Will the Notre Dame vs Michigan Rivalry Be Missed?

    The Notre Dame-Michigan rivalry is a perfect example of what money and short term memory do to sports. If you think about when Notre Dame and Michigan have played, you automatically think that the rivalry is one of those that has been played every year since, forever, and has always featured close, competitive games.  I mean, Michigan has the most wins of any other program, and Notre Dame is No. 4 on that same list. This should be one of the all time greatest rivalries. But the thing is, it isn't. Here's the shortened version of the Michigan-Notre Dame rivalry:
1887-1909: Michigan and Notre Dame play 9 times, Michigan wins 8 games.
1942-43: They play both of these, each team winning once.
     This takes us to 1977.  At this time in history, Michigan and Notre Dame have played 11 times, and only twice in the last 50 years.  This is not the picture of a rivalry, but instead of two teams in the same basic geographic region that decide to play each other occasionally.  Nothing to see here.
But that would not be the case for long.  In the late '70s, Michigan athletic director Don Canham wanted to sell more season tickets, so he decided to add a premier opponent to the non-conference schedule.  The idea of Michigan playing Notre Dame though was very far-fetched.  When asked about the possibility of playing the Fighting Irish, Canham said "Our Catholic students will be sitting in Michigan Stadium cheering for the Irish, and I do not want that to happen".  Even though the teams played back in the days of legendary coaches like Fielding Yost and Knute Rockne, Canham went first to Alabama and Bear Bryant to see if he could start a series with them, but Bryant didn't want his team to travel that far north.  Next, Canham talked to (then independent) Penn State about a series.  After that backfired, Notre Dame posed the possibility of a series to Canham, who agreed under some set circumstances: each team would get to keep 100% of the ticket money for the series.  Both sides agreed, and this set a precedent for non-conference scheduling: pay for a team to come play you, and you keep all of the ticket money.  Michigan started to bring in over $2 Million in ticket money, just from the Notre Dame game.  This series changed the scheduling in college football. The teams played 25 times in a 37 year period, which is not bad at all.  A bit of a rivalry began to build.

      Neither team will ever have the other as their main rival, which slightly diminishes the importance of the game: Michigan has Ohio State and Michigan State, and Notre Dame has USC, and in the '80s and '90s had Miami.  And this takes us to 2008.  Over the 37 years previous, the game had always had an edge, maybe some mistrust, but it never really was a rivalry. Here is what has happened the last 5 times these teams have played:
2008: Enter: Rich Rodriguez, new coach, Michigan. Notre Dame forces 6 turnovers in a taunting victory over Michigan.
2009: Michigan engineers a last second drive to beat Notre Dame by 4.  This is starting to heat up.
2010: Enter: Brian Kelly, new coach, Notre Dame.  Michigan once again scores a touchdown in the last minute to beat the Irish by 4.
2011: Enter: Brady Hoke, new coach, Michigan.  First night game in Michigan Stadium history, College Gameday, ESPN, special uniforms, and a 21 point comeback by Michigan, topped off by the game winning touchdown with 8 seconds left.
2012: Notre Dame wins by 7 by scoring a go-ahead touchdown with just minutes to play.

     Now, THAT is a rivalry, folks.  A classic rivalry, no. But this sure does make it seem like it.  Those are 5 of the best games you will ever see, and we are hoping for more of the same this weekend, which takes us to today.  At the game last year, a letter was slipped to the Michigan AD on the sideline that said Notre Dame was ending the series with Michigan. The 2014 game next year will be the last of the series for as far as we know.  Here is what Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly had to say on the matter: "I don't see the game as one of those historic Notre Dame rivalries".
     And he is 100% correct.  It is more recent than the other teams it has history with.  But the question is, will this rivalry be missed more than others would have been? My answer is yes.  The Michigan-Notre Dame game had begun to turn heads throughout the nation to this game.  I live in "SEC Country" and even people down here talk about this game.  It's gotten to be a BIG DEAL! All the alternate jerseys, night games, and trick plays are brought out for this game. It will truly be missed.  But don't take it from me, take it from the Notre Dame fan-base themselves!
I polled about 20 people I know that call themselves Notre Dame fans, and asked them the following question: "If you were to take the following list of teams, and rank them, #1 being the biggest rival Notre Dame has, and #7 being the weakest rival, what would your ranking of these teams be: USC, Indiana, Michigan State, Stanford, Navy, Michigan, and Purdue."
I have made a table where I averaged the scores that everyone gave for those teams (with lowest being the best):

Rank	School	Score
1	USC	1.25
2	Michigan	2.13
3	MSU	3.75
4	Stanford	4
5	Navy	4.75
6	Purdue	5.13
7	Indiana	7

     As you can see, USC and Michigan are the clear 1 and 2 rivalries.  Michigan State and Stanford are about tied at 3-4, and Navy and Purdue at 5-6. No love for Indiana, at all.  Maybe these results would have been different 5 years ago, but now, this is the second most important rivalry that Notre Dame has, by a long shot. And as for Michigan, Ohio State will always be number 1, but as former Michigan quarterback Denard Robinson said "Notre Dame is our number 2, while Michigan State is our number 3".  So there you have it, both sides of the rivalry, and both sides think that this is an important enough to become the second-most important game, which, with these teams and their schedules, is pretty impressive.
     But it's what Notre Dame has done with the rest of the schedule that has many fans upset.  They have entered a contract with the ACC where they play 5 games a year against ACC teams.  They decided to retain the USC rivalry along with... Michigan State, Purdue, and Navy. Um, what? I can tell you that both fan bases would much rather see Michigan on that schedule. Michigan head coach Brady Hoke had a similar reaction to this, and even said Notre Dame was "chickening out of the rivalry".
      Whatever your opinion, I just want you to know that I, and much of the college football world, want this rivalry to happen.  Though it might not be the most traditional or historical for either team, it has become an annual game that is marked on the calender, prepared for months in advance, and talked about for weeks.  So just keep in mind when you watch Michigan and Notre Dame kick it off this weekend: this is one of the last times you will see a game played between these two great traditional football powers. The college game has lost one of its best rivalries, so enjoy it while you can. 'Til next time.

Should Michigan and Notre Dame Continue Their Rivalry?

College Football Week 2 Viewing Guide

The week 1 viewing guide was a success, and I think I will be making this a weekly series for the remainder of football season, and maybe even carry it into college basketball. Sadly there are not any good games on Thursday and Friday this week, except for maybe Wake Forest @ Boston College on Friday night.  I am just going to jump straight to Saturday, which is full of great games that ends with an epic battle at the Big House.

Saturday September 7th, 2013
It's the first weekend in September, and you can now officially say that it is football season.

11:45 AM: College Gameday (ESPN):
Tune in at 11:45 to see what Corso, Herbstreet, and the guest picker have to say about Saturday's games.  Or you could be like me and watch all 3 hours.  This week, the crew are live from Ann Arbor, Michigan for the Notre Dame @ Michigan game.

12:00 PM: #12 Florida @ Miami (FL):
This is a must watch.  This classic rivalry comes to Miami in what should be a great game of football.  It will be chippy, aggressive, and vulgar, as neither of these teams like the other very much. Though Florida is ranked, and Miami isn't, I expect these two to play to a very close game.  Watch for: electrifying Miami running back Duke Johnson.

12:00 PM: Cincinnati @ Illinois (ESPN 2):
This is a good one to have on "last" during the UF-Miami game.  Cincinnati is making the rounds of the Big Ten, after dismantling Purdue last week.  Illinois is also coming off of a win, and this could be a major game to kick-start both of these teams' seasons.  Watch for: Illinois 4th year starter quarterback Nathan Scheelhaase who threw for a career high 416 yards last week.

3:30 PM: #2 Oregon @ Virginia (ABC/ESPN2):
This will be Oregon's first major test in the post-Chip Kelly era.  Watch for: If Oregon can hold up in a hostile environment, and if Virginia's defense can do anything to stop their offense.

4:30 PM: #6 South Carolina @ #11 Georgia (ESPN):
Georgia opened against Clemson, and lost a tight one, while South Carolina took care of business against UNC.  This is almost a must-win at this point for Georgia if they want to think about a BCS bowl.  An absolutely decisive game for week 2, and Athens, GA with be crazy.  This is another must see game.  Watch for: South Carolina's two quarterback system, which seems to work for some reason.  Also: obligatory Jadeveon Clowney mention.

6:00 PM: Syracuse @ #19 Northwestern (BigTenNetwork):
Syracuse is another team that is making the rounds in the big ten after losing close to Penn State last week. The "Battle of Really Good Journalism Schools" (I totally made that up) was a good game last year, and will be again this year.  Watch for: Northwestern's two best players, Kain Colter and Venric Mark were both banged up in their last game.  If they aren't available, this is a totally different game.

7:00 PM: #15 Texas @ BYU (ESPN 2):
A crucial year where Texas head coach Mack Brown could be on the hot seat, this is Texas' first real road test of the year.  Watch for: BYU's defensive unit is a strong one, and see if they can neutralize Texas' edge speed.

7:00 PM: West Virginia @ #16 Oklahoma (FOX):
The story of last year for West Virginia was the inability of being able to stop anyone.  They could put up points, but their defense was very bad, and it appears to be the same this year.  Will they be able to score enough to make a statement in Norman? Watch for: OU's quarterback situation, as whoever starts could have a very short leash.

8:00 PM: #14 Notre Dame @ #17 Michigan (ESPN):
This is my marquee game of the week (if you only watch one, watch this one).  It is only the second night game at Michigan in their history.  They played the first night game two years ago, and if you don't remember: THIS happened.  These two teams have played some incredible games over the last few years, and this is a guarantee to live up to the hype.  Watch for: Michigan quarterback Devin Gardner's ability to make plays with his arm and his legs.

What a great Saturday! I can't wait for the Michigan-Notre Dame game... if history is any indication, it will be a great one! The games are only getting better every week! 'Til next time.

Observations on The Game

Well, I've been busy. I had plans to write, but spring break and a deep NCAA Tournament run by my favorite team got in the way.  So after the Final Four (and a week of depression) I decided I better write again.  Well it turns out I find watching 10 hours of Masters coverage every day more entertaining than, well, anything.  Then it was back to school, and two weeks later, I still hadn't written anything.  So after several hours of procrastination, here I sit, finally writing that ever elusive blog post.  It's great to be back.

You may be thinking "Ugh, he's going to skip over all of that great stuff that happened", and to that, as Lee Corso would say, I give a "Not so fast my friend" in your general direction.  Because even though I might have been gone, I might have been down, but I was not out.  No, not even close.  You see, I have been observing.  Very closely in fact.  These are my observations.  Fittingly, they will be called "Observations on The Game".  I feel like David Hartley right now, writing a philosophical narrative about one man's cunning observations.  Except these aren't exactly cunning, nor are they going to change philosophy forever. This is a  stream of consciousness. About a game.  And it just might be one of the best we will ever see.

Observations on The Game:  
     I sat in my seat and prepared myself for the game of a lifetime.

     Michigan vs Louisville for the national championship.  It did not get any better than this.  I expected great things, but little did I know that the spectacle that was about to appear in front of me would be one of the greatest games in the modern era of basketball.  The fans were great.  The atmosphere was electric.

     The game started, and it was an epic, back and forth affair.  Then a small kid that can shoot the lights out decided to get hot.  Michigan's back up point guard Spike Albrecht made 4/4 threes in the first half, finishing with 17 points at the break in relief of star point guard Trey Burke, who had to sit with 2 fouls.  Spike's performance was inspiring, and raised a chorus of "Who the heck is this kid?" from the Louisville fans in my section.

      Louisville tried everything they could to stop Spike.  But he's an Indiana kid.  "Hoosiers" is probably his favorite movie.  He was unheralded  He was unappreciated   He was just a freshman.  But on the big stage in the big dance everyone is equal.  And Spike proved he belonged there.

      Louisville was out of sorts.  They were getting beaten in every way possible.  Their coach Rick Pitino called a timeout with about 3:40 left in the half.  Whatever he said in that huddle must have worked. Because  Louisville's Luke Hancock looked at what Spike just did, and said to himself "I can do that".  He did just that, and with Louisville down 12, with 3:00 to go in the first half made a three.

     And then on the next possession, made another.  And on the next trip down made another.

      Michigan called a timeout, came out of it, and missed a shot.  Louisville took it down, gave it to Hancock, who just wildly heaved it up from about 28 feet out.  It was an off balance, one footed, going away from his dominant side, shoulder heave.  From where I stood, I had a perfect line on this shot.  My mouth slowly fell open in awe as the ball arched on a perfect trajectory towards the hoop, going through with a perfect swoosh.  That's a 12 point lead eliminated by one player in four possessions in less than 2 minutes on 4 shots. Utter. Pandemonium.

      Michigan managed to take a one point halftime lead.  It didn't feel like a lead thought.  The look on the faces of Michigan fans were that of fans whose team was down 20.  But it felt like that.  Everyone in that building knew that there was a storm coming in the second half.  But there was an air of anticipation   Because that was the greatest first half of basketball I had ever seen, and I couldn't even begin to fathom what the second half had in store.
      This epic back and forth battle between these two heavyweights continued into the second half.  This was Ali vs Foreman. This was The Rumble in Downtown Atlanta. These teams were trading blows, and it was only a matter of time before one of them would become the knockout punch. Michigan took an early lead, and then Louisville, and then Michigan, and then Louisville again.  This was the type of game you never wanted to end.  Just two teams of athletes at their physical and mental best giving everything they had and then some at the pursuit of a National Championship.  That's what it was, and everyone in that building that night knew it.

       This was the most beautiful thing until just over 5 minutes left in the second half. Michigan had just cut Louisville's lead down to three, and there was a buzz in the building.  Was the momentum going to switch back Michigan's way? Could Michigan, the youngest team in the tournament, pull this win off? All they needed was a spark.  Both teams had some momentum when Spike Albrecht missed a layup and Louisville forward Chase Behanan grabbed the rebound. He looked and found Louisville guard Peyton Siva streaking alone in the open court.  The pass was perfect and Siva started to glide in for a layup.  Michigan guard Trey Burke was the only one in the vicinity, he slowed a bit to time his leap.

      With 5 minutes to go in a national title game, you don't concede uncontested layups. Burke and Siva both leaped at the same time, Burke on the inside, closest to the basket.  This all seemed to happen in slow motion to me.  Burke extended his left hand as far as he could, grabbed the ball, and pressed it against the glass.  What. A. Play!

      Almost the moment he did this, a short, shrill noise erupted from near the sideline.

      The whistle of a referee.  At the same time, a Michigan player grabbed the rebound, and looked to start a fast break going in the other direction, because according to him, and most of the stadium, this was the spark that Michigan needed.  This game was theirs for the taking.  Except for that whistle.



     Trey Burke had just made the best play of his incredible career.  And this is what it looked like in the play by play:

5:09	Foul on Trey Burke

5: 09 Foul on Trey Burke. Foul on Trey Burke. Foul.
      Trey Burke couldn't believe it.  His reaction is exactly that of someone that knows he has been robbed of possibly the most athletic and greatest play of his career.

     I knew it. The Michigan bench knew it.  Their coach John Beilein knew it.  The crowd knew it, and immediately erupted into boos.
      Peyton Siva silenced those boos with two free throws, pushing the Louisville lead to 5, a lead that they would not relinquish.  Another Luke Hancock three made it a 10 point game, but like they did all year, and all tournament long, Michigan fought back, pulling it to 4 points with 1:20 remaining.  But they were unable to get that clutch bucket to turn it into a real nail-biter, and a key turnover sealed the deal for Louisville, who after some free throws won 82-76.

     Walking off the court while confetti that could have been for you rains down and another team celebrates a victory has to be one of the worst feelings in the world.

     The way the teams celebrated were total opposites, as one would expect.  For Michigan, it was a solemn handshake between coach John Beilein and freshman forward Mitch McGary.

     For the players it was a simple hug.  No words are needed.

     For Louisville, it was a time for celebration, for rejoicing, for joy.  It was time to cut down the nets.  The hoop was lowered so that Kevin Ware, a sophomore guard who broke his leg in Louisville's Elite Eight game could cut down the final strand. 

 
     They truly won that game for Kevin Ware. They stood for endless pictures, posing with various signs, and of course, the National Championship Trophy.

     When Louisville coach Rick Pitino finally made his way off the court to go celebrate with his players and conduct all of the necessary interviews, he flashed one last sign of victory to the remaining crowd.  He formed his hand into a "L" and held it there for a minute before finally succumbing to a wash of security, fans, and reporters who were all pushing him towards the exit.

     This was truly a game for the ages.

     Something about this game's finish was melancholy for me when it ended.  As I sat there, surrounded by some fans who had tears of joy in their eyes, others had tears of sadness.  In front of me, as confetti streamed down from the rafters, I came to a stark realization.  This is the only time I would ever see something like this ever again.  If this epic of a game had happened in the NBA, both teams would simply resign everyone to a contract, and there was a good chance that this same matchup would happen again next year.  But this is college basketball. This will never happen again.  I'd seen Trey Burke's last game in college. I am very confident that he will have a long and extremely successful NBA career, but there was something magical about that night.  This is what makes college basketball so painful, but so beautiful.  The rosters are always changing, the game is always evolving.  This is what makes it great, but for once, I wish I could have a time machine, so I could go back and see them play this game again.  Not because I didn't like the result the first time, but because it was such an incredible battle between two teams who left everything they had on the court.  That was a game that even Hollywood couldn't have scripted.  But we must move on from the past.  Michigan is losing 7 players from that roster, Louisville only 1 (they have a TON of juniors).  But for about 3 hours in downtown Atlanta, time seemed to stand still.  There was nothing going on in the world except a duel to the death between two opponents on a basketball court.  It was beautiful.  It was a work of art.

March Madness - Hot or Cold

As March plods on, so do I.  Here is a list of hot and cold teams that could potentially bust your brackets.  The hot teams are mostly just teams that have either won their conference tournament or are playing very well.  Note that these are not upset picks (I will have a sleeper picks segment coming soon).   The cold teams are teams that have limped to the finish or struggled down the stretch.  It's always good to pick a team that has been hot down the stretch- remember Connecticut in 2011? They won their last 5 games of the regular season, then the Big East tournament.  They of course went on to win the national championship.  Remember Missouri last year? They didn't play well in the Big 12 tournament and lost in the first round to Norfolk State even though they were a 2 seed.  How hot/cold a team is going into the tournament not only gives a glimpse into how they are playing, but how they might be looking at the games from a confidence aspect.  Is it a "Let's go out and win the whole thing" type mentality, or a "Let's not lose" mentality.  While I can't give you a glimpse into the psyche of the teams, I can tell you who is playing their best (or worst) basketball at the moment.  Here is my 2013 March Madness "Hot or Cold" post. (All times Eastern)

HOT: (4) Saint Louis - There might not be a team playing better basketball at the moment than the Saint Louis University Bilikins. They are 27-6 on the season with a 13-3 conference record out of the Atlantic 10. They won both the regular season crown and the A-10 conference tournament.  On January 19th they lost to lowly Rhode Island.  It seemed like Saint Louis was destined for mediocrity, and they would once again be on the bubble.  But since that day they have won an incredible 16 out of their last 17 games, including 4 wins over ranked teams, including 3 wins over Butler, and 2 against VCU.  Their only loss in that stretch was in overtime on the road against Xavier.  Saint Louis has a great group of seniors and can shoot the three very well.  They have a dynamic backcourt, and if history is any indicator, it helps to have one of those if you are going to make a deep tournament run. They take on 13 seeded New Mexico State on Thursday, March 21 at 2:10 pm. 

COLD: (4) Michigan - Another 4 seed, but Michigan is in a completely different situation than Saint Louis. After starting the season 16-0, and at one point boasting a 20-1 record, Michigan has fallen from grace over the last few weeks.  The various bracket projections had them as a 1 seed all year until they fell all the way down to a 4.  How did this happen? They only managed 5 wins in their last 12 games.  A 5-7 record down the stretch is nothing to write home about.  Some of these losses are justified (Indiana twice, a half court buzzer beater against Wisconsin), but it's how the Wolverines are losing that bothers me.  They blew 8+ point leads against Wisconsin twice, Indiana, and against Penn State, one of the Nittany Lions' two Big Ten victories.  Michigan's overall body of work is still very impressive, but they are not playing they best ball, and rely too heavily on All-American point guard Trey Burke.  He's good, but he can't do everything.  Michigan will take on a tough 13 seeded South Dakota State team led by star guard Nate Wolters Thursday, March 21 at 7:15 pm.  The good news for Michigan: they are playing close to home in Detroit; just a 55 minute drive from the Michigan campus.

HOT: (1) Louisville - Yeah, I know you would imagine that the number one overall seed would be playing pretty well.  Honestly, "pretty well" is a total understatement.  Louisville is playing OUT OF THEIR MINDS right now.  10 straight wins in the tough Big East, and they have won 13 of their last 14, on their way to a 29-5 record.  The only loss was a 5 overtime contest at Notre Dame.  I'm pretty sure we can excuse that as a good loss.  Louisville has beaten 5 ranked teams during that stretch, including Syracuse both on the road and on a neutral court.  They don't have an obvious weak spot in their lineup, and even if they did, their amazing guard play would make up for it.  This is a team that went to the Final Four last year, and returned many players from that team.  They have experience playing good teams in tough environments.  They probably wont get either in their first game: they are playing the winner of a First Four play in game (more information on that HERE), and they are playing very close to home in Lexington, Kentucky.  Louisville will play either North Carolina A&T or Liberty on Thursday, March 21 at 6:50 pm.  If/When they win, they will play the winner of Colorado State and Missouri.  

COLD: (11) Minnesota - Once upon a time the Golden Gophers were 15-1, ranked #8 in the land, and playing incredible basketball. And then the flood gates broke open and they finished the season on a 5-11 run to end up with a 20-12 record.  That's not very good, regardless of what conference you are in.  Luckily, they had enough quality wins that they could still make the tournament as an 11 seed.  Amazingly, they still have 5 wins against ranked teams, but during that 5-11 cold spell they lost to the likes of Purdue, Nebraska, Iowa and Northwestern. None of those teams made the big dance.  I'd say that's a little more than a cold spell: that's an ice age! But the NCAA Tournament is redemption time, and Minnesota will get that chance against 6 seeded UCLA on Friday, March 22 at 9:57 pm. 

HOT: (8) North Carolina - Sometimes you can determine the "hotness" of a team based on the numbers.  Sometimes you have to use the good ol' fashioned eye test.  UNC (24-10) meets that test.  They struggled with team chemistry for most of the season, but really got it together late and have been really clicking on offense.  They have ability to go out any day and outscore any team that they play against.  They are 8-2 in their last 10 games, and even though they lost to Miami (FL) in the ACC championship game, they are still a very dangerous team.  They will play 9 seeded Villanova on Friday, March 22 at 7:20 pm.  If they win, they will (most likely) have a huge showdown with 1 seeded Kansas.

LUKEWARM: (4) Syracuse - If Syracuse aggravates me, I can't even imagine how their fan base feels, or even their coach.  On one hand, they beat 2 ranked teams and make it to the Big East tournament championship game.  On the other hand, they are 4-5 over their last 9 games.  On one hand, every loss was to a ranked team.  On the other hand, several of them were at home, and several others by double digits. So, I'm just going to categorize Syracuse as "lukewarm" because that's exactly what they are.  They have splotchy big man play, and their guards have a horrible tendency to get themselves into foul trouble. The Orange (26-9) will take on the 13 seeded Montana Grizzlies on Thursday, March 21 at 9:57 pm.

HOT: (2) Ohio State - The Buckeyes (26-7) are on fire right now.  They are on a 8 game winning streak that includes wins against 4 ranked teams, including at Indiana.  They just won the Big Ten tournament over Wisconsin, and they made it look easy.  They have great weapons, but the key right now is Aaron Craft.  He is a prototypical passing point guard.  He racks up the assists and steals first, and looks to score second.  This was no the case over the last few games, as Craft has somehow flicked a switch, and is averaging 13 points over his last 5 games.  Craft, along with Deshaun Thomas, will be the keys for Ohio State to make a deep run this year. Ohio State takes on 15 seed Iona on Friday, March 22 at 7:15 pm.

UNBELIEVABLY SCALDING FIERY HOT: (6) Memphis - If you haven't already figured it out, Memphis is playing some very good basketball right now.  They are on a 24-1 streak.  That's incredible. They are 30-4 overall, and currently on a 6 game winning streak after losing to Xavier in late February. They had a perfect 16-0 record in Conference USA, and won the conference tournament with an overtime thriller against Southern Mississippi.  Memphis is extremely athletic, and is poised perfectly to make a good run.  They will take on an 11 seed that will be determined in the First Four, in a game between Saint Mary's and Middle Tennessee State (Preview of that game HERE).  That game will be played on Thursday, March 21 at 2:45 pm.  

So there you have it. The hot and cold (and Syracuse) teams in the tournament.  I hope that this helps you so you can fill out a great bracket and beat your coworkers, or friends, and you HAVE to beat your boss. There will be a sleeper picks post coming out tomorrow, along with continued March Madness coverage every step of the way.  Happy bracket fillings. 'Til next time.

The Straight Up Index

As I was surveying the college basketball landscape this weekend, I really liked what I saw.  Great teams, players, coaches, and conferences all battling for supremacy.  However, I have one problem: rankings.  The sports world, and specifically college basketball, is overflowing with information about rankings.  By simply tweaking a formula to favor a certain type of win, you can make a case for your team to be number 1.  Human made polls are no better.  Sportswriters and journalists in the AP Poll are often biased towards a certain conference or team, and you can't expect all the coaches in the USA Today Coaches Poll to know what's happening to every team, and watch games to determine who should be ranked where.  These complaints aside, there are some very positive things about the different types of polls out there.  So I came up with the idea to combine them into what I am going to call the Straight Up Index (SUI). This index will take several of the different polls and ranking systems and combine them into one giant composite ranking. Here are the rankings that I will be using:

RPI (Ratings Percentage Index): The RPI system ranks teams based on wins, losses, and strength of schedule. RPI is made up of three factors: the team's winning percentage (25%), its opponents' winning percentage (50%), and the winning percentage of those opponents' opponents (25%).  It is a good system that looks directly at who you beat, and how good they are.  

The Human Polls: I am combining the AP Top 25 and the USA Today Coaches Poll into one category. As mentioned above these polls are subject to bias, but are a good representation of the college basketball landscape, especially because voters can use the "eye test" (how a team appears based solely on the fact that they play a certain way, and they are better/worse than their record).  The AP Poll is probably more widely accepted (it's the one that gives you the number next to the team's name on TV), but both are subject to letting an underrated team fall through the cracks (Oregon), or consistently overrating a team (NC State). 

BPI (College Basketball Power Index): The BPI is a more complex and thorough rating system. but it takes into account many things that matter at the end of year when the tournament starts in March. The BPI takes into consideration several categories: where the game is played (home, neutral, road), pace of game, diminishing returns for blowing out bad teams, scoring margin, strength of schedule, and playing games without key players.  As you can see, it is a much more thorough system than the RPI, which is both a good and bad thing.  

Kenpom (Ken Pomeroy College Basketball Ratings): Ken Pomeroy's (Kenpom for short) rating system is a really confusing formula that crunches a lot of numbers that spits out a really good ranking system.  It has quickly gown to become the number 1 online formula based ranking system over the last few years, even if most people (myself included) don't understand how it works. 

So now you know where I am getting the rankings that make up the Straight Up Index.  My formula is quite simple: Each rankings system is worth 25% of the Index (except the human polls, which I will combine so each one is worth 12.5%).  A team gets 25 points if they are ranked number 1 in a poll, 24 if they are ranked number 2, and so on, all the way down to number 25, who will receive 1 point.  With each poll taking up 25% of the Index, 100 points would be a perfect score (#1 in every poll).  After giving every team the composite score, I will rank them simply based on who scored the most points. 

Here is the first edition of the Straight Up Index college basketball rankings (data is through games of Wednesday, February 6th):

SUI Ranking	Team	RPI	HP	BPI	KP	SUI
#1	Florida	3	2	3	1	95
#2	Duke	1	4	1	5	93
#3	Michigan	4	3	4	4	89
#4	Indiana	12	1	2	2	87
#5	Louisville	8	11.5	5	3	76.5
#6	Syracuse	7	9	6	7	75
#7	Arizona	5	7	7	12	73
#8	Gonzaga	10	6	8	9	71
#9	Miami (FL)	2	9.5	12	10	70.5
#10	Kansas	9	5	9	13	68
#11	Ohio State	17	10	10	8	59
#12	Minnesota	11	18	11	11	53
#13	Michigan State	13	10	17	15	49
#14	New Mexico	6	15.5	19	NR	37.5
#15	Pittsburgh	NR	24	13	6	35
#16	Creighton	NR	14.5	14	18	31.5
#17	Cincinnati	NR	17	15	20	26
#18	Colorado State	15	NR	21	16	26
#19	Butler	14	14	NR	NR	24
#20	Marquette	16	25	20	22	21
#21	Oklahoma State	NR	23	18	19	18
#22	NC State	19	NR	16	NR	17
#23	Kansas State	23	14	NR	NR	15
#24	Wisconsin	NR	NR	24	14	14
#25	VCU	NR	NR	22	21	9

Also receiving points: Belmont (8), Oregon (7), San Diego State (7), Georgetown (6.5), Oklahoma (6), Missouri (5.5), UNLV (5), Ole Miss (4.5), Connecticut (4), Saint Mary's (2), Wichita State (2), Colorado (1), Notre Dame (1)
HP=Human Polls, KP=Kenpom, SUI=Straight Up Index

Analysis: For the inaugural edition of the Straight Up Index, there is not much analysis about who moved where, because, well, it's the first one.  I do think that the SUI ranking is a very fair and equal composite ranking of several major ranking systems. I am going to try to put out new rankings every 7-10 days.  They will be posted on the main page of the blog like this one is.  The SUI rankings will be displayed on the left sidebar of the blog, so you can see who the 10 is at any given time.

Big Game Forecast: Here I will be highlighting the marquee games that are coming up over the next week (all times Eastern, and all rankings AP - the ones you see on TV - as of February 7th):
February 9th:
#3 Michigan @ Wisconsin (12:00 pm), North Carolina @ #6 Miami (FL) (2:00 pm), #23 Pittsburgh @ #17 Cincinnati (6:00 pm), #11 Louisville @ #25 Notre Dame (9:00 pm), #15 New Mexico @ UNLV (9:00 pm)
February 10th:
#1 Indiana @ #10 Ohio State (1:00 pm)
February 11th:
#24 Marquette @ #20 Georgetown (7:00 pm), #13 Kansas State @ #5 Kansas (9:00 pm)
February 12th:
Kentucky @ #2 Florida (7:00 pm), #3 Michigan @ #12 Michigan State (9:00 pm)
February 13th:
North Carolina @ #4 Duke (9:00 pm)
February 14th:
Wisconsin @ #18 Minnesota (7:00 pm), #7 Arizona @ Colorado (10:00 pm), #6 Gonzaga @ Saint Mary's (11:00 pm)

I have always wanted to have my own ranking system.  Now that I have the formula down, I am going to create the Straight Up Index - College Football Recruiting Rankings to recap signing day for the 2013 class. As Dick Vitale would say "Enjoy these hoops BABY! They won't be here forever!" He's right: watch as much as you can, because once March Madness is over you are going to look back and wish you watched more.  So get out there, put that game face on, and watch some great basketball.  And if you miss some games, I'll just fill you in next week.  'Til next time.

2012-13 College Football Bowl Preview (Part III)

This is the final edition of my 2012-13 College Football Preview.  I thoroughly enjoyed writing these, and there has been a a lot of positive response about them.  This is definitely something that I will do again next year! (as always, all times are Eastern)

The Chick-fil-A Bowl: Monday December 31st, 7:30 pm.
#8 LSU (10-2) vs #14 Clemson (10-2) - This is the first matchup of the bowl season that features two teams that are ranked in the top 25.  These two teams make for a great matchup, with LSU's running game and defense going up against one the top offenses in the nation, led by Tajh Boyd and Clemson's group of dynamic receivers. LSU has thrived in games against top 25 opponents, going 3-2.  Clemson, on the other hand, has lost to the only ranked teams that they faced: South Carolina and Florida State.  LSU also played South Carolina, and beat them 23-21.  I guarantee there will be a trick play at some point, as these teams are led by two of the most gutsy (and some times crazy) coaches: Les Miles for LSU, and Dabo Swinney for Clemson. Straight Up Pick: LSU.

The Gator Bowl: Tuesday January 1st, 12:00 pm.
Mississippi State (8-4) vs #20 Northwestern (9-3) - The first of several great SEC vs Big Ten matchups; this one might be the best.  Both teams come in with something to prove.  Northwestern has not won a bowl game in 64 years (!) and they need this game to get the monkey off of their back.  Mississippi State needs this game to prove that they belong in the top of the SEC, even though they can't beat a ranked SEC team (0-3 this year).  Both teams have been exposed by the better teams on their schedule so we will see who is able to capitalize. Straight Up Pick: Northwestern.

The Heart of Dallas Bowl: Tuesday January 1st, 12:00 pm.
Purdue (6-6) vs Oklahoma State (7-5) - Defensively, these teams are almost the same: not good (ranked 72nd and 73rd in total defense).  It's when you look at the offenses where you see a difference. Oklahoma is 4th in points scored, 7th in passing, and 22nd in rushing.  Purdue is 54th or worse in all of those categories.  To their defense, Purdue won their last 3 games to become bowl eligible, including a great comeback win against Iowa.  But they are 0-1 against ranked teams, while Oklahoma State is 2-3.  Straight Up Pick: Oklahoma State.


The Outback Bowl: Tuesday January 1st, 1:00 pm.
#10 South Carolina (10-2) vs #18 Michigan (8-4) - In this marquee Big Ten-SEC game, South Carolina and Michigan square off in what should be one of the more entertaining games.  Michigan's elite dual threat quarterback Denard Robinson has been relegated to receiver running back because of an arm injury.  But he might be even more dangerous, because Michigan went 3-1 after backup Devin Gardner stepped in to take his place.  South Carolina has taken care of everyone on the schedule save their two losses against LSU and Florida, but they do boast a 35-7 win over Georgia.  However, they are missing a key piece to their offense in running back Marcus Lattimore, who is out with a broken leg.  Straight Up Pick: Michigan.

The Capital One Bowl: Tuesday January 1st, 1:00 pm.
#7 Georgia (11-2) vs #16 Nebraska (10-3) - Both losers of their conference championship game, Georgia and Nebraska clash in a battle of quarterbacks   Nebraska's Taylor Martinez and Georgia's Aaron Murray, will attempt to lead their teams to victory against a couple of tough ball-pursuit defenses.  Georgia will be without DT John Jenkins, who is a key part of their rush defense.  They will need every bit of that rush defense against Nebraska's attack, which ranks 8th in the nation.  Straight Up Pick: Georgia.

The Rose Bowl: Tuesday January 1st, 5:00 pm.
#6 Stanford (10-2) vs Wisconsin (8-5) - There is nothing better than the "Granddaddy of Them All" - The Rose Bowl.  Thanks to the NCAA bowl bans against Ohio State and Penn State, Wisconsin received the Big Ten Championship Game big and took advantage of it. Wisconsin comes in an interesting situation, demolishing Nebraska in the Big Ten Championship Game 70-31, having their coach leave, and then using their athletic directer, Barry Alvarez, as an interim coach.  But this isn't just any athletic directer: Alvarez led Wisconsin to 3 Rose Bowl victories in the 1990's.  Does the magic remain, or will Stanford's top notch defense and stellar running game put Wisconsin in a sleep that they will not be able to rise from? Stanford was 5-1 against ranked teams this year, including their last 4 games against teams that were all ranked in the top 25.  Straight Up Pick: Stanford.

The Discover Orange Bowl: Tuesday January 1st, 8:30 pm.
#15 Northern Illinois (12-1) vs #12 Florida State (11-2) - If you love an underdog, you have to love Northern Illinois.  They busted the BCS by beating Kent State 44-37 in a dramatic double overtime MAC Championship Game.  Their only loss of the year came by one point against Iowa, and they are led by incredible quarterback Jordan Lynch.  Lynch has compiled almost 3000 yards passing and over 1700 yards rushing.  Northern Illinois is up against a tough task, however.  Florida State boasts the number 6 ranked defense, a win against Clemson, and an ACC championship.  With senior signal caller EJ Manuel at the helm, the Seminoles are in a good place for a victory.  Straight Up Pick: Florida State.

The Allstate Sugar Bowl: Wednesday January 2nd, 8:30 pm.

#21 Louisville (10-2) vs #3 Florida (11-1) - Louisville had a great year this year, winning the Big East and landing a BCS Bowl bid.  But the good news stops there.  They have yet to play a ranked team, and their season included losses to Syracuse and Connecticut. They do have a great playmaker in quarterback Teddy Bridgewater, but that might not be enough against Florida's 3rd ranked defense.  Sometimes stats lie, but this was a defense that held LSU to 6 points, South Carolina to 11, Missouri to 7, and Georgia to 17.  More impressively they held Heisman Winner Johnny Manziel and Texas A&M to just 17 points.  On offense they always seem to have just enough to win, with their only loss coming to Georgia when they simply could not move the ball.  Straight Up Pick: Florida.

The Tostitos Fiesta Bowl: Thursday January 3rd, 8:30 pm.
#4 Oregon (11-1) vs #5 Kansas State (11-1) - With a few weeks left, many people thought that this would be the matchup in the National Championship.  But Stanford took down Oregon in OT and the next week Baylor pulled a gigantic upset of Kansas State, throttling them 52-24.  Both teams have great conflicting styles.  Kansas State is content to bore you to death with a power running game and solid defense, while Oregon tries to run as many plays as they can.  Oregon has the number 2 scoring offense, and number 3 rushing attacks in the nation.  They don't play much defense, so it's safe to say that is will be a relativity high scoring game.  Straight Up Pick: Oregon.

The AT&T Cotton Bowl: Friday January 4th, 8:00 pm.
#9 Texas A&M (10-2) vs #11 Oklahoma (10-2) - Now THIS is a game.  Heisman winner Johnny Manziel and Texas A&M take on Landry Jones and Oklahoma.  Both teams bring average defenses and top level offenses to the table. These former Big 12 foes will be sure to duke it out to rabid crowds in Dallas.  A&M had one of the best upsets of the year, beating (then #1) Alabama, but lost to LSU and Florida.  Oklahoma lost to Notre Dame and Kansas State, but beat the other two ranked teams on their schedule.  Straight Up Pick: Oklahoma.

The BBVA Compass Bowl: Saturday January 5th, 1:00 pm.
Ole Miss (6-6) vs Pittsburgh (6-6) - Pittsburgh might be the most inconsistent team ever.  They took Notre Dame to the wire in 3 overtimes and beat Rutgers, but lost to the likes of Youngstown State and Connecticut. They do boast an above average defense, and leadership at the quarterback position in senior Tino Sunseri.  Ole Miss on the other hand has been one of the nation's rebuilding projects over the last few years, and has started to climb back into the thick of things with a 3-5 record in the SEC this year.  They are pretty balanced in all phases of the game, but can really sling it around on offense if they need to.  Straight Up Pick: Ole Miss.

The Godadyy.com Bowl: Sunday January 6th, 9:00 pm.

#25 Kent State (11-2) vs Arkansas State (9-3) - Kent State was in position to land a BCS berth before Northern Illinois mounted a comeback and won the MAC Championship Game in triple overtime.  Now, the Golden Flashes are taking on Arkansas State.  Both teams have average defenses and great running games.  Both teams are under the leadership of senior quarterbacks, Spencer Keith for Kent State, and Ryan Aplin for Arkansas State.  This looks like it will be one of the best under-the-radar bowl games. Straight Up Pick: Kent State.

You may have noticed that I left one very important game out: The BCS National Championship.  That is because I am doing a special game breakdown post just for that game.  It's that important.  But sadly, this is the last post of the Bowl Preview series. 'Til next time.

College Basketball Roundup

2011-2012 was a great year for the sport of college basketball.  We saw incredible depth throughout the Power Six conferences, great games every week, the excitement of a cinderella in Murray State, and most of all, one of the most riveting tournaments in recent memory.  But this is my favorite part of the season, when you are able to look back and reflect on what made this season so amazing.  Here, I will have the Straight Up Sports Post-Season Awards, given to the players, coaches, students, and yes, even the mascots, that made this season memorable:

"First Team" All Straight Up Sports: These players were, in my opinion, the best at their respective positions:

G- Kendall Marshal, UNC

G- Marcus Denmon, Missouri
G/F- Michael Kidd-Gilchrest, Kentucky

F- Anthony Davis, Kentucky

F- Thomas Robinson, Kansas

The (Very Good) "Second Team" All Straight Up Sports: There were the guys who didn't quite make the cut on the first team, but still had incredible years. 

G- Marcus Teague, Kentucky

G- Pierre Jackson, Baylor

G- Bradley Beal, Florida

F- Jae Crowder, Marquette

F- Draymond Green, Michigan State

Honorable Mentions:
John Henson, Doug McDermott, Mike Scott, Michael Snear, Austin Rivers, Tyler Zeller, Kevin Jones, John Shurna, Darius Johnson-Odom.  

The 6th Man Award: The 6th Man Award goes to the best bench player in the country. It's not easy to come off the bench, and still give your team what it needs every game to win.
G- Dion Waters, Syracuse

The Freshman of the Year Award:
F- Anthony Davis, Kentucky
Guards Trey Burke (Michigan) and Bradley Beal (Florida), and Indiana forward Cody Zeller were right behind Davis, who not only was the best freshman, but the best player in the country.  It was a tough year to be a freshman.

Coach of the Year Award:
This was a very tough one for me, with so many great coaches this year.  You had great coaches like Tom Izzo and Roy Williams have good years like usual, and so many great stories across the country.  I thought of going with John Calipari, who won his first National Championship with the Kentucky Wildcats, or maybe someone like Rick Majerus of Saint Louis University, who brought the Billikens to their first NCAA Tournament appearance in 12 years. For me, it came down to Steve Prohm of Murray State, and Frank Haith of Missouri, and I had to go with Haith.  In his first year as a coach in the Big 12, he brought the Missouri Tigers to a Top 10 ranking, and a number 2 seed in the tournament.  He finished 30-5 (14-4 in the Big 12), including winning the Big 12 Tournament at the end of the season. Though Missouri lost a heart-breaker in the first round to 15 seed Norfolk State (who played the perfect game to pull off an upset like that), I believe that Frank Haith wins the Coach of the Year Award.

The Best Atmosphere in College Basketball Award:
One of the things that I love about college hoops is the student sections and gyms across the nation.  The sheer noise of the fans can bring an intimidation factor to your opponent, making it so hard to go and win big games on the road.  Places like Duke's Cameron Indoor, and Michigan State's Breslin Center carry an atmosphere with them that makes opponents nervous just thinking out playing there.  But the school who had the best student section of this past season (and many previous) is San Diego State.  Loud, annoying, obnoxious, and sometimes offensive, their student section makes their area a place to be feared throughout college basketball.  Their student section, called "The Show", was the first one to use the giant cutouts of peoples faces, waving them in the air when someone is shooting.  Playing in this crazy atmosphere not only hinders visiting teams, but helps the Aztecs carry one of the best home records in college basketball over the last few seasons.

The Best Mascot:
A banana slug, a tin keg, and a red blob. Just some of the unique mascots that make their home in college gyms throughout the country.  But nothing matches Syracuse University's Orangeman.  This goofy orange creature has been a part of Syracuse basketball culture for many years, adding just one for facet to their successful and entertaining basketball fans for years to come.

That is it.  The 2011-12 college basketball season is finished, and we look forwards to next year. I know its WAY to early to be thinking about this, but look for Indiana and Michigan to emerge out of the Big Ten, becoming two of the top teams next season.  It saddening for this season to end, and for us to lose great seniors throughout the country.  But that's past us, because it's time for baseball now! 'Til next time.