Auburn Considers Giving Themselves More National Championships

((ht: auburn.247sports.com))

Hey, National Championships for everybody!

According to a report, Auburn University is the latest in a line of college football schools who are or have decreed themselves national champions…multiple times.

Confused? Yeah, so are we.

The Tigers are trying to decide if on opening day, August 30th, if they should raise national championship banners for 7 different squads. All of whom in school officials eyes, have a claim for the titles.

Most of the titles they want to lay claim to happened in the early 1900's, or for you young ins', before the BCS existed.

However, they also want to claim the 2004 title, even though that years undefeated squad didn't make the BCS title game. The logic, USC is apparently claiming it too.

Still confused. Yeah. This makes little to no sense. For their part, Auburn cites Texas A&M claiming titles in 1919 and 1927 after they moved to the SEC in 2012. USC is claiming 1939 and 2004.

If you are still confused, read this story from Auburn Undercover RIGHT HERE

---Sigh---

We really don't understand the logic here. Sure, we realize the whole "College Football Champion" thing has been hotly debated, misunderstood and argued for generations, but how can you legitimately claim something you aren't recognized by the governing body as winning?

It's kind of like in the TV News world saying "____ network had an exclusive interview with the president". Yeah, you were the only ones who talked to him, at that time.

So to Auburn, and any other school that feels so insecurely about themselves that they feel compelled to bestow an honor they didn't earn to….themselves, we say…

Well okay, actually we just laugh….

Ooops: FSU Athletic Gear Shop Thought They Lost To Auburn

((ht: al.com))

Geez, hate it when this happens and we wonder how many shirts were actually sold or made with the wrong score from Monday night's BCS Championship game.

In case you might be wondering, Florida State did win the game 34-31, but due to either a bad print, a bad photo or brainless t-shirt production crew, some Florida State fans may not know that.

That's because the "Seminole Shop", the official online store of Florida State Athletics, printed their souvenir  t-shirts showing Tigers 34-Noles 31.

Yes, Auburn 34, FSU 31.

The post has been since taken down….but not before it made the rounds on Twitter and other places.

Well, according to FSU's official Championship shirt... looks like Auburn won the game pic.twitter.com/AFRo1c6sPs
— Amanda Busick (@AmandaBusick) January 7, 2014

At least we won according to FSU's official t-shirt.. #WarEagle pic.twitter.com/mv7pbsc1zT
— Sagar Leva (@dj_sagz) January 7, 2014

We checked "Seminole Shop" LINK HERE…and yes, they've since corrected the picture, though it looks a bit weird.

They've also put a disclaimer stating the item will be shipped by Tuesday, Jan. 21st, which would lead us to believe they've had to order more than a few reprints.

The End Of An Era, The Beginning Of An Era...

I'll admit it...

I was walking around in 70-plus degree weather yesterday...

All day...

I have seen all the different photos on social media from all of my friends and fellow media describing something going on in most of the country, but I'm going to have to say that I have no immediate recollection of what you're talking about. I remember walking through some jet ways in Minneapolis where I felt like I was walking through that beer commercial where the spelunker is trying to save the very meal his bartenders are trying to serve by bringing the glass bottle they just carved out of the nearest, ultra-convenient mountain side with an ice pick...

And, I dropped to my knees in profound thanks when I got into the concourse where the heat was working...

I'll admit it again...

I'm a very poor responder to cold... and the epic cold the east is taking care of for me can be sent on its way, thank you, by the time I return...

I had a football game to watch...

As someone who was a victim of the "Wide Right" and "Wide Left" eras at my alma mater where your time is marked by missed field goals at the most key moment against your hated rival- and you can recite the kickers who missed them and the direction the missed kicks missed- all of this talk about shoo-in national titles came across my ears with all the smoothness of a 7-year-old kid playing the cello for the first time- because his grandmother thought it would be a good idea...

The chalk across the chalkboard feeling when the kaolin fails to do its job because it isn't pointed enough to create the quadratic equation for Geometry class...???

That feeling...

And as the point spread against an "underdog" Auburn team climbed from 8 to 10 or 10-and-a-half points (depending on the independent businessman you follow for such advice), your hands go straight into "earmuffs" mode the closer you got to kickoff. Sure, the younger generation attached to the current Heisman Trophy winner came into the Arroyo Seco with entirely too much confidence. But they will understand, some day, not necessarily this one- that when you're given all the information and get to study from all angles that nothing is as easy as it's made to look...

I'll say this without qualification...

Auburn head coach Gus Malzahn is crazy...

And I don't mean that in a bad way at all...

He's the guy who works in his basement at all hours trying to figure out how to make time travel economical for the middle-class family of four. He'll be more than happy to figure out a way to make your sedan run on something that smells like cooking grease, but gets 427,000-miles per gallon. And, if there's a bomb set to go off attached to your ankle, and all he has is a plastic six-pack holder and a to-go bag from In-n-Out Burger...

He'll figure something out...

Defensive Coordinator Ellis Johnson isn't too far behind Malzahn, either... he just needs to figure out the cooking grease equations his boss has on the whiteboard...

In the first half of this title game, Malzahn ran his game that got Auburn to the last game of the year. It included a pass down the seam to a tall receiver that you had to go deep into the stat book to ask yourself who he was and did he, in fact, exist before Monday night. To even find who Melvin Ray exactly was, you had to know exactly where North Florida Christian School was and that Casey Weldon was his high school coach (Yes, the FSU Casey Weldon, but hang on to your conspiracy theories- for now).

Ray had caught only four other passes the entire season and his 6-3 height advantage was used mainly on special teams...

Until he was so blatantly ignored travelling down the seam, that it was 14-3...
((HT: ESPN))


Johnson dialed up 30 days worth of coverages that freaked out Jameis Winston and kept him in the pocket- and also kept the Seminoles from running their offense quickly enough to tire a defense that had given up yards all year...

They, simply, weren't doing it...

But football is all about adjustments... and you can talk about the fake punt Jimbo Fisher called being absolutely huge to keep his team from getting blown out of the gym...

It was...

And you can talk about how FSU pushed everything offensive from the tackle box (where Auburn likes to make it's three and four-yard gains all night if you let them) to the edges where their superior pursuit speed gave it more of a shooting gallery look going from side-to-side and gaining little yardage in the second half...

It did...

But it took a kickoff return by Levonte Whitfield...


And a 50-yard pass that set up the winning score as part of a 21-point fourth quarter to turn Auburn's last chance with the football into something that looked like a failed attempt at a Cal-Stanford play to chase one more miracle...

It took an entire half for Winston to find Kelvin Benjamin as a receiver and, doing the math, Devonta Freeman only got to run the ball 11 times in the entire game.

"Fortunate" is a word I would use as an alum to determine what happened at the Rose Bowl for Florida State fans. And with Tre Mason, Nic Marshall, and a lot of people returning, I look at Auburn to do some strong things next season...

Even if, with this new playoff system, the arguing will only escalate since more teams will be left out of the loop when you even get to choose more to be involved in a four-team playoff...

A few non-game points to close:

The Rose Bowl has no concept how to deal with incoming crowds...

The sign to your right was a microcosm of the day... they actually use it to keep some kind of control from the moment the gates allow you into the stadium proper and attempt to get to your seat. And, this "crown control" actually kept a lot of people from missing a lot of the pre-game activity on the field.

Do not misunderstand... the Rose Bowl is a gorgeous venue for football...

They just need a lot of Ess-E-Cee ushers and state troopers to get you in and out in the fashion with which the rest of the world is accustomed...

Translation: "A timely fashion..."

And, the other note...

The beauty of coming to Southern California is getting to sample some of the best food ever...

The unifier of all faiths from the Rose Bowl...
In-n-Out Burger...

This was our besieged and overrun In-n-Out across the freeway from our hotel in Universal City. They didn't think that there would be a big crowd, so they were understaffed...

Woefully so... but you notice that there are fans from both teams there- and the crew that keeps the Florida State appaloosa, Renegade, happy for his cross-country ride back to Tallahassee.

One FSU fan, obviously, dialed up on liquid courage wanted to know if there were any "National Championship winners" in the building. And yelling this question made him the envy of none...

A Seminoles fan waiting to place his own order in front of him turned and requested that he stay classy about the win...

"You don't want us compared to those 'Canes, do you?"

Eastern rivalries are never far from anyone, anywhere...
And that's football for you...

Enjoy the off-season people, National Signing Day is only a month or so away...
And it starts all over again...

Tallahassee: All The Pressure Is On You...

Last time out, we sat here and talked to you about how impactful Georgia kids have been in Auburn's remarkable run- and will continue to be so for quite some time as long as guys like Rodney Garner and Dell McGee are on the sidelines helping out Gus Malzahn...

Same applies for Florida State as they have made their run to the Rose Bowl...

In a conversation I had with Lowndes play-by-play voice Wes James on the GPB Sports "Football Fridays in Georgia" podcast earlier in the season, Wes talked about one of the best athletes he's ever seen in Telvin "The Terminator" Smith- who went from Lowndes to Tally and is a mean dude in their linebacking corps...

Revisit it hyah...

Smith is one of 8 kids on the current roster that are from Georgia- most from south Georgia- that are this/close to winning a national title...

Once again, following on a theme...
This may not sit well in Athens and places in the state they came from...

I saw Florida State coaches at the Georgia Dome looking at talent at the Football Championships last month- and they'll get their share of them if they can close the deal...which a national title can do very easily...

On the field, once again, I will re-emphasize that in the game coming up tomorrow the yards Florida State gets will have virtually no correlation with their effectiveness. Same goes for Auburn...

I have reminded people, in today's football, all the yards you get on offense (or, conversely, give up on defense) simply DO NOT MATTER... if you don't put the ball in the end zone, all the effort to get into a scoring situation (or allowing a scoring situation) will either be for naught (or get you a shut out)...

Auburn is playing with house money- even more so after the Alabama fold in the Sugar Bowl to Oklahoma. There is no way, now, that Auburn (who is not going to finish below the Tide in any way in any poll- barring a blowout of monumental proportions at the Rose Bowl) will end up any worse than #4.

The Tigers will give up yards- it's their way...

Just look at games against Texas A&M on the road and Missouri in the Ess-E-Cee title game...
You see what that got them...
((HT: SEC on CBS))


But they'll also get yards... it'll take them a while to figure out what they can do and what they can't against one of the fastest defenses they've played all year.

Any Florida State fan who thinks this game will spiral out of control one way or the other- especially in their favor- is sadly mistaken and dealing in false bravado. Duke hung with you too, if you remember, a few weeks back...

Remember... the Rose Bowl also swapped out their natural grass after the Michigan State-Stanford game, so the teams will be playing on a new surface... and it'll take both squads a while to get adjusted.

If FSU loses, it's another step in the "Well, you're not like what you were in the 1990's"- and you still can't close the deal. If FSU wins, all the talk will be about the 1990's and how this could be the beginning of another run like the Bowden years...

If Auburn wins, it was simply meant to be and the talk will be about dolphins, unicorns, and harmonic karmic events.
If Auburn loses, it'll be one of the biggest "atta-boys" in the modern college football era...

Here's Florida State getting ready for the title game- as one... as they always have...
((HT: WTVM-TV))
WTVM.com-Columbus, GA News Weather

So, look for something closer than you think...

It's only your college destiny that hangs in the balance...

Your BCS Championship Game Preview: Take 2 or It's My Opinion

((Opinions expressed here are mine, not necessarily the entire view of the OSG Sports team))

Hey,wait, what? Qualifying a column?

Really?

Since when I have ever qualified anything, particularly when it comes to Sports….?

But…since we here at the Global HQ consider ourselves somewhat of a College Football based group, we feel an obligation to put our 2-cents worth in about who is going to win the final BCS Championship game of all-time.

And I'll add this: Brother Jon went to Florida State. His lovely bride--an Auburn Grad. Brother Wilkie---part of his world includes covering FSU on a regular basis.

Me--yeah, sure, I grew up in Florida, but that is my only tie to either program. Yes, that's right, I got no dog in the hunt.



Sorry about that, hopefully you are still reading….

So, you've got undefeated FSU, 13-0, not really pushed by anyone this season versus 12-1 Auburn who made it this far basically on two lucky bounces late in 2 different games.

Yet, the game is going to be close. You know it will be.

And high scoring.

Florida State does a little bit of everything. They run. They pass. They block and they don't make a lot of mistakes. They were the highest scoring team in all the land, averaging 53 points per game. Their leader (and he really leads) Jameis Winston, won the Heisman Trophy. He threw for 38 TD's and ran for 4 more.

Their leading runner, Davonta Freeman, ran for nearly 1,000 yards and scored 13 times. And 3 different receivers had over 50 catches, including 6-5 Kelvin Benjamin who caught 14 TD passes.

The Defense, well they were #1 too, giving up only 10 points a game.

As for Auburn, their offense ain't bad. The #1 rushing team in College Football at 335 yards a game, 9th in scoring at 40 points a game. While Nick Marshall doesn't have Winston's numbers, he's pretty good. Nearly 1800 yards passing and over 1000 yards running. Running back Tre Mason, all he did was run for over 1600 yards on the year.

No, the offense here isn't the issue. It's the "D".

They gave up 24 points a game and very nearly gave back a couple of games. The Tigers were way ahead of Georgia in November before allowing the Bulldogs to score 21 4th quarter points. Of course that's when the Nick Marshall/Corey Louis miracle pass happened.

Predictions: So…you are probably saying "All the numbers are great, who's going to win?" The short answer, Florida State.

But it won't be easy.

I'm quite sure this game will resemble a track meet. There will be points, lots of points scored. The game will take a long time, it won't end until after midnight (note--I won't be awake to see the end--gotta work).
The defense that stops one of the offenses, that team will win.

While Auburn has been a fantastic story, going from worst to first, catching all kinds of lucky breaks, we have to remember, luck will only get you so far. At some point reality sets in.

Would we be shocked in Auburn wins? No. Not at all. Do we expect them to? No.

Our (my) prediction may very well be wrong, but to be totally honest, the numbers don't lie. Look for The Seminoles to get the win in what could be the best BCS game ever played.

Final Score: FSU 47, Auburn 43

Our partners at the ACC Network give us their game preview:

Bee-Cee-Ess Preview: Auburn, Destiny, And Taking From Your Neighbor's Plate

There are two stats that don't mean anything (or, actually, "less and less" is more accurate) in today's football- regardless of level...

Time of possession and yards allowed...

Hear me out...

In the days of power football, you wanted to keep the other guy off the field since he ran (literally) the same offense you did. If you kept the other guy's running game off the field, and you capitalized on your drives with points, the other guy simply didn't have the opportunity to score.

Today, I dare you to tell me how the streetball/basketball on grass/spread offenses really give a tinker's damn about time of possession. In the college game, we've seen Baylor, UCF, Clemson, Ohio State, Missouri, Oklahoma State, Northern Illinois, and any other pass happy-five wide outfit not care and cover the field from one end to the other in a few minutes.

Auburn's offense is the same way...

And it took the shortening of the playbook and familiarizing yourself with an athlete's talents that has put Auburn one game away from an improbable title- probably, the most shocking one of them all in the BCS era...

“It wasn’t something I was used to,” he told Ryan Black of the Macon Telegraph. “… In high school we ran the spread. But as I got here, they sat me down and taught me how the offense worked and (I) studied on film and watched what we do. It went from there and I got better as the weeks went.”

In that state title game for Wilcox County's Patriots, you could see Marshall had the arm to ad lib when he needed to and had the speed to make something out of less than nothing...
((HT: GPB/GHSA))


Auburn Undercover's Philip Marshall caught up with FOSG Wilcox County Head Coach Mark Ledford to talk about Nick's development and success...


But look deeper... and the invasion by Rodney Garner in taking Georgia talent away from his old boss has shone out...

The defensive front is young with Gabe Wright (Carver-Columbus), Carl Lawson (Milton), and Montravious Adams (Dooly County)...

CJ Uzomah (North Gwinnett) has finally found a home as a tall wide out that gives match-up problems on the outside...

And the upcoming recruiting classes include QB Tyler Queen (North Cobb) in 2015, and Kal Bessent a DB from Camden County, Myron Burton an ATH from Peachtree Ridge, Dontavious Russell a DT from Carrollton, and Stanton Truitt a QB from Monroe Area High who will be ATH'd in college...

And one of the largest flaws in Georgia's approach to winning in the Ess-E-Cee has given their neighbors their best shot of one of the best turnarounds in Division I history...

And that should be a big red flag to the folks in Athens...

FSU OL Raising Money for a Cancer Patient to Attend BCS Title Game

((ht: cbssports.com))

Tis the season of giving...or at least of doing good deeds for some people.

We want to share the story of Florida State offensive lineman Mike Scheerhorn and his attempt to raise money for a child with cancer and a parent to attend the BCS Championship on January 6th.

Scheerhorn decided to take on the challenge because his brother suffered from a form of brain cancer. And he wanted to give something back to the hospital that helped his family.

That's why he undertook the challenge with the help of Children's Cancer Center and the two tickets Scheerhorn is given for the game. He started a fund raiser on the Crowdrise.com website.

If you'd like to contribute, here is a link to the site RIGHT HERE

And in case you are wondering, the cost is estimated at $5000 for a kid and a parent to get to Pasedena and tickets for the game. So far, they've raised nearly $10,000. The extra money, well all of that is going to the Cancer Center itself.

You know, whether the Seminoles win or lose, applause for young Mr. Scheerhorn for doing something good for someone and something that needs it. It may be a cliche', but he already wins.

Love This: ESPN With Multiple Ways to Watch BCS Title Game

((ht: espn.com))

For all the grief we give (in good fun) to our friends at ESPN, they on occasion come up with some absolutely fantastic ideas
and innovations that we really genuinely look forward to seeing.

The latest.

The "BCS Megacast". The "Megacast" is an ambitious plan to not only televise the BCS Championship game (featuring FSU and Auburn) on the mothership (ESPN), but in multiple ways on the entire ESPN programming platform.

We will try and explain.

You can watch the game with Brent Musburger and Kirk Herbrstreit's call on ESPN. Or you can watch the game with a panel of experts, coaches and players talking about it and answering social media questions on ESPN2.

You could watch ESPN News where you'll get the game along with real time analysis of plays in the "Film Room". And then there's the "Sounds of the Game" on ESPN classic which will just be the game along with natural sound provided by the in-stadium microphones.

Or….you can tune into the "BCS Command Center" on ESPN Goal Line which will provide split screen replays of every play of the game. Then there is the Radio Call presentations available on ESPN 3. There, you can find the game along with the radio calls from your favorite team.

You can also find the BCS Spider cam, the above stadium camera, also available on ESPN3.

There are a few other options, but we think you may get the idea.

To read in more detail, here's the ESPN Press Release about the "MegaCast"

Okay, we have to admit, this is impressive. If you have even the slightest interest in this game, you can watch it from any perspective you can possibly imagine.

Admittedly to some, this will be overkill and overwhelming. But if you are a voracious media consumer, you'll love it.

The challenge we are going to have. Watching it. Since it's on a work night, I won't get to stay up and watch much of the game since my workday begins at 5 a.m, but it's nice to know if I did, there are multiple ways I could watch it….if the wife would let me.

Your CFB Title Game Locations Are Set for 3 Years

We now know where the 1st 3 College Football Championship games are going to be held.

And yeah, before you say it, we know, the 1st game has already been announced, the inaugural game in January of 2015 will be held at Jerry World in the Dallas suburbs (Arlington, TX)

On Monday, the "Group" running the "College Football Playoff" announced the locations of the next two games. Your winners: Glendale, Arizona in 2015 and Tampa, Florida in 2016.

Your explainer from ESPN.com RIGHT HERE

Feel better now?

Yes, for those not up to speed, the BCS goes away January 6th at the end of the Auburn/FSU game. And while nobody knows how the "Playoff" will play out, it likely will make people feel better than the largely unpopular BCS system.

However, we say that knowing that despite the 4-team playoff system, team 5 and 6 will no doubt be hating the new system too...

ICYMI: Famous Jameis is Your Heisman Trophy Winner (Now What Happens?)

We were watching this on TV last night at a Christmas Party and found the reaction very interesting.

To the surprise of few, but gasps of many not plugged into the sports world, Florida State redshirt freshman quarterback Jameis Winston won the 2014 Heisman Trophy.

The win by the 19-year old makes him the youngest winner in the history of the award. And while it wasn't unanimous, it was pretty close.

But it didn't come without questions either.

While it was pretty clear Winston was the best player off the field (he had amazing stats on the #1 team in the land), it's the off-field issue that raised the eyebrows.

Yes, he was exonerated on allegations he participated in the rape of a FSU coed in late 2012. But questions still remain. The victims attorney is emphatic there was a cover-up and evidence of Winston's participation was destroyed.

But it will likely never be proven.

In defense of the young Alabama native, it's very hard to shake allegations when they come forward. And the fact he admitted a relationship of some sorts with the victim makes it all the more awkward.

As someone on Sports talk radio said shortly after he was cleared, either he did something wrong or he didn't, but the truth probably lies somewhere in between.

We may never know.

Nor should it take away from the amazing season the young man had on the field. The leadership skills alone Winston showed should be enough to get him on everyone's best player list. And throwing for 38 touchdowns for a team who was rarely if at all challenged in a major conference, makes what he did that much more impressive.

Winston, coach Jimbo Fisher and his Seminoles have one more hurdle to clear this season, and that's a date in the BCS Championship game with the Cinderella Auburn Tigers. It's a game FSU is favored in, and a game that if he wins, will seal the greatness of Famous Jameis in college football lore forever.

Your Awards Ceremony from ESPN:

ICYMI: Auburn Outscores Missouri, The BCS Magic Carpet Ride Continues….

Talk about your dream season. Yeah, we're talking about you Auburn…

After snatching victory from the jaws of defeat twice in the final 3 weeks of the regular season, Auburn University is BCS title game bound.

The Tigers, behind 46 carries and 304 yards rushing from running back Tre Mason, beat Missouri in an SEC track meet masquerading as a football game, 59-42.

The game didn't exactly feature a lot of defense, but Auburn's did enough to stop Mizzou when it needed to.

And that was all Tiger coach Gus Malzahn's high powered offense needed. 545 yards rushing was more than enough to overcome 2 Nick Marshall fumbles and 10-penalties.

CBS Sports gives us our highlights:



So…the Auburn win, combined with the Ohio State gag job makes everyone south of Kentucky (SEC world) happy and continues the run of SEC teams in the title game.

It sets up an Auburn/FSU game which should be just as high scoring as this one. Though we might add the Seminole defense is considerably better than Missouri's.

We won't make our pick for that game here, but we will add that it will be hard to pick against Auburn, who will not be favored. The Tigers have escaped twice and if you ask even the most die-hard of Tiger fan in August if they thought this game would happen, they'd be lying to you through their teeth.

Auburn Athletics shows the scene at the famed Toomer's Corner, a scene that got even crazier once fans realized Ohio State was losing and their beloved Tigers were Pasadena bound…

ICYMI: Florida State is BCS Title Bound After Pounding Duke

So, all the talk about Florida State doing what the ACC normally does, which is gag in the spotlight…well, that never happened.

The #1 ranked Seminoles took care of business Saturday night, winning the ACC Championship in Charlotte, NC over a game Duke squad, 45-7.

And was never that close.

Famous Jameis Winston threw 3 TD passes, 2 of them to Kelvin Benjamin, and Florida State's defense shutout the Blue Devils until the end of the game  when they gave up a late touchdown.

The win, seals FSU's berth in the BCS title game on January 6th, likely vs. Auburn. And it gives the so-called college football experts, a month to argue about who is better…

((note--It also sets up what should be an interesting month for Brother Jon, who went to FSU and his better half Patty who went to Auburn. Have fun with this one kids))

Your highlights from ESPN:

Best Team You're Not Aware of: Baylor Drops 63 on Texas Tech

They are ranked 4th, 5th or 6th depending on which poll you believe.

They average 61 points a game and over 600 yards on offense.

Famous alumni (recent)--Mr. RGIII of the Washington Redskins.

And they are undefeated and have inserted themselves into the BCS Championship game conversation.

"They" are the Baylor Bears and the Bears, under Coach/Offensive genius Art Briles are now 9-0, 6-0 in the Big 12 after beating Texas Tech 63-34 on Saturday.

Mind you the score after one quarter was 21-20 Baylor. Of course that also means the score was 42-14 the rest of the night.

The Bears racked up a cool 675 yards of offense, and strangely enough, that total was very well balanced. 335 yards passing, 340 rushing. Quarterback Bryce Petty, he accounted for 5 touchdowns himself (3 passing, 2 running).

The game itself wasn't always pretty and the Baylor defense, while not horrible, is probably not SEC or even ACC worthy.

But how can you not pay attention to a team like this?

Sure, if they beat 12th ranked Oklahoma State next week they'll finish undefeated. But it probably won't be enough. As impressive as the numbers are, it won't get them past the name cache of Ohio State. It definitely won't get them past Florida State or Alabama either….unless two of the three aforementioned teams lose.

Which in theory, isn't likely, but how much fun would it be….if it did happen?

Your game highlights from Fox Sports:

Bama Handles LSU and FSU Over Wake in Cakewalk: BCS Takes Shape

It's never easy to figure out who will be the last two teams standing under the current BCS system.

Thankfully, that system goes away soon.

In the meantime, the struggle to define and recognize the actual two best teams continues. And this year, it seems to be taking shape.

Alabama continued their run of staking a claim in the BCS title hunt by easily dispatching LSU Saturday night 38-17.

Sure, the game was close in the 1st half, but the Tide outscored the Tigers 21-3 in the 2nd half to close things out. 3 A.J McCarron TD passes, combined with T.J Yeldon's 133 rushing yards and 2 TD's, were more than enough to overpower LSU.

The win leaves Alabama with a 9-0 (6-0 SEC) record, and assured them of holding the #1 ranking in the BCS poll due out Sunday night.

It also leaves the Tide in sight of yet another BCS title. As of this week, their likely opponent…FSU. The only challenge left on the schedule? The Iron Bowl game at Auburn.

Your Saturday night Bama/LSU highlights (Courtesy: CBS Sports)



As for the aforementioned Florida State. Well, they just keep beating the crap out of inferior ACC teams.

This weeks victim: Wake Forest. FSU jumped out to a 42-0 1st half lead and well, they never looked back, winning the game 59-3.

The game 6 interceptions by the Seminole defense and a fumble return for a touchdown. No, Jameis Winston didn't have a crazy good game….but he didn't need to.

The 'Noles have it easy from here. Two more ACC games and the grand finale against a really bad Florida Gator team.

Your Wake/FSU highlights: (Courtesy ESPN)

Going Big Time: Ga. Southern Finally Takes The Leap

I'm really torn about this....

For those of you who don't know, I am a graduate of Georgia Southern, which recently announced they were moving from FCS (the old 1-AA) to FBS (D-1) Football.

Mind you, I'm no youngin', I was at Southern a long, long time ago. Long enough that the 1st game I saw my school play was as a Division II team in the fall of 1983 at Statesboro High School, their 2nd year of existence.

The coach Erk Russell.

And now my school is what a local Atlanta area radio host called today "Going to Big Boy Football".

Should I be celebrating this? Should I be excited? Should I be relieved?

That's not such an easy answer.

In many ways, it's fun being a bigger fish in a smaller pond. Georgia Southern has won 6 FCS Championships since the program began in 1982. I was there for 2 of them.

The world of College Football is not what it once was. There are essentially two distinct classes. The "Have's" and the "No Chances". By moving to FBS (D-1), we move from one to the other.

There will be no BCS Titles for us.

Sure, we appear to be moving to the Sun Belt Conference, which is the perfect "Entry Level" conference in College Football.

And there is nothing to say if we get real successful against the Louisiana-Lafayette's and Troy's of the world, that we can't move up to a bigger conference.

But we'll never beat Alabama.

Sadly, not in this decade.

Nor the next one.

Maybe, just maybe, we'll catch a couple "Once in a Lifetime" players, make a crazy run, catch a few breaks and get to play in a third tier bowl game.

The "No Chances" in college football, they don't get to play in the Rose Bowl. They don't get to play in the Sugar Bowl, Tostitos Fiesta Bowl or even the Chick-Fil-A Bowl. They get the Motor City Bowl, the Champs Sports Bowl or Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl.

But I suppose that is something.

We'll need the extra money D-1 provides, just to pay for that reward, but I suppose it's worth it.

These days nobody pays attention to the lower levels of NCAA Sports. You aren't on ESPN unless you are in the title game. You aren't won't be on Fox Sports 1 either. You may make it to Comcast Sports South or the Regional Fox Sports Net, but that's it.

But you have to make the move.

Georgia Southern outgrew FCS (1-AA) many years ago. But we never could afford to make the move. Playing "Big Boy" football costs a lot of money these days. Sure, if you have a $20 million a year TV contract, you can afford the big travel budget and to pick and choose your opponents.

But not us.

Fly high, you Georgia Southern Eagle, I for one, am very proud of you. Make the move, do what's necessary, GATA and introduce the world to the magical waters of Beautiful Eagle Creek.

Look out BCS, we're gunnin' for ya!~

No, we'll be the ones playing Alabama or LSU on Homecoming, we'll be the ones playing Ohio State or Michigan when they need a breather week. We'll lose.

We may fatten up on the other Sun Belt teams, and hopefully that will happen. If we are lucky, the Sun Belt will expand to 12-football teams and we'll make it to the conference championship.

And then....if we are REALLY lucky, we'll win the conference championship and go to a Bowl game.

Liberty Bowl in Memphis, look out, HERE WE COME!

This happened my second sophomore year at Southern:

ICYMI: Your BCS Game Highlight: Brent goes ga-ga for McCarron's Girlfriend

Due to the obligations of our paying job, we didn't get to stay up and watch the live broadcast of Monday night's BCS Championship game in which Alabama manhandled Notre Dame.

But we did watch the highlights and the 3:30 a.m rebroadcast.

And perhaps the highlight--or at least the most talked about part of the game: ESPN/ABC 70-plus year old play-by-play guy Brent Musburger's unabashed gushing over Alabama QB A.J McCarron's girlfriend Kattherine Webb.

Webb, an Auburn grad sporting an Alabama McCarron jersey, was shown during the 1st quarter of the game, after the Tide had taken a 14-0 lead. And that is where Brent began drooling...we mean fawning...over Ms. Webb.

And yeah, sure, while it was a bit on the creepy side, it was hardly as offensive as it was made out to be. It's just sad that while the Tide was winning their 3rd BCS title in the past 4-years all the attention has been put on that.....and the endless idiotic rumor coach Nick Saban "might" bolt for the NFL (not happening).



And here is McCarron's response when he found out his girlfriend has more Twitter followers now than he does (100K+) and that includes NBA star LeBron James:

Creepy Brian Kelly/Notre Dame Musical Tributes for $1000

((ht: biglead.com))

Yikes!

We aren't sure words can accurately describe this.

Our friends at the Big Lead stumbled upon what we think may be one of the most oddly-creepy fan music videos we've ever seen.

To the music of "Santa Baby" a woman in a somewhat sultry voice sings about her wish for Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly to bring her team a BCS Championship.

And it goes on...and on...and on....for a long, long time.

It's oddly fascinating to watch, in a creepy kind of way. We're guessing that our Notre Dame friends however, will love it.

So here ya go:

CBS Miami Gets Bee-Cee-Ess Game Wrong

((HT: @AndySlater))

There, really is no explanation... other than #fullscreenfail

And, they're only a year off...

Happy College Bowl Season: You Pick 'em...

Okay, actually, I'll pick 'em and try and rank them. Mostly because while some of these 32-plus games may be very good, the majority will be awful and the season, well, it will drag on for what seems like forever.

We've made our feelings known in the past about the bloated, overweight, biased system that penalizes teams like the 8-4 MTSU Blue Raiders and rewards UNWORTHY 6-7 teams like Georgia Tech. It's borderline criminal.

But we digress.



Rather than bore you with a lengthy discourse on why roughly 15 of these games shouldn't exist, we'll just list them. If you are bored enough to watch them all, well, then you pick which ones should go away.

Here's our list: (BCS Championship game at the bottom)

Gildan New Mexico Bowl:

Nevada (7-5) vs. Arizona (7-5). Hmmm. How does New Mexico, a state with arguably the worst college football teams in the whole U.S, get a bowl game? This will a track meet. With very little defense. (You've been warned). Our Pick: Arizona 47, Nevada 41

Famous Idaho Potato Bowl:

Toledo (9-3) vs. Utah St. (10-2). This might actually be a good matchup, but who is going to actually see it? Hey, congratulations, you are going to a bowl game....In Idaho...Utah St has a better defense, they should win. Our Pick: Utah St. 37, Toledo 23

Beef O'Brady's Bowl:

UCF (9-4) vs. Ball St. (9-3). How does a crappy chain of alleged sports bars get a bowl game? And in the incredibly exciting town of St. Petersburg to boot? This may be played in front of a crowd of 12. And no, we don't know much about either team. Crap shoot. Our Pick: UCF 27, Ball St. 17

San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl:

BYU (7-5) vs. San Diego St. (9-3). The obvious question: Can they fit that name on a t-shirt? We're guessing the East Coast audience for this will be minimal...at best. Again, we don't know much about either team. But really, we don't care. Our Pick: SDSU 31, BYU 28

R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl:

E.Carolina (8-4) vs. La. Lafayette (8-4). We have to be interested in this game. TBL gives us no choice since she went to La.Laf. Nothing says bowl game like an 11am (cst) Kickoff on a Saturday in New Orleans. Another potential Loooonnnngggg game. Our Pick: La. Laf 42, E.Carolina 31

The MAACO Bowl Las Vegas:

Washington (7-5) vs. Boise St. (10-2). Good, luck, enjoy Vegas and get a free car paint job. No, all kidding aside, this might actually be a decent game. It's just the title here. Besides, who wouldn't want a free (to them) trip to Vegas? Our Pick: Boise St. 31, Washington 17

Sheraton Hawaii Bowl:

Fresno St. (9-3) vs. SMU (6-6). Oh boy. How exactly did SMU get this trip? Oh, right, June Jones used to coach there. This used to be a big deal, cool game. Key word used to. You may see some stragglers looking to avoid a Christmas Eve party watching this, but that would be the only reason. Our Pick: Fresno St. 40, SMU 27.

Little Caesar's Bowl:

W. Kentucky (7-5) vs. C. Michigan (6-6). Pizza, pizza. This game isn't worth much more than a $5 "Hot and Ready". But it will be played. And it will be on TV too. So there's that. WKU will have some interest since Robert Petrino esq will coach them in 2013. Our Pick: WKU 33, CMU 28.

Military Bowl--Presented by Northrup Grumman:

San Jose St. (10-2) vs. Bowling Green U. (8-4). Must be nice to be a military contractor that makes enough money to underwrite a really unnecessary college bowl game. Wouldn't this game be more relevant with Military Acadamies in it? Just wondering...Our Pick: SJSU 35, Bowling Green 21.

Belk Bowl:

Cincinnati (9-3) vs. Duke (6-6). This will be well attended, but again, it's two totally un-interesting teams. It will be crowded because Duke will bring a crowd, if the alumni realize what's happened and they are in a bowl game. ---sigh--- Cincinnati can again wistfully dream of being in the ACC, only not.
Our Pick: Duke 27, Cincy 23.

Bridgepoint Education Holiday Bowl:

Baylor (7-5) vs. UCLA (9-4). Two games in San Diego? Two minor games in the same place, just a few days apart. But...this should actually be a pretty good game, if anyone tunes in to see it. The Bruins have a slightly better defense here, that should be enough. Our Pick: UCLA 43, Baylor 31.

AdVoCare V100 Independence Bowl:

Ohio (8-4) vs. UL-Monroe (8-4). We liked this better as the Poulan Weedeater Bowl. Just sayin'. Shreveport is lucky to have the team that finished in the middle of the SEC West pack. haha!. This is actually a pretty even matchup. And we REALLY are curious how many Ohioans show up. Our Pick: UL-Monroe 31, Ohio 25.

Russell Athletic Bowl:

Rutgers (9-3) vs. Va.Tech (6-6). Really? These two are going to play? Rutgers is decent, or at least they are on paper. But Va. Tech? How did they get here? You want to know why we hate the bowl system? Teams like the Hokies shouldn't be rewarded for a crappy, underachieving season like this. Our Pick: Rutgers 12, Va.Tech 10. 

Meineke Car Care Bowl of Texas:

Minnesota (6-6) vs. Texas Tech (7-5). OK. Let's take a head count here. Who's excited about this game? Anyone? Bueller? Bueller? Are those crickets? The Gophers at least have a good story considering how bad they were last season. We're pretty sure Tech just wants to forget 2012. Our Pick: Tech 31, Minnesota 21.

Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl:

Rice (6-6) vs. Air Force (6-6). We hate to say this...but, are either of these teams worthy of post-season play? Yeah, we get that Air Force is a military team, so they have a claim. But will you sit down and watch this game. No, neither will we. Our Pick: Rice 31, Air Force 28.

New Era Pinstripe Bowl:

West Virginia (7-5) vs. Syracuse (7-5). Wasn't WVA in the Top 5 not-so-long ago? And Geno Smith, wasn't he going to win the Heisman? Yeah, that worked out pretty well didn't it? Another in the long list of "Why are they playing this?" games. Our Pick: WVA 41, Syracuse 31

Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl:

Navy (7-4) vs. Arizona St. (7-5).  Enjoy San Francisco, hope the weather is good. Two pretty decent running teams, one not-so-interesting game. But that, we suppose, is why they play them. Our Pick: ASU 34, Navy 23

Valero Alamo Bowl:

Texas (8-4) vs. Oregon St. (9-3). This actually looks like it might be a pretty decent matchup. Two fairly evenly matched teams. Texas isn't what they think they are and Oregon St. may be more than they think. We might even watch this one if time...and TLB allows it. Our Pick: Oregon St. 33, Texas 27.

Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl:

TCU (7-5) vs. Michigan St. (6-6). This game may be as generic as BW3's chicken wings. Oh, yeah...I said it!. TCU, considering what happened this season could be named Bowl worthy, but Michigan St? No, not at all. But welcome to Arizona. Our Pick: TCU 27, Mich. St. 21.

Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl:

NC State (7-5) vs. Vandy (8-4). Vandy deserved better than staying at home. Really, they did. NC State should count themselves lucky. 11am is REALLY early for a New Years Eve kickoff. Our Pick: Vanderbilt 37, NC State 17. 

Hyundai Sun Bowl:

USC (7-5) vs. Ga. Tech (6-7). I suppose since I bought a Hyundai this year, these two teams owe me. But dude. Ga.Tech has NO business in a bowl game. NONE. But yet they are. And they play the years biggest underachieving team. Our Pick: USC 34, Ga.Tech 10. 

AutoZone Liberty Bowl:

Iowa St. (6-6) vs. Tulsa (10-3). Explain again to me how Iowa State is bowl eligible? Or worthy? Yeah, Tulsa earned it. Enjoy Memphis, try the ribs. But come on...No, quite sure we won't be watching this one. Our Pick: Tulsa 42, Iowa St. 0 (anger pick)

Chick Fil-A Bowl:

LSU (10-2) vs. Clemson (10-2). Finally, an interesting game. This one is always good. And sold out. This we'd watch...if we didn't have plans for the night. Ooops. But Clemson is an ACC team, and ACC always looses to the SEC. Our Pick: LSU 31, Clemson 27. 

TaxSlayer.com Gator Bowl: 

Miss. St (8-4) vs. Northwestern (9-3). We find it funny our Jacksonville friends are stunned the Chick Fil A is a better game than theirs. Guys, it has been, for a long time. That being said, this should be a decent, if boring matchup of two dull teams. Our Pick: Miss. St. 23, Northwestern 21. 

Heart of Dallas Bowl:

Purdue (6-6) vs. Oklahoma St. (7-5). Uh...so, the Cotton Bowl isn't played in the Cotton Bowl on Jan.1 but this game is? Can someone please explain this? And really, is there a cry for this matchup?
Purdue is like most of the Big/Little 10, NOT BOWL WORTHY AT ALL! Our Pick: Okie St. 40, Purdue 0000000

Capital One Bowl:

Georgia (11-2) vs. Nebraska (10-3). The runner-up but shunned bowl. This might actually be a good game, but man, have you ever been to the stadium? It's about as old and depressing as they come. And I say that having grown up in Orlando. IF Georgia is interested, it's a blowout, but will they be? Our Pick: UGA 41, Nebraska 31. 

Outback Bowl:

S.Carolina (10-2) vs. Michigan (8-4). The best halftime meal in the business. Bar none. This would've been a good game if ANYONE in the Big/Little 10 was worth a crap. But they aren't. S. Carolina will be too strong...and fast. Our Pick: S.Carolina 28, Michigan 21. 

The Rose Bowl presented by Vizio:

Wisconsin (8-5) vs. Stanford (11-2). Is there any less interesting BCS game this eyars. Oh...wait, maybe the Orange Bowl. Anyway, Wisconsin will be sans coach. Stanford is Wisconsin only much, much better. Our Pick: Stanford 34, Wisconsin 23. 

Discover Orange Bowl:

Northern Illinois (12-1) vs. FSU (11-2). Who did the Orange Bowl piss off to be saddled with the games they have the past couple years? That being said, all the grief N.Illinois gets, they'll probably play FSU close. Because FSU is an ACC team and they all underachieve. Our Pick: FSU 31, NIU 21. 

Allstate Sugar Bowl:

Louisville (10-2) vs. Florida (11-1). This looks closer on the surface than it will be. Just don't see Louisville hanging with the Gay-Tors. Ever. Still don't think Florida is all they think they are, but they really are better than Louisville. Our Pick: Florida 23, Louisville 10. 

Tostitos Fiesta Bowl:

Oregon (11-1) vs. Kansas St. (11-1). This could very well be the best of the bowl games. A great matchup of two similar teams. This, we may watch. Our Pick: Oregon 47, K-State 41. 

AT&T Cotton Bowl:

Texas A&M (10-2) vs. Oklahoma (10-2). Another very good matchup. We'll be curious to see if Bob Stoops can come up with something to slow Johnny Football. It can...and has been done. Our Pick: Oklahoma 34, A&M 31 (upset)

BBVA Compass Bowl:

Pittsburgh (6-6) vs. Ole Miss (6-6). Explain why this game is being played again please? Or why either of these teams get to play in a bowl game. We are pretty sure there will be nothing more boring on TV that day than this. No interest. AT ALL. Our Pick: Ole Miss 14, Pitt 14. 

Go Daddy.com Bowl:

Kent St. (11-2) vs. Ark. St. (9-3). Hmmmm. Much like a GoDaddy commercial, this is a pretty poor tease of a game. Two teams very happy to be bowling, but who actually will watch? Our Pick: Kent St. 33, Ark. St. 31. 


YOUR BCS CHAMPIONSHIP GAME (It's the BCS, it is a business, not the NCAA)

Alabama (12-1) vs. Notre Dame (12-0). A game for the ages. (right?). We aren't 100% sure these are the 2 best teams in college football. But we could be wrong. Notre Dame's had a great year, but we don't think they are in the same category here. Playing Boston College, Navy and Pitt. can't prepare you for this.

OUR PICK: Alabama 27, Notre Dame 10. 

Your Ticket Oak Update: Want To Go Bowling...???

The HQ figured, with the holidays approaching, that we would give you a quick update on ticket prices for your favorite upcoming bowl game...

We'll do this alphabetically... and, remember, this does not include the idea of getting tickets through the schools themselves...
((HT: Stubhub))

The title game: Surprisingly enough, you can still get in the door for $1,195...parking passes are $30 and FanZone tickets are $20

Fiesta Bowl: $155 to get in the door...

Orange: The Northern Illinois-FSU game is $5 upper deck and the HQ is debating getting tickets- just to say we got tickets for the Huskies Bee-Cee-Ess appearance

Rose: $150 in the upper sections

Sugar: Terrace Level for $62, but it is Florida-Louisville

Alamo: $50 in the upper level endzone

Armed Forces: There are $19 endzone seats, but $45 from there...

BBVA Compass: Strangely enough, there aren't any tickets... the HQ guesses it's Ole Miss speaking there...

Beef O'Brady's: $43 gets upper deck

Belk: A lot of $19 upper deck tickets

Buffalo Wild Wings: $21 upper deck

Cap One: Upper-level corner for $24

Chick-fil-A: $38 upper level

Cotton: Standing Room for $101, if you want to sit it's 3x that...

Idaho Potato: $45 can get you in, but you can go lower level for another $20

Gator: Upper corners at the Gator Bowl are $3 and $4, but it is Miss State and Northwestern

GoDaddy: Very few tickets remain and parking passes are even more expensive than getting in the door...

Heart of Dallas: $62 gets you, actually, in the lower corner...

Holiday: $53 and $54 for the corners...

Independence: Lower endzones are $23, but I would think the Louisiana-Monroe folks will snap those up pretty quickly...

Kraft Fight Hunger: Endzone bleachers are $63

Liberty: A lot of tickets between the 20's are in the $50 for Iowa State and Tulsa

Little Caesars: Lower level endzone is $59

MAACO Las Vegas: Corners for $32

Meineke/Texas: Loge in the 500-levels are $24, but parking passes for Reliant are more...

Military: Nothing left for San Jose State and Bowling Green (good for them...)

Music City: Upper level in the 300's are $6,7 and $8... and there are over 5,000 tickets left

New Mexico: Upper level tickets at the 50 are in the neighborhood of $20

Outback: Mid-level corner seats are $90 and $100 and there are less than 2,000 seats left...

Pinstripe: Bleacher seats are $93 and then there are $97 seats that are actual seats...

Poinsettia: Upper levels are $50 and endzones are $65

Russell Athletics: Upper-level corner seats are $6 and there are, apparently, a lot of them...

Sheraton Hawai'i: Lower-level sideline are available for $41

Sun: Endzone seats for $21 and sideline seats start at $25

Happy shopping... we'll keep you posted...