College Football: COVID's Next Victim

 

So we saw the MAC cancel their season this past weekend...Then Monday the Mountain West cancelled theirs...Then the rumors started swirling about the Big-10 canceling with the PAC-12 following their lead...The PAC-12 which has been publicly AT WAR with their commissioner...We talked about what a dick he is in this week's MONDAY MOANING...

Sunday and Monday Twitter was filled with numerous college football players tweeting about how they want to play...There was also plenty of tweets from college football media, analysts, talking heads, and that idiot Trump, saying how College Football needs to be played...With today's announcement that The Big-10 (which has 14 teams) and PAC-12 are canceling, it looks less likely...The SEC, ACC and Big-12 (which only has 10 teams...Jesus Christ these places of higher learning can't fucking count!) now have college football fans on the edge of their seats...Because college football fans are fanatical fucking people...And we know the SEC, those crazy southern schools are the wild card...It won't surprise me if they play...It won't surprise me if they are the only ones to try and play...

But what people need to realize as they say players are "safer on campus," and the games "need" to be played, no matter what the conference heads say, the main reasons for these cancellations are, ‪fear of lawsuits if players get sick, loss of game day revenue, and unwillingness to compensate players with heath insurance and money.‬...Insurance and monetary compensation were big points brought up by the PAC-12 players...and without that that makes it easier to open the door for lawsuits...We have to remember this is about COVID...COVID which we have seen, if you have paid any attention to reality and facts, leaves many who recover with permanent damage...lungs, heart, liver, kidneys in many cases have all shown permanent damage, along with many patients having to deal with blood clot issues...

While people are bitching and moaning about the conferences canceling or that they dragged their feet preparing for a season with COVID, people really need to look at the NCAA...They are the governing body and they pulled the trigger in March to cancel the NCAA March Madness Basketball Tournament...But as Football approached, they decided all the decisions should be made by the individual conferences and there were no NCAA mandated rules or guidelines...It was all on the schools and conferences...The NCAA doesn't seem to mind when handing down penalties for recruiting violations or players selling their jerseys or some one buying them a plane ticket to go home or a coach giving them dinner...But when it comes to a global pandemic, and the health and safety of their largest money maker...The so-called "Student Athletes"...With 6 months to prepare, they make no plan and put all the blame on conferences...

To which I say, Fuck the NCAA...

If you want to see some good raging against the NCAA follow @SportsbyBrooks on Twitter.

The Beeze's College Football Wrap Up

 

Yeah, it wasn't a good night for Landry Jones and the (#8) Oklahoma Sooners...The (#5) Fighting Irish did what they have done all year...They played, tough, hard-nosed defense...They ran the ball well...215 yards well...They didn't turn the ball over...Limited mistakes...and made big plays when they needed to...

Everett Golson played his cleanest game of the season, and coach Brian Kelly seemed to have no lack of confidence in him when calling the plays...Especially after the Sooners tied the game in the fourth quarter...The Irish came right back, as Golson hit freshman WR Chris Brown with a 50 yard pass...Which setup a Golson TD run five plays later...

After that, it was Manti Te'o intercepting Jones, after Dan Fox broke up a pass to Jalen Saunders, that popped up in the air...Te'o dove for it, and kept it off the ground...The Irish added a field goal...Then Theo Riddick added on a late TD run making the final 30-13 Irish!

The Irish defense held the Sooners to just 15 yards on the ground, forcing them to be one dimensional, and refused to let Oklahoma get off a big play...While the game was tight for 3 plus quarters, it seemed like the Irish were in control all night...I hate to sound like Lou Holtz, but this team really is starting to look like a "team of destiny."

And all critics out there have been pointing at this game for a few weeks now...'If Notre Dame beats Oklahoma then I'll take them seriously."  These are the same people who said the Irish had the nations toughest schedule in their pre-season bullshit, and are now saying the ND schedule is weak...Well, critics...Are you ready to take ND seriously...Rick Reilly, you fucking cunt, is Notre Dame relevant now!?!  Yes, they are...You aren't...Do everyone a favor Reilly...Quit your day job, douchebag!

You all know I've been all in with Collin Klein and (#3) Kansas State this year...Well, this week's game with (#15) Texas Tech, had me worried...The Red Raiders can really put up points...

   
But Klein made it clear, that there was nothing to worry about, as he passed for 233 yards and 2 TD's and rushed for 83 yards and 2 more TD's, leading the hard-nosed Wildcats to a 55-24 victory...

After Saturday's games, the top two guys in the Heisman race have to be Klein, and Manti Te'o...You know I've been hyping Klein all year, but a LB getting the Heisman would be great!

Both Notre Dame and K-State got help in the BCS rankings as (#10) Georgia beat (#2) Florida 17-9 in a sloppy, defensive battle...Why do I say sloppy? Florida had 10 penalties for 95 yards...and turned the ball over 6 times...Georgia had 14 penalties for 132 yards and turned it over 3 times...None of that high-powered SEC offense in this one...

Staying in the SEC, we may have seen the last of South Carolina running back Marcus Lattimore, after one of the worst leg injuries I have ever seen...





That shit was brutal...An early report says "Lattimore tore every ligament in his knee, plus a broken femur, plus a broken knee cap."  Can anyone come back from that?  Does anyone want to?  This kid has been looking at such a bright future, and has ended every season early because of injuries...Just sad...

Lattimore's (#13) Gamecocks had to fight on after seeing their leader carted off to the hospital...They managed to hang and win 38-35 over Tennessee...

#11 Miss State is no longer undefeated after running into the buzz-saw that is #1 Alabama...The Tide rolled right over them, 38-7...

In the PAC-12, USC has been holding on to hope of sneaking back into the BCS picture...The they want to Arizona and that idea got kicked in the ass, as the Wildcats, who always say "Bear Down" I don't know why, beat the Trojans 39-36...Key stat...USC turned it over 5 times...No Heisman for Barkley...No Championship for Kiffin, Barkley, and the Trojans...And  big smile on my face!

#24 Ohio University's dream of a perfect season ended Saturday at rival, Miami of Ohio, as the Bobcats lost 23-20...Miami is not having a good year, but they'll always be up for their rival...With 9 seconds left, the Bobcats had no timeouts...Instead of trying to kick the field goal for the tie, and take it to OT...The Bobcats took a crack at one more play to go for the win...QB Tyler Tettleton was sacked and time ran out...Great balls, but that's a tough way to go...

Staying in the MAC...Kent read, Kent write, Kent State went to undefeated (#15) Rutgers and put another Big East team in their place...The Golden Flashes upset the Scarlet Knights 35-23...The MAC is now 4-0 against the Big East this year...Cincy lost to Toledo last week, ending their undefeated season...The Bearcats gave (#16) Louisville a scare Friday night, but the Cardinals pulled out a 34-31 OT win...Now Rutgers goes down...Who will knock off Louisville?  Sadly, they didn't schedule any MAC schools...

In the late game, we lost another undefeated team as #7 Oregon State was beaten 20-17 by Washington...Again, turnovers is the key stat...Oregon State QB Sean Mannion playing his first game in 3 weeks after injury, threw 4 INT's...When they finally yanked him for Cody Vaz, it was too late...Washington had the momentum and were able to hang on for the win.

That's it for this week...See ya Monday...

The Beeze.

The Beeze's College Football Wrap Up

 

We'll start this week with one of the day's early games...Big-12 and state rivals, Kansas at #7 Kansas State...If you paid attention to my pre-season predictions, and now my weekly wrap up, you know I'm all in with Collin Klein and Kansas State taking the Big-12 title this year...I have to say, early in this game I was a bit nervous...Charlie Weiss was pulling everything he could out of the playbook, and by halftime the Jayhawks were only down 21-14...But that was it...The Wildcats defense buckled down, and the offense rolled...Klein passed for 129 yards and 2 TD's, while rushing for 116 and two more TD's...K-State drilled the Jayhawks 56-16...

The other early game I was bouncing to was from the MAC...Buffalo was visiting the Bobcats at Ohio U...And things didn't look good early for undefeated Ohio, as Buffalo jumped out to an early 14-0 lead...Ohio battled back and had the lead at halftime...Buffalo kept swinging and had the game tied after 3 quarters...The Bobcats pulled ahead and held on for 38-31 win, even though Buffalo had out gained them in yardage, and had a 10 minute TOP advantage on them...I'm sure this was a good reminder that the Bobcats can't coast though their MAC schedule...

I hadn't planned on writing about the #3 Florida State at NC State game, but now I have to...As I started writing this, I saw NC State was hanging in there...And then they did it...On fourth down, with time running out, Mike Glennon connected with Bryan Underwood for a game tying, 2 yards TD pass...And with the extra point. NC State took a 17-16 lead, and held on for the last few seconds to win...Love seeing FSU...Love seeing an upset live like that...And I was shocked to not see the NC State fans storm the field...Very odd to see a big conference upset like this, and not see the student body go bat-shit!

Now lets go to the SEC...I have never found myself rooting for #10 Florida...But today I was, as they took on #4 LSU...I have grown to hate LSU, and their obnoxious fans who think LSU is God's gift to football...Well, your team may have put some points up on Towson, but they didn't do shit against a real defense like Florida...And then Florida's offense just went ball-control all over your ass, hanging onto the ball for 37 minutes and change...The Gators won 14-6 and are now 5-0...

The other big game in the SEC was suppose to be #5 Georgia at #6 South Carolina...Instead it was an ass beating as South Carolina rushed for 230 yards on their way to a 35-7 victory...and that 230 yards doesn't count the 70 yard punt return for a TD by Ace Sanders... South Carolina QB Connor Shaw looked really good as well...This kid is coming along, and the fact that Spurrier doesn't seem to be screwing with his head too much may be a big reason why...But it all started the Gamecocks defense getting into Georgia QB, Aaron Murray's face, and head early...Just a dominating effort...And with Georgia taking the loss, along with LSU's loss, the SEC is looking more interesting...Game to watch next week, South Carolina at Florida...Should be a hell of a game!

Now, before I get into any other games, I have to get to my Fighting Irish...

                     
Manti Te'o and the dominating #9 Fighting Irish defense took to Soldier field to renew an old rivalry with the Miami Hurricanes...I have to say I was a bit worried about Miami's speed, but once they dropped a few passes, on balls that had the secondary beat, the Irish defense woke up and held Miami to just a field goal...It also helped the defense that Notre Dame held onto the ball for over 39 minutes, and rushed for 376 yards...This was an old fashioned ass beating...The Irish ran through Miami the way Taco Bell runs through me...Damn, I really want a Mexican Pizza!  George Atkinson III had 123 yards and a TD, while Cierre Wood put up 118 yards and 2 TD's...Theo Riddick had 21 yards and a TD on 5 carries...Everrett Golson had 51yards on the ground, and Cam McDaniel had 55 yards and 1 TD on 11 carries...

                              
Next week #18 Stanford comes to South Bend to take on the Irish...But this week, Stanford had a bit of a scare, as they didn't feel like playing defense against Arizona...Both teams racked up 617 yards of total offense, each...4 Quarters wasn't enough...Tied at 48, they felt there needed to be more scoring...Stanford must have been feeling the pressure, because they wanted to end this quickly...A rare defense high-light, the Stanford D picked off a Matt Scott pass...Then on their second offensive play, Stepfan Taylor broke off a 21 yard TD run, to end the game 54-48...I hope the Cardinal defense plays this shitty next week!

In the Big-Ten, #24 Northwestern fans were getting excited about their team, until Saturday when they went to Penn State and lost to the Nittany Assholes 39-28...And yes, ESPN televised this weeks game...That's all 6 PSU games on ESPN/ABC...ESPN, the world wide leader in bullshit...Don't worry, if your school and legendary head coach cover up decades of child rape, ESPN will have your back, and do what the can to keep your sanctioned program relevant...

This weeks prime-time Big-Ten game featured #21 Nebraska heading into Columbus to take on #12 Ohio State...Early on this was a tight battle, with plenty of offense...But Ohio State took control and pulled away, winning 63-38...QB Braxton Miller rushed for 186 yards...I have to ask Nebraska, how the hell do you let that happen?   Everyone knows this kid is the key weapon for Ohio State...Stop him...Don't let him run all over you...Force him to beat you with his arm...Did you guys not watch any film on how this kid runs?   But Buckeyes fans are happy...They saw some high-powered offense that they have been waiting to see from Urban Meyer...

Speaking of high-powered offense...#8 West Virginia went down to Texas to take on the #11 Longhorns...Friggin' West Virginia and their offense...460 total yards...Geno Smith passing for 268 and 4 TD's...Texas tried their best to hang with the Mountaineers, as they put up 404 yards of offense...I was expecting Texas' defense to be the one to slow WV down and put them in their place, but I guess I was wrong, as WV won 48-45...I'm really noticing a lack of defense lately, and it's disappointing...

Also in the Big-12, with QB Casey Pachall suspended, #15 TCU lost to Iowa State 37-23...Looking at the numbers you would think TCU should have won this game, but there is that all important category of TURNOVERS...TCU turned it over 5 times...You can't win doing that...

And since I've found myself paying attention to the University of New Hampshire the last couple weeks, why not see what they did this week in the CAA...Well, QB Andy Vailas passed for 252 yards and 4 TD's, while running back Nico Steriti rushed for 126 yards and 2 TD's...Running back Jimmy Owens also added 120 yards on the ground, as UNH beat-up Georgia State 44-21...

That's it for the wrap up...See ya Monday!

The Beeze.

The Beeze's NCAA Conference Predictions

Yeah, that's the best thing you're going to see at a Arizona State game this year!

So this is my predictions for how the conferences will shake out this season in college football...This is based entirely on my own opinions, from my years of sitting on my ass and watching football, as well as sitting on the toilet and reading up on as much college football news as I can...

Let's start with the Big-Ten...


No, it won't be Ohio State and Michigan...Ohio State isn't even eligible for the Big-Ten Championship...Penn State is also ineligible...First we'll start with the "Leaders" division...Yes, the Big-Ten named their divisions, "Leaders" and "Legends"...I had no idea Twats and Douchebags was already taken...

Leaders
1. Wisconsin
2. Ohio State
3. Illinois
4. Penn State
5. Purdue
6. Indiana

Wisconsin has the most talent, right now and their division is weak...Ohio State will do okay, but will still be adjusting to Urban Meyer football, which is a lot different from Jim Tressel ball...Well, except for the criminals, and cheating parts!

I have to say this...I can't wait for Saturday, to watch the Ohio University Bobcats beat up Penn State in not-so-"Happy Valley!"

Legends
1. Nebraska
2. Michigan
3. Michigan State
4. Northwestern
5. Iowa
6. Minnesota

Seriously, why are they still playing football at Minnesota? That program is a joke...The most important game on the schedule is Michigan at Nebraska on October 27th...The winner of that game will take the division, and I'm putting my money on the 'Huskers...And I'll take Nebraska over Wisconsin in the conference Championship game...

Now lets look at the Big East...

1. South Florida
2. Rutgers
3. Louisville
4. Cincinnati
5. Syracuse
6. Pitt
7. UConn
8. Temple

Okay, this conference is in a sad state...This is the year B.J. Daniels and USF put it all together...Louisville heads to Rutgers the last week of the season...That will decide 2nd place, and I'm taking Rutgers D over Louisville's QB Teddy Bridgewater, who is getting a bit of hype...Syracuse will be up slightly, while Pitt slides...Temple, UConn, stick to Basketball.

Moving from the Big lEast, will go next to the slightly better, ACC...

Atlantic
1. Clemson
2. Florida State
3. Wake Forest
4. NC State
5. Maryland
6. Boston College

Yep, I'm taking Clemson over the over-hyped FSU...Clemson is loaded at the skill positions, and has a solid defense...Wake Forest will be up this year...Boston College is clearly focusing solely on Hockey...

Coastal
1. Virginia Tech
2. Georgia Tech
3. North Carolina
4. Miami
5. Virginia
6. Duke

No surprise here...VT is always in it...UNC has some good talent, but they're still learning about football there...Duke, still hasn't figured it out! Tech will take the conference Championship game, well, since Clemson never seems to win a big game.

Well, now we should get to the most loved, and hated conference out there...

The SEC...


Oh, were looking for some Southern Fried Hottie...Sorry about that...I just thought in this world of hyped QB's, people should get use to seeing AJ McCarron...McCarron will be leading Alabama to the SEC Championship game...There's no doubt the West will be a battle between 'Bama and LSU...The Tide have the better all-around team, and the better QB...It's theirs to lose...

West
1. Alabama
2. LSU
3. Arkansas
4. Auburn
5. Miss State
6. Texas A&M
7. Ole Miss

East
1. Georgia
2. South Carolina
3. Missouri
4. Florida
5. Tennessee
6. Vanderbilt
7. Kentucky

Georgia is loaded, and there toughest competition is South Carolina, which they'll take care of, because Spurrier seems to find ways to lose...Mizzou, Florida, Tenn, and Vandy are in a log jam...Kentucky...Another Basketball school still trying to figure out this pesky Football...I'll take Alabama over Georgia in the Conference Championship game.

Now it's time for the Big-12...

1. Oklahoma
2. Kansas State
3. Texas
4. TCU
5. West Virginia
6. Oklahoma State
7. Baylor
8. Texas Tech
9. Kansas
10. Iowa State

To me, Oklahoma is a no-brainer...Just a loaded team...2nd and 3rd will be decided December 1st when Texas visits K-State...Texas' defense will keep them in the hunt this year, but I'm gambling on Collin Klein and Kansas State to shake things up...West Virginia will realize they're not in the Big East anymore...

Now, we'll end with the Pac-12...



North
1. Oregon
2. Washington
3. Stanford
4. Washington State
5. California
6. Oregon State

You can't go against Oregon and their high-octane attack...They're loaded with talent on both sides of the ball...Washington is going to compete, and scare some people...Washington State is going to surprise people, and if they get a bit of luck, they could pull out an upset or two...

South

1. USC
2. Utah
3. Arizona
4. UCLA
5. Arizona State
6. Colorado

Yeah, I hate USC, but you gotta except that they're a powerhouse...The rest of the division, flip a coin...It's just a bunch of average, with the exception the steaming pile of crap known as Colorado...Sad what has happened to that program...

The Pac-12 is a two team race, and it looks to be the same two teams for awhile...Oregon and USC just keep reloading, and the rest of the conference can't keep up...As good as I know USC is, I'm going to put my money on Oregon, in the conference championship game...Hopefully Notre Dame LB, Manti Te'o will take Matt Barkley out on November 24th, to help out the Ducks...

I know the smaller conference fans will give me shit if I don't give them love, so real quick here...Boise State takes the Mountain West...Fresno State, and Wyoming will push them, and we'll see major improvement from Colorado State...

Ohio will take the MAC East, while Bowling Green gives them a good push...Toledo will take the MAC West in a tight battle with Western Michigan...The OU Bobcats will beat the Rockets in the Championship game...

Houston will take the Conference USA Championship after beating UCF...Tulsa is the only other team with a shot, except they have to deal with Houston's non-stop offense...And we'll give the Sunbelt to Arkansas State...Does anyone follow the Sunbelt?

Later, the Beeze.