When President-Elect Barack Obama appeared on CBS’s 60 Minutes in November, he mentioned that he would “throw his weight around” in trying to get a college football playoff system. And yes, he obviously has much more important things to do with saving our economy from another Great Depression, solving the climate crisis, getting us out of Iraq, fixing our healthcare and education crises, and damage control home and abroad from the myriad of failures courtesy of the Bush administration, but the college football postseason is in equally dire straits. And if anyone can fix it, you’d think the President of the Empire would be the guy, right?
I have a lot to be happy about. I have a job, a house, a beautiful wife and daughter and another little girl ready to pop out any day now. However there is one thing that would make me happy enough to do a nude back flip into a snow bank: A College Football Play-off.
Paul M. Banks has an exclusive with the legendary College football coach
LaVell Edwards Stadium is one of the largest in college football. It has averaged 60,524 fans per game, making BYU the only non-BCS school ranked within the top 40. Their stadium is named for the man who brought an exciting pass-happy brand of football to the program. Edwards is a legend among college football coaches: sixth all-time in wins. And two Coach of the Year awards. Since he brought an exciting air attack to Provo, the school earned two remarkable records: the only team from a non-BCS conference to win a national title (1984) and the NCAA record for most consecutive games without being shutout (361 games over a 28 year span).
(PS) So the Big Ten season is getting into full swing, and we suddenly have a title contender on our hands. I know you and I said we could be 12-1 coming into the season, but I don’t think either of us thought we’d truly be 13-1 after our first game in the conference.
Next time you want to make an argument that you deserve a better bowl bid and that you were screwed out of a BCS game because of a lame rule, remember that you had a great season and then went and took a giant dump on it by losing to a far inferior opponent who made your quarterback look pedestrian and your supposed “Mad Scientist” coach look rather tame.
Paul M. Banks talks with the Illini’s Mike Davis and Mike Tisdale
Illinois earned its 13th win of the current season in Tuesday’s win at #9 Purdue. Last season, the Illini finished the regular season with 13 wins. It marked Illinois’ first road victory over a Top-10 team since the Flyin’ Illini won at No. 8 Michigan on March 11, 1989. The 13-2 Illinois have won 17 of their last 20 dating back to the end of last season, a big reason why are the guys starting at the four and at the five:
Welcome to a weekly article at thesportsbank.net where I will give you the 101 on what has happened in the week of college basketball and what is to come in the days ahead.
In my application essay for the Poynter Institute’s Sport Journalism Summit II in 2007, I wrote about the first game I can recall watching in my life. I was a five year old when the January 1, 1984 Rose Bowl took place. That day I became hooked on sports even though my parents are anything but sports fans. My sister was a freshman at the University of Illinois at the time, and she attended their 45-9 trouncing at the hands of Rick Neuheisel’s UCLA team. Like reading Orwell’s novel, recalling ‘1984′ is a haunting, disturbing experience. As a child, I remember being confused about how one team invited to this special game meant to be played on a neutral site was actually playing at their home stadium. I was also confused as to why one team, UCLA gets to play all their home games in this special historic stadium; that doesn’t seem right! 25 years later, I still find many things wrong with the bowl game system.
To justify that I am not some hack throwing out a random mock draft, consider that I got as many right in my final mock of 2008 as ESPN “expert” Chad Ford, and less than a handful of other mocks on the web had more correct than I did. Considering I don’t have the “connections” that Ford or some other sites have, that is pretty impressive. Team needs have not been taken into account with this mock.
Chicago Blackhawks top scorer Patrick Kane headed to the locker room with a knee injury during the first period of Tuesday night’s loss to the Detroit Red Wings, but returned to action in the second. January 1, the Blackhawks’ franchise (and perfectly healthy) player will, along with his teammates, host the Detroit Red Wings at Wrigley Field, in NHL Winter Classic 2009. (noon on NBC) Earlier this week, “Kaner” answered questions about the outdoor battle with the Wings on conference call.
How DISGUSTINGLY ANNOYING was it of ESPN to CONSTANTLY show Chase Daniel’s family during the final hour of the Alamo Bowl? Every other freaking play!!!!! Laura Quinn didn’t get half this much coverage during the 2005 Fiesta Bowl- where her brother Brady and husband-to-be A.J. Hawk squared off.
