Finals are done with so I along with almost every college program in America has returned back to a normal schedule of action. Bowl season kicks off tonight and we have a lot to get to so let’s get right to it.
Unrelated Chatter:
-Sad news as cartoon legend Joe Barbera passed away this weekend. To this day I remain a huge fan of Hanna-Barbera’s work, namely “Tom and Jerry” and the “Flintstones.” Children’s cartoons these days are an absolute atrocity and I doubt we will ever see the likes of Hanna-Barbera again and that is truly a shame.
-Can we please stop with the Kevin Federline bashing? The guy was a nobody, married arguably the most sought after woman of the early 2000’s and lived a life of luxury as a result. Why are we mad at him? Isn’t that what every guy dreams of, marrying some smoking hot rich chick? You call it hatred but I call it jealousy.
-Raw was a three hour bore fest last night instead of it’s usual two hours of boredom. Why have a three hour show if nothing happens? No doubt the extra hour led to the Cryme Tyme segment which was arguably the most un-entertaining segment of the last few years, and that is saying a lot.
-Speaking of WWE, glad to see former New York Met Lenny Dykstra has left the car washing business and is back in the public eye. Oh wait that was Kenny Dykstra on Raw last night, my bad.
-Everyone is weighing in on the Knicks-Nuggets brawl so I may do so as well. How Nate Robinson only got 10 games when the entire thing was his fault is beyond me. Robinson has a history in his short NBA career of instigating and David Stern could have a put an end to it by sending a message here. How Isiah Thomas gets away with no punishment is beyond me as well since Mardy Collins was following his orders.
And note to crybaby Knicks fans: if you don’t want the other team’s starters in at the end of a blowout, don’t get blown out.
Related Chatter:
-I finally got my first extended look at Greg Oden this past Saturday against Cincinnati and wow! I watch a lot, a lot, a lot, a lot of college basketball and I can say without hesitation that he is the best big man I have ever seen at the college level. His footwork is so smooth and his power is unmatched. Oden and the 3rd ranked Buckeyes travel to Gainesville this Saturday to take on fellow big men Joakim Noah, Al Horford and the #4 Florida Gators. It could be the game of the year but the scheduling somewhat surprises me as the students (namely myself) won’t be able to give Florida that added home court advantage.
-Sticking with super freshman, Kansas State’s Bill Walker made his debut over the weekend scoring 15 points in limited action. The scary thing is Walker hadn’t played competitive basketball since August and was said to be rusty. If that’s rusty then who knows what he is capable of when at 100%. Walker, Texas’ Kevin Durant and Greg Oden collectively may be the most advanced freshmen the game has seen since knockout artist Carmello Anthony.
-Pittsburgh traveled to Wisconsin this past Saturday in a match up of top 10 teams and Wisconsin came away with an easy victory. I hate putting too much stock into games like these early in the season, especially when a team has a distinct home court advantage like Wisconsin. I saw these two square off in person at the 2004 NCAA tournament and I believe this was their first match up since. This past Saturday may have very well been a Final Four preview.
-When mentioning Wisconsin you must mention Alando Tucker. Wisconsin is known for its slow and methodical basketball but Tucker is so athletic that it gives Wisconsin an entirely different look. Had Tucker played his college basketball elsewhere he would probably be one of the bigger names in the game.
-Oklahoma State’s undefeated season came to an end last night against Tennessee in Nashville. Tennessee won it on a Dane Bradshaw put back with 1.9 seconds to go, marking another solid win for the Vols. Bruce Pearl’s Volunteer squad is never the most talented but always manages to hang with the big boys.
-In a story reported here last week, Alabama’s Jemareo Davidson has been cleared to play this Saturday against Southern Mississippi. Davidson was forced to withdraw from classes due to the unfortunate shooting of his brother and then days later the even more unfortunate death of his girlfriend. The NCAA actually showed it had a heart for once, just don’t get used to it.
-Switching over to football, Mario Cristobal has been named head coach at Florida International while Derek Dooley was hired at Louisiana Tech and Neil Calloway has been hired at UAB. If the last name Dooley sounds familiar its because his father is the legendary Vince Dooley.
-Former NFL QB Jim Harbaugh has been named head coach at Stanford. The Stanford job is brutal due to its poor facilities and tough academic requirements but Harbaugh is a great fit. He brings name recognition to the job and has had success at the University of San Diego.
-Green Bay Packers offensive coordinator Jeff Jagodzinski is expected to be named head coach at Boston College. Truth be told I don’t know anything about Jagodzinski and I am awaiting critique from a close friend of mine who is an avid Packers fan and should be able to fill me in some more on him.
-With tonight marking the beginning of Bowl season, it means I get a clean slate in the wins and losses column. Finishing 5 games over .500 against the spread isn’t too shabby but it’s not that great either. Let’s see if I can do better with the 900 bowl games that are on the horizon. I am expecting to do another column Friday so for now I will just pick all games until then.
Bowl Season Picks (Spreads courtesy of wsex.com)
(Regular Season Record vs. The Spread: 48-43-1, Last Week: N/A)
Tuesday 12/19
Northern Illinois vs. TCU (-12), Poinsetta Bowl (San Diego, CA)
-Bowl season kicks off with a match up only fans of these two teams can enjoy. TCU had much bigger sights at the start of the season as did Northern Illinois RB Garrett Wolfe (remember him?). Talent-wise TCU has a big advantage but its more of a question of if they come to play or not. It’s not like they’re Texas and should be expecting a trip to the Fiesta Bowl so I can’t imagine they come out that flat.
TCU 44 – Northern Illinois 17
Thursday 12/21
BYU (-3) vs. Oregon, Las Vegas Bowl (Las Vegas, NV)
-Out of sight, out of mind. Before doing research on the match up I had forgotten what a great year BYU had and was prepared to take Oregon, whoops. BYU QB John Beck could very well be a frontrunner for the Heisman next season and a strong outing on national television Thursday could propel his case even further. Beck and company are out for respect and should be able to gain some.
BYU 35 – Oregon 31
That’s all for now. Be sure to come back Friday as Campus Chatter returns for another weekend edition.
