Brought to you by All Things Longhorn.
1. What would it take for you to vote someone other than USC #1 in the poll? If you already are, what would it take for USC to regain the top spot on your ballot?
I think Texas has basically done everything they need to do to be #1. They've won their tough games, and they've beaten their bad opponents badly.
Also, If USC were to play a bad first half against Texas, they would be so far down that they'd never be able to come back.
2. Which of the undefeateds is most likely to remain so? Who is least likely?
Most Likely:
USC - Should win out.
Texas - they can have their way with the rest of their schedule
Georgia - Only have the SEC championship game to go.
Less likely:
Virginia Tech - They still have games against Miami, and they are probably on track to play FSU in the championship game
Alabama - Couldn't beat Georgia the way they played against Mississippi
Least likely:
UCLA - Because of USC
Texas Tech - Like USC, haven't played a complete game yet.
3. If you were running the BCS system, would you let the computer rankings factor in margin of victory? Why or why not?
Margin of victory only applies, I think, when it's a BCS conference team playing a Sun Belt or I-AA team, because a BCS team letting one of the other teams hang around is a good predictor that they are going to lose against their conference. Otherwise, it really doesn't matter.
If it applies in a limited case, it's really unfair to judge every team based on margin of victory.
So if you can find a formula that allows MOV to apply only to BCS vs. non-BCS games, then great. Otherwise, leave it out.
Wednesday, October 19, 2005
Tuesday, October 18, 2005
I knew it was too good to be true...
Pujos celebrates his homer to win game 5(Ron Heflin/AP)The Astros were up 3-1 in the series on the Cardinals with 2 outs in the bottom of the 9th in Game 5 and Brad Lidge, closer extraordinaire, on the bump
I'm excited.
The State of Texas is about to land it's first team in the World Series.
Then David Eckstein singles and Jim Edmonds walked.
"No problem," I thought, "The Astros will just walk Pujols to get Reggie Sanders."
AND THEN THEY DECIDE TO PITCH TO PUJOLS!
*sighh*
Monday, October 17, 2005
Weekend Wrap Up: "A Game of Inches" edition
Leinart: What, you thought you were gonna be #1, Texas? I got your #1 right here. (Associated Press)
According to the NCAA rulebook, the official width of the goal line is 1 foot.
That's how close Texas was to being #1 in the land Saturday.
In what could be the most memorable QB sneak since Bart Starr, Matt Leinart dove over the goal line into the end zone to get USC past Notre Dame and hold on to the top spot in the polls.
But it wasn't the only close finish as several other college and pro games were decided on the last play.
Colleges
Big story of the weekend: Texas beats Colorado; almost gets help from ND
I don't know if Vince Young can make a better Heisman statement than the one he made Saturday against Colorado. He was absolutely brilliant.
The Texas game was pretty much over by halftime, so most of the Longhorn fans exited the stadium en masse just to get to the nearest TV to watch USC-Notre Dame.
Big 12 Games
Texas Tech 59, Kansas State 20
It took them a while, but once Texas Tech's offense got in the groove, it was all over. Tech also forced a bunch of turnovers. Now, they face Texas next week.
Oklahoma 19, Kansas 3
Once again Kansas's defense played great, only to have their offense not show up. If the Jayhawks had a halfway decent QB, they would have a great season.
Nebraska 23, Baylor 14
Just when it looked like Baylor was going to be one win away from bowl eligibility, Nebraska rolled off 17 unanswered points and put Baylor in a hole they couldn't come back from.
Texas A&M 62, Oklahoma State 23
Can we conclude that OSU stinks? Yikes! 62 Points?
Missouri 27, Iowa State 24 (OT)
No Brad Smith? No problem for Missouri. Freshman Chase Daniel, who replaced the injured Smith, led Missouri down the field on 2 4th quarter drives and the game winning drive in OT.
Our Adopted Team
UTEP 45, Tulane 21
I think we can safely conclude that Lester Ricard is a very good QB on a very bad team. His 376 yards passing and 3 TDs would be good enough to win a game for any other team.
Around the State
TCU 38, Army 17
Last week, the Horned Frogs won at Wyoming in spite of a bad performance by new QB Jeff Ballard. This week, they won because of Ballard as he scored 4 touchdowns.
East Carolina 24, SMU 17
Maybe East Carolina watched the A&M-SMU game tape because Pirates' QB James Pinkney did his best Reggie McNeal impersonation, scoring 3 touchdowns.
Memphis 35, Houston 20
DeAngelo Williams's numbers: 198 yards, 2 touchdowns. Williams is probably the best pro prospect out of the non-BCS conferences.
Tulsa 41, Rice 21
The numbers for Tulsa's Uril Parrish aren't impressive at first glance (16 carries, 66 yards), until you consider that he scored 3 touchdowns.
Cheap Seats' Blogpoll Ballot
NFL
Sunday's Games
Dallas 16, New York Giants 13 (OT)
Jose Cortez is about as accurate as a nearsighted carnival knife-thrower. But yesterday, he hit the game winner for the Cowboys.
Game Ball: The heat and humidity at Texas Stadium
The Giants defense was on the field almost 40 minutes by the time OT rolled around. Once the Cowboys won the toss and got the ball, the Giants were too tired to keep them out of field goal range.
Atlanta 34, New Orleans 31
Well, San Antonio, you wanted an NFL team, you got the New Orleans Saints instead. Seriously, the Saints just find ways to lose a ball game that no one ever thought of before. Think about it: how often is defensive holding called on a field goal?
Game Ball: Aaron Brooks
He got the ball to Devery Henderson to tie the game and stepped up in the absence of Deuce McAllister.
Seattle 41, Houston 10
In pro wrestling, this would be referred to as a "squash match".
Game Ball: Shaun Alexander
22 carries. 141 yards. 4 Touchdowns. Shaun Alexander is good.
Laundry is piling up, so I'm gonna go do that now.
Tomorrow: Astros in the World Series?
Saturday, October 15, 2005
Weekend Preview 9/15/2005
Colleges
Starting their weekend off early
UTEP 45, Tulane 21
Don't blame the loss on Tulane's Lester Ricard as he had 376 yards, 3 TDs, and no picks, and matched or exceeded his UTEP counterpart, Jordan Palmer, in just about every category. No, the fault for the loss goes to Tulane's run defense, which allowed Sophomore backup Marcus Thomas to run for 93 yards on 12 carries.
Big 12/Texas Game of the week
Colorado at Texas
2:30 PM ABC
Regional Coverage: All markets in: Texas, Oklahoma, Colorado, Kansas, and Nebraska plus Albuquerque, Shreveport, Ft. Smith, Jonesboro, Kansas City, Joplin, St. Joseph's, Columbia, Springfield, St. Louis, Sioux City, and Des Moines.
(Note: Sioux Falls, SD and Cedar Rapids, IA will get Penn State-Michigan instead, as will portions of Missouri that border Illinois, and are not served by St. Louis. The SE corner of Missouri will get Louisville-West Virginia.)
Overview
No offense to my fellow Red Raider fans, but this is Texas's toughest post-Oklahoma game. Mainly because Colorado hung 41 on A&M last week, and is putting some distance in between itself and the rest of the North. Could this be a Big XII title game preview?
Key Matchup
Texas Longhorns vs complacency
It's real easy for Texas L
Key player for Texas
Selvin Young
Selvin Young's fumble-itis and lack of yards per carry forced him out of the feature back's role. Now he must step up with Jamaal Charles on a gimpy leg that will limit Charles' carries or keep him out altogether.
Key player for Colorado
Joe Klopfenstein
If Klopfenstein has any aspirations of playing on Sunday, he must prove he can produce against 3 Pro Bowl linebackers.
Tale of the Tape
Big XII Games
Kansas State at Texas Tech
11:00 AM ABC
Regional Coverage: All markets in Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Colorado plus Albuquerque, Shreveport, Ft. Smith, Jonesboro, Kansas City, St. Josephs, Springfield, Joplin, Columbia, Omaha, Lincoln, Kearney and Western Nebraska (except those markets served by Sioux Falls, SD)
(Note: Sioux Falls, SD, Cedar Rapids, IA, Sioux City, IA, Des Moines, IA, St. Louis, SE Missouri, and places in Missouri that border Illinois will get Michigan State-Ohio State instead.)
Texas Tech will probably use this game as a tune-up for Texas. It doesn't matter whether or not Allen Evridge, Allen Webb, Michael Bishop, Ell Roberson or Chad May start for Kansas State, the Wildcats offense lacks the punch to hang with the Red Raiders.
Oklahoma at Kansas
6:00 PM TBS
This is a game Kansas can ill-afford to lose after losing it's first two conference games. Unfortunately, they are facing a ticked-off OU team that will have an Adrian Peterson who is in better shape than he was against Texas.
Iowa State at Missouri
1:00 PM
Two straight conference losses have made their early victory over Iowa a distant memory in the minds of poll voters. A third conference loss could put them behind the 8-ball in terms of Bowl eligibility.
Oklahoma State at Texas A&M(home)
2:30 PM
Oklahoma State was close against Missouri, and it looks like their new passing-oriented offense is finally clicking, which is bad timing for an A&M defense who is near the bottom of the nation in pass defense
Nebraska at Baylor
6:00 PM
In past years, one could look at this game on the schedule, figure Nebraska will win, and move on. This isn't your father's Baylor team, though as they are 4-1 and two wins away from their first bowl eligible season since joining the Big XII. Still, Nebraska came withing a Joel Filani touchdown pass of upsetting Texas Tech and should come up strong here.
Our Adopted Team
...played UTEP last night, see above
Other Texas Teams
Army at TCU
6:00 PM (surprisingly, no TV)
TCU, which right now is the favorite to win the entire Mountain West, finally finishes off it's non-conference schedule against an Army team that almost beat Iowa State earlier this year. Believe it or not, TCU is undefeated all time against Army.
Memphis at Houston
4:00 PM CSTV
Houston needs to win to keep pace with UTEP in the Conference USA West division.
Tulsa at Rice
3:00 PM
Look for Tulsa to have it's way with the punchless Rice Owls.
East Carolina at SMU
2:00 PM
East Carolina blew out an equally horrible Rice team, let's see how Skip Holtz's bunch does against the Ponies.
National Games of Note
* - See Texas Tech game for what game will be shown in your area
** - See Texas game for what game will be shown in your area
NFL
Houston Texans at Seattle Seahawks
Sunday 8:30 PM ESPN
Overview
What looked like a matchup of teams on the rise (to all who knew nothing about the Texans offensive line crisis) at the beginning of the season now looks like an easy Seahawks victory.
Key Matchup
Seattle pass rush vs Houston O-Line
Yes, it is that simple. Houston's offensive line has to show they can pass protect if they want to pull off the upset
Key player for Houston
Marcus Coleman
Must help in run support against Shaun Alexander without getting burned by play action.
Key player for Seattle
Darrell Jackson
Mainly because he will never have as good an opportunity to get great fantasy numbers as he will against this defense.
Tale of the Tape
Atlanta Falcons vs. New Orleans Saints
at Alamodome, San Antonio TX
Sunday, 12:00 PM FOX
Overview
Michael Vick maybe out, but typically Matt Schaub has done well when called upon to start. Don't expect the New Orleans defense, which gave up 52 points last week against Green Bay, to "Stump the Schaub."
Key Matchup
Aaron Brooks vs Falcons secondary.
Since the Falcons won't have to worry about Deuce McAllister, The safeties can play back on all plays. It's up to Aaron Brooks to find the holes in the defense.
Key player for New Orleans
Antowain Smith
An unheralded key contributor on 2 of the 3 Patriots Super Bowls, Smith must provide a decent running game for the New Orleans Saints.
Key player for Atlanta
Matt Schaub
He's done admirably filling in for Mike Vick in the past, and will probably be someone else's decent starting QB next year.
Tale of the Tape
New York Giants at Dallas Cowboys
Sunday 12:00 PM FOX (KTBC 7)
Overview
So which team is the real Dallas Cowboys? The one that beat Philly and San Diego, or the one that lost on a last second pass from Mark Brunell to Santana Moss and failed to show up against Oakland?
Key Matchup
Eli Manning vs Dallas pass rush
We know Manning is improving, but he must hang in the pocket to deliver the ball and not let the pass rush get to him mentally.
Key player for Dallas
Terrence Newman
Must shut down Plaxico Burress to slow down the Giants offense.
Key players for the New York Giants
Will Peterson and Will Allen
They must "will" themselved to play great pass defense against an explosive Dallas passing attack.
Tale of the Tape
Monday:Weekend Wrap-Up
Starting their weekend off early
UTEP 45, Tulane 21
Don't blame the loss on Tulane's Lester Ricard as he had 376 yards, 3 TDs, and no picks, and matched or exceeded his UTEP counterpart, Jordan Palmer, in just about every category. No, the fault for the loss goes to Tulane's run defense, which allowed Sophomore backup Marcus Thomas to run for 93 yards on 12 carries.
Big 12/Texas Game of the week
Colorado at Texas
2:30 PM ABC
Regional Coverage: All markets in: Texas, Oklahoma, Colorado, Kansas, and Nebraska plus Albuquerque, Shreveport, Ft. Smith, Jonesboro, Kansas City, Joplin, St. Joseph's, Columbia, Springfield, St. Louis, Sioux City, and Des Moines.
(Note: Sioux Falls, SD and Cedar Rapids, IA will get Penn State-Michigan instead, as will portions of Missouri that border Illinois, and are not served by St. Louis. The SE corner of Missouri will get Louisville-West Virginia.)
Overview
No offense to my fellow Red Raider fans, but this is Texas's toughest post-Oklahoma game. Mainly because Colorado hung 41 on A&M last week, and is putting some distance in between itself and the rest of the North. Could this be a Big XII title game preview?
Key Matchup
Texas Longhorns vs complacency
It's real easy for Texas L
Key player for Texas
Selvin Young
Selvin Young's fumble-itis and lack of yards per carry forced him out of the feature back's role. Now he must step up with Jamaal Charles on a gimpy leg that will limit Charles' carries or keep him out altogether.
Key player for Colorado
Joe Klopfenstein
If Klopfenstein has any aspirations of playing on Sunday, he must prove he can produce against 3 Pro Bowl linebackers.
Tale of the Tape
| Category | Edge | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Texas offense vs. Colorado defense | Push | With Jamaal Charles a question mark, this matchup becomes a bit more even. |
| Colorado offense vs. Texas defense | Texas | |
| Special Teams | Colorado | (notes) |
| Coaching | Texas | Even if Mack Brown hadn't won the Rose Bowl, |
| Intangibles | Colorado | Is Texas up for this game. Mack Brown doesn't seem to think so. |
Big XII Games
Kansas State at Texas Tech
11:00 AM ABC
Regional Coverage: All markets in Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Colorado plus Albuquerque, Shreveport, Ft. Smith, Jonesboro, Kansas City, St. Josephs, Springfield, Joplin, Columbia, Omaha, Lincoln, Kearney and Western Nebraska (except those markets served by Sioux Falls, SD)
(Note: Sioux Falls, SD, Cedar Rapids, IA, Sioux City, IA, Des Moines, IA, St. Louis, SE Missouri, and places in Missouri that border Illinois will get Michigan State-Ohio State instead.)
Texas Tech will probably use this game as a tune-up for Texas. It doesn't matter whether or not Allen Evridge, Allen Webb, Michael Bishop, Ell Roberson or Chad May start for Kansas State, the Wildcats offense lacks the punch to hang with the Red Raiders.
Oklahoma at Kansas
6:00 PM TBS
This is a game Kansas can ill-afford to lose after losing it's first two conference games. Unfortunately, they are facing a ticked-off OU team that will have an Adrian Peterson who is in better shape than he was against Texas.
Iowa State at Missouri
1:00 PM
Two straight conference losses have made their early victory over Iowa a distant memory in the minds of poll voters. A third conference loss could put them behind the 8-ball in terms of Bowl eligibility.
Oklahoma State at Texas A&M(home)
2:30 PM
Oklahoma State was close against Missouri, and it looks like their new passing-oriented offense is finally clicking, which is bad timing for an A&M defense who is near the bottom of the nation in pass defense
Nebraska at Baylor
6:00 PM
In past years, one could look at this game on the schedule, figure Nebraska will win, and move on. This isn't your father's Baylor team, though as they are 4-1 and two wins away from their first bowl eligible season since joining the Big XII. Still, Nebraska came withing a Joel Filani touchdown pass of upsetting Texas Tech and should come up strong here.
Our Adopted Team
...played UTEP last night, see above
Other Texas Teams
Army at TCU
6:00 PM (surprisingly, no TV)
TCU, which right now is the favorite to win the entire Mountain West, finally finishes off it's non-conference schedule against an Army team that almost beat Iowa State earlier this year. Believe it or not, TCU is undefeated all time against Army.
Memphis at Houston
4:00 PM CSTV
Houston needs to win to keep pace with UTEP in the Conference USA West division.
Tulsa at Rice
3:00 PM
Look for Tulsa to have it's way with the punchless Rice Owls.
East Carolina at SMU
2:00 PM
East Carolina blew out an equally horrible Rice team, let's see how Skip Holtz's bunch does against the Ponies.
National Games of Note
| Game | Time | TV | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| USC at Notre Dame | 2:30 PM | NBC | A tough road game for the #1 team in the country, however USC is playing a team it has blown out in previous years. Charlie Weis is the new head coach, but it's basically the same players |
| Florida at LSU | 2:30 PM | CBS | Last time Urban Meyer went on the road to a SEC West foe, they lost big. Last time LSU hosted one of the SEC's "Big 3", they lost close. |
| Michigan St. at Ohio St. | 11:00 AM | ABC or PPV* | A reeling Ohio State team can save it's season by upsetting Michigan State at home. |
| Louisville at West Virginia | 2:30 PM | ABC or PPV** | The Big East doesn't officially have a championship game, but this is definitely the unofficial one. |
| Penn St. at Michigan | 2:30 PM | ABC or PPV** | If you told anyone in August that Penn State would be the only undefeated and ranked team in this game, you would have been laughed off the face of the earth |
| Wisconsin at Minnesota | 11:00 AM | ESPN | Paul Bunyan's Axe is not the only thing on the line here in this game, the loser gets that much closer to Penn State at 3-1 and the loser drops to 2-2 |
| Georgia at Vanderbilt | 6:15 PM | ESPN | Surprisingly, Vandy needs 2 wins to become bowl eligible. Georgia hopes to stay in the national title picture and avoid the upset |
| Alabama at Ole Miss | 11:00 AM | CBS | Can Alabama survive the loss of Tyrone Prothro? Well, Mississppi isn't going to provide much of an answer to the question. |
| Florida State at Virginia | 6:45 PM | ESPN | Florida State faces a tough test on the road against a team that is hanging around on the fringes of the Top 25. |
| UCLA at Washington | 5:30 PM | FSN | UCLA should blow this team out and remain in the Top 25, but who knows. |
* - See Texas Tech game for what game will be shown in your area
** - See Texas game for what game will be shown in your area
NFL
Houston Texans at Seattle Seahawks
Sunday 8:30 PM ESPN
Overview
What looked like a matchup of teams on the rise (to all who knew nothing about the Texans offensive line crisis) at the beginning of the season now looks like an easy Seahawks victory.
Key Matchup
Seattle pass rush vs Houston O-Line
Yes, it is that simple. Houston's offensive line has to show they can pass protect if they want to pull off the upset
Key player for Houston
Marcus Coleman
Must help in run support against Shaun Alexander without getting burned by play action.
Key player for Seattle
Darrell Jackson
Mainly because he will never have as good an opportunity to get great fantasy numbers as he will against this defense.
Tale of the Tape
| Category | Edge | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Texans offense vs. Seahawks defense | Seattle | Until that offensive line shows it can pass block, Houston loses this matchup no matter who they face |
| Seahawks offense vs. Texans defense | Seattle | Two words: Shaun Alexander |
| Special Teams | Seattle | Even the special teams on the Texans are bad. |
| Coaching | Seattle | Mike Holmgren may no longer be a genius, but he's still better than Dom Capers |
| Intangibles | Seattle | Houston seems to come into every game mentally beaten. |
Atlanta Falcons vs. New Orleans Saints
at Alamodome, San Antonio TX
Sunday, 12:00 PM FOX
Overview
Michael Vick maybe out, but typically Matt Schaub has done well when called upon to start. Don't expect the New Orleans defense, which gave up 52 points last week against Green Bay, to "Stump the Schaub."
Key Matchup
Aaron Brooks vs Falcons secondary.
Since the Falcons won't have to worry about Deuce McAllister, The safeties can play back on all plays. It's up to Aaron Brooks to find the holes in the defense.
Key player for New Orleans
Antowain Smith
An unheralded key contributor on 2 of the 3 Patriots Super Bowls, Smith must provide a decent running game for the New Orleans Saints.
Key player for Atlanta
Matt Schaub
He's done admirably filling in for Mike Vick in the past, and will probably be someone else's decent starting QB next year.
Tale of the Tape
| Category | Edge | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Saints offense vs. Falcons defense | Atlanta | Atlanta is among the leaders in run defense. |
| Falcons offense vs. Saints defense | Atlanta | No Mike Vick, but the passing game should be better. |
| Special Teams | Push | Nothing real spectacular about either unit |
| Coaching | Atlanta | In a short period of time Jim Mora Jr. is proving to be a better head coach than his father. |
| Intangibles | Atlanta | With New Orleans coming off a demoralizing victory and the loss of their franchise running back, it's hard |
New York Giants at Dallas Cowboys
Sunday 12:00 PM FOX (KTBC 7)
Overview
So which team is the real Dallas Cowboys? The one that beat Philly and San Diego, or the one that lost on a last second pass from Mark Brunell to Santana Moss and failed to show up against Oakland?
Key Matchup
Eli Manning vs Dallas pass rush
We know Manning is improving, but he must hang in the pocket to deliver the ball and not let the pass rush get to him mentally.
Key player for Dallas
Terrence Newman
Must shut down Plaxico Burress to slow down the Giants offense.
Key players for the New York Giants
Will Peterson and Will Allen
They must "will" themselved to play great pass defense against an explosive Dallas passing attack.
Tale of the Tape
| Category | Edge | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Cowboys offense vs. Giants defense | Dallas | Even with Tyson Thompson in the backfield, this Giants defense is bad enough to allow him to rush for 100 and give up 300 passing yards. |
| Giants offense vs. Cowboys defense | New York Giants | Expect Eli to show the trademark Manning poise in the pocket and toss a few to Shockey and Barber for scores. |
| Special Teams | Dallas | I give Dallas the slight edge based on coverage units and punter. |
| Coaching | Dallas | Parcells knows the tendencies of his protege Coughlin probably better than anyone out there. |
| Intangibles | Dallas | Dallas just beat the defending NFC Champions and the favorite to win the division. Plus, Parcells will not let the Cowboys have a letdown. |
Monday:Weekend Wrap-Up
Friday, October 14, 2005
Clock Strikes Midnight on College Hoops Offseason
In case you forgot with all the college and pro football going on, Midnight Madness, the official kickoff of college basketball practice, is tonight.
So what are the storylines for this season.
For Texas and Oklahoma, both of which are preseason top 10s, it's championship or bust. Both programs feel that they have the talent to win it all.
For Kansas, they are looking forward to proving that they are still one of the elite programs year in and year out.
Texas Tech is listed in the top 4 in the preseason coaches poll, but they are the weakest of the top 4, and could miss Ronald Ross more than they realize.
Even though they lost Antoine Wright, Texas A&M could make the leap from pretender to contender this year.
Oklahoma State is trying to avoid a big fall in what could be Eddie Sutton's last year.
Iowa State is looking to make the leap from "bubble team" to the NCAA tournament.
Nebraska, Kansas State, Baylor, and Colorado are all hoping to just make the tournament.
Missouri's Quin Snyder is just hoping to keep his job.
Should be an exciting year for Big XII Basketball. It will be lightyears better than the league's football competition to date.
We'll have a more detailed preview next week.
Weekend Preview Early tomorrow morning.
So what are the storylines for this season.
For Texas and Oklahoma, both of which are preseason top 10s, it's championship or bust. Both programs feel that they have the talent to win it all.
For Kansas, they are looking forward to proving that they are still one of the elite programs year in and year out.
Texas Tech is listed in the top 4 in the preseason coaches poll, but they are the weakest of the top 4, and could miss Ronald Ross more than they realize.
Even though they lost Antoine Wright, Texas A&M could make the leap from pretender to contender this year.
Oklahoma State is trying to avoid a big fall in what could be Eddie Sutton's last year.
Iowa State is looking to make the leap from "bubble team" to the NCAA tournament.
Nebraska, Kansas State, Baylor, and Colorado are all hoping to just make the tournament.
Missouri's Quin Snyder is just hoping to keep his job.
Should be an exciting year for Big XII Basketball. It will be lightyears better than the league's football competition to date.
We'll have a more detailed preview next week.
Weekend Preview Early tomorrow morning.
Wednesday, October 12, 2005
Blogpoll Ballot - Week 7
Week 4's Blogpoll
My Ballot:
First 5 out
Fresno State
Wisconsin
Oregon
Arizona State
Auburn
My Ballot:
First 5 out
Fresno State
Wisconsin
Oregon
Arizona State
Auburn
Why the NFL gets it's marketing right and everyone else doesn't
Lance Williams, host of the "Just Talking Sh--" Podcast, pointed out on his most recent program that nobody is going to really care about the Major League Baseball playoffs now that the Yankees and Red Sox are out of it.
I take great offense to that because I'm an Astros fan, even though I'm not that really into baseball, and I *do* care that they are now 4 wins away from a World Series, something they've never been to. (Damn you '86 Mets, Maddux-Glavine-era Braves, '97 Padres, and '04 Cardinals that it hasn't happened yet!)
But Lance does have a point. There are probably 5 teams that have real name recognition in baseball. The Yankees, Red Sox, Chicago Cubs (thanks, WGN, for shoving them down our throats), the Atlanta Braves (thanks, Ted Turner, for shoving them down our throats), and the L.A. Dodgers (Thanks, aging ex-Brooklynite baseball novelists, for shoving them down our throats). If they're not involved, the ratings drop.
And it's not just baseball where ratings drop when it's major name teams are gone. The NBA sweats whenever the Lakers, Celtics, and Knicks are all eliminated, the NHL is concerned whenever Boston, Chicago, Detroit, and the New York Rangers are all eliminated.
However, the NFL can have Green Bay and Jacksonville in the Super Bowl, and there's no hit in the ratings.
Why?
The NFL and those who market it and cover it, realize that every team, no matter how small their market or how much name recognition they have, matters.
All their TV money comes strictly from network and national cable TV, and it's distributed equally to every team. No Fox Sports Nets, Comcast Sports, NESNs, or YES Networks to unbalance the playing field.
Oh, and every team gets an equal share of licensing revenue, and they split the road team's share of the gate equally.
And the salary cap, as much as fans complain about the breakup of teams, ensures that their team can, with good personnel management and salary management, be competitive every year.
ESPN sends it's football reporters to every game site, not just New York, Boston or LA games.
NFL Films doesn't just make a Super Bowl video for the champ, they make 31 other "yearbook" films for every team, and then run them all on ESPN to get every fan in every market jacked up for football season.
The games are once a week, so every game counts. But in between, not an hour in the day goes by without some kind of NFL highlight, analysis, nostalgia, or news show. And all teams get covered, not just the New York teams.
Also, any city can write their name into pro football lore. Green Bay, the league's smallest market, is "Title Town", Buffalo can lose 4 straight Super Bowls and still be remembered as the "lovable losers" of football. Even Oakland, a town dwarfed by San Fransisco and San Jose, can have it's own piece of football lore in the renegade Raiders franchise.
Not coincidentally, the NFL is #1 in just about every survey, poll, and rating you can imagine.
All the other sports only emphasize the best recognized teams. When baseball is covered, whether it be network TV, or ESPN' s Baseball Tonight, the emphasis is on the teams with the best name recognition. They don't take any time talking about the other teams.
And then they wonder why no one who's not a fan of the game can name a player on the Houston Astros or St. Louis Cardinals.
And in the NBA, it doesn't matter that San Antonio has won 2 of the last 3 NBA titles, has one of the best-run organizations in the NBA, and has the league's best player in Tim Duncan. No, the NBA and every media outlet involved with it would rather focus on how Kobe Bryant is running the Lakers into the ground or how Isaiah Thomas is screwing up the Knicks or how Danny Ainge can't run the Celtics. There are 27 other NBA teams, but you'd never know it the way the NBA and NBA-related media promote it.
And then they wonder why the ratings for a Pistons-Spurs final are so bad.
And Hockey? They talk about expanding the game, yet despite the fact that some of it's best young talent plays for franchises in the Sun Belt and Canada, the emphasis of it's US coverage is still the Rangers, Red Wings, Blackhawks, and Bruins.
And they wonder why, aside from all the ridiculous clutching, grabbing, and trapping, that ratings are down.
The NFL understands that every team is important. That's why teams can come out of nowhere and make it to a Super Bowl without Paul Tagliabue worrying what the ratings will be.
If the other leagues have to have a big market or name team make the finals to boost ratings, then maybe it's time they rethink how they market.
I take great offense to that because I'm an Astros fan, even though I'm not that really into baseball, and I *do* care that they are now 4 wins away from a World Series, something they've never been to. (Damn you '86 Mets, Maddux-Glavine-era Braves, '97 Padres, and '04 Cardinals that it hasn't happened yet!)
But Lance does have a point. There are probably 5 teams that have real name recognition in baseball. The Yankees, Red Sox, Chicago Cubs (thanks, WGN, for shoving them down our throats), the Atlanta Braves (thanks, Ted Turner, for shoving them down our throats), and the L.A. Dodgers (Thanks, aging ex-Brooklynite baseball novelists, for shoving them down our throats). If they're not involved, the ratings drop.
And it's not just baseball where ratings drop when it's major name teams are gone. The NBA sweats whenever the Lakers, Celtics, and Knicks are all eliminated, the NHL is concerned whenever Boston, Chicago, Detroit, and the New York Rangers are all eliminated.
However, the NFL can have Green Bay and Jacksonville in the Super Bowl, and there's no hit in the ratings.
Why?
The NFL and those who market it and cover it, realize that every team, no matter how small their market or how much name recognition they have, matters.
All their TV money comes strictly from network and national cable TV, and it's distributed equally to every team. No Fox Sports Nets, Comcast Sports, NESNs, or YES Networks to unbalance the playing field.
Oh, and every team gets an equal share of licensing revenue, and they split the road team's share of the gate equally.
And the salary cap, as much as fans complain about the breakup of teams, ensures that their team can, with good personnel management and salary management, be competitive every year.
ESPN sends it's football reporters to every game site, not just New York, Boston or LA games.
NFL Films doesn't just make a Super Bowl video for the champ, they make 31 other "yearbook" films for every team, and then run them all on ESPN to get every fan in every market jacked up for football season.
The games are once a week, so every game counts. But in between, not an hour in the day goes by without some kind of NFL highlight, analysis, nostalgia, or news show. And all teams get covered, not just the New York teams.
Also, any city can write their name into pro football lore. Green Bay, the league's smallest market, is "Title Town", Buffalo can lose 4 straight Super Bowls and still be remembered as the "lovable losers" of football. Even Oakland, a town dwarfed by San Fransisco and San Jose, can have it's own piece of football lore in the renegade Raiders franchise.
Not coincidentally, the NFL is #1 in just about every survey, poll, and rating you can imagine.
All the other sports only emphasize the best recognized teams. When baseball is covered, whether it be network TV, or ESPN' s Baseball Tonight, the emphasis is on the teams with the best name recognition. They don't take any time talking about the other teams.
And then they wonder why no one who's not a fan of the game can name a player on the Houston Astros or St. Louis Cardinals.
And in the NBA, it doesn't matter that San Antonio has won 2 of the last 3 NBA titles, has one of the best-run organizations in the NBA, and has the league's best player in Tim Duncan. No, the NBA and every media outlet involved with it would rather focus on how Kobe Bryant is running the Lakers into the ground or how Isaiah Thomas is screwing up the Knicks or how Danny Ainge can't run the Celtics. There are 27 other NBA teams, but you'd never know it the way the NBA and NBA-related media promote it.
And then they wonder why the ratings for a Pistons-Spurs final are so bad.
And Hockey? They talk about expanding the game, yet despite the fact that some of it's best young talent plays for franchises in the Sun Belt and Canada, the emphasis of it's US coverage is still the Rangers, Red Wings, Blackhawks, and Bruins.
And they wonder why, aside from all the ridiculous clutching, grabbing, and trapping, that ratings are down.
The NFL understands that every team is important. That's why teams can come out of nowhere and make it to a Super Bowl without Paul Tagliabue worrying what the ratings will be.
If the other leagues have to have a big market or name team make the finals to boost ratings, then maybe it's time they rethink how they market.
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