards.  By the time he retired, there were Cougar fans who thought his time had passed, but the fatigue was nothing like what has been experienced at FSU and Penn State over the past five or six years.  Bowden’s relations with disgruntled Florida State fans and, most importantly, financial supporters have soured as legitimate accusations of nepotism have been made.  However, he has a new supporting staff that appears much more likely to effectively use the talent that has been loitering around Florida State the past few seasons.  Paterno’s health is in obvious decline, and his team isn’t predicted to pick up any wins on Bowden.  The race to the finish for these two may come down to wins and losses (wins essentially – same difference) this season, and it will be difficult for Paterno to overcome the three-game defficiency.  I’m hoping that Paterno will announce his retirement this year, and that Bowden will follow shortly after.

Find a good seat on the couch…
College football looks to be as exciting this year as it ever has been.  As of April, we’ve recovered the 14 plays that were taken away from each game last year.  That will mean we get to see more late-game rallies and more football generally.  Coverage of games continues to be broadened so that a fan almost has to discipline himself to keep from overdosing on the game throughout the week.  College football fans everywhere now have a fresh 0-0 start for their favorite teams.  It will be quite the roller coaster ride between now and January.

Buy Football Jerseys and Football Pants at RobbinsSports.com

Yesterday I reviewed the Athlon pre-season college football rankings to check in on what the experts think about Florida State’s prospects this year.  After last season’s all-time low (hopefully) following seasons of decline, I didn’t expect the Seminoles to be in the top ten.  I found them at #26, which is somewhat of a sign of respect from the pollsters.  The USA Today pre-season poll has the ‘Noles in the top 25.  So, what can we expect this year from the once great college football dynasty?  Here are my thoughts.

Last year was the most frustrating season in recent history for Florida State fans.  Each game we endured watching a physically talented yet inept offense leave game after game on the table reminded us that nepotism was Bobby Bowden’s major weakness as a head coach.  Many of us wondered how long Coach Bowden, the university, or even college football as a collective whole could allow such injustice – the destruction of his father’s program by Jeff Bowden – to continue.  Finally, something gave (as in a $500,000 buyout), and major changes were made.

We’ll likely find out early in the season how much of an improvement the new offensive coaching staff has made from what they inherited after last season.  Most people would agree that there’s no way they could be worse, especially with the talent that consistently walks the Florida State practice field.  Considering the recent accomplishments of Jimbo Fisher, I’d expect that he could meet the challenge of placing FSU back into the Top 10.

One obstacle the Seminoles face this year is their tough schedule.  One ESPN columnist ranks FSU’s schedule the second most difficult in the nation this season.  Away games at Virginia Tech, Boston College, and Florida are all ones for which the Seminoles could be considered underdogs.  If things haven’t improved offensively from what was brought to the field last year, those three games are almost sure losses.  However, if the offense has been reconstructed as we hope, the ‘Noles can put the fear into anyone they face this season.

Although I’d like to see this season become a miraculous time-warp back to 1999, I’m doubtful that Florida State will become what it used to be until Bobby Bowden retires.  It’s been apparent over the past few seasons – with turmoil among players and his jawing about fans’ and boosters’ demands for change – that he has lost a significant amount of the respect on and off the field that he used to merit.  The trick plays and unpredictability that used to be the signature of FSU football have apparently died, and with Coach Bowden growing older by the day, it’s difficult to imagine that fast paced, in-your-face style being resurrected.  With that perspective, I’d feel pretty good with a 9-3 record and a bowl-game win.

Richard Robbins is one of the owners of RobbinsSports.com, a supplier of custom football uniforms and basketball uniforms.

In addition to other requirements, the NCAA mandates that balls used in an NCAA-regulated college football game be roughly 10 1/2 to 11 1/2 inches long. The circumference of the longer side of the ball is approximately 28 inches, and the circumference of the shorter part of the ball is about 21 inches.

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Besides the size requirements, official NCAA footballs must also weigh between 14 and 15 ounces, and they must be inflated to a pressure of between 12 1/2 and 13 1/2 pounds per square inch (psi).Regarding the look of an NCAA football, there are two 1-inch stripes near the end of the ball (between 3 and 3 1/4). There are eight equally-spaced laces on the top of the ball. Advertising logos are prohibited from appearing on the ball, except for the manufacturer’s identification markings.

For more information about regulations on NCAA footballs and other aspects of the game, you can visit the official NCAA football rules page at: http://www.ncaa.org/library/rules/2002/2002_football_rules.pdf