Urban Confrontation: Oklahoma-Florida Worth Watching
At the end of the day, can anybody outside of Austin argue against the Oklahoma-Florida match-up for the BCS Championship?
Tipsheet thinks not.
Against all odds, the tortured Bowl Championship Series process produced an amazing heavyweight bout. Sooners vs. Gators, Sam Bradford vs Tim Tebow, smug Bob Stoops against the even more smug Urban Meyer . . . yeah, we’ll set aside a night of TV viewing for this one.
Long-suffering Rams fans will drool watching this game, noting all the superior athletes on both teams. Will any of these explosive youngsters find their way to Rams Park during the next few years?
Of course, one does have to empathize with the Longhorns. Texas won its head-to-head match-up with Oklahoma, yet didn’t win the Big 12 South (darned tiebreaker system!) and didn’t get its shot at Florida.
ESPN.com’s Pat Forde noted the shame of that: “Everybody should understand that Texas’ 10-point, neutral-site victory over the Sooners should have been the deciding factor in splitting the ultra-fine hairs between those Big 12 South rivals. The Longhorns should have been granted the right to club Missouri in that league’s title game and play for the big enchilada.
“No matter how many late-game, pile-it-on points Bloodthirsty Bob’s Sooners scored in recent weeks (a total of 38 in the last half of the last quarter of the past two games, against Oklahoma State and Missouri), they can’t erase Texas 45, Oklahoma 35.”
Yeah, well, there’s that. Oklahoma-Texas will be that much more interesting next year, eh?
MYSTERIES OF THE UNIVERSE
Questions to ponder while welcoming Adam Kennedy back into the Cardinals plans for 2009:
- Steven Jackson’s legs looked OK Sunday, but did his hands get gassed? What’s with the fumbles?
- Will the Rams give Donnie Avery a Garmin device for Christmas, so he will run the correct pass routes?
- Now that Josh Brown is missing key field goal attempts, is Donnie Jones the only member of this team having a good year?
- How did Missouri miss 13 of its first 14 three-pointers, yet still demolish California 93-66? Is everybody aware that Mike Anderson’s Tigers are 7-1?
- Why is Oscar De La Hoya still taking our money?
NO MORE CALL-IN SHOWS FOR THE JUICE
Which is sad, really. O.J. Simpson was at his best fielding phone calls from strangers.
QUIPS ‘R US
Here is what some of America’s leading sports pundits have been writing:
Chris Dufresne, Los Angeles Times: “The Sugar Bowl, Utah (12-0) vs. Alabama (12-1), is a game in which Utah gets to prove — gulp — it should have warranted a shot at the national title game. Last year, in this game, undefeated Hawaii proved it didn’t warrant free lodging after getting swept under the Superdome rug by Georgia, 41-10.”
Greg Cote, Miami Herald: “A cemetery near the University of Georgia called Bulldog Haven is open only to former Georgia players and their families. In the most recent internment last month, they buried Georgia’s SEC title hopes.”
Scott Ostler, San Francisco Chronicle: “I guess Plaxico Burress wasn’t wearing Under Armour.”
Bill Simmons, ESPN.com: “Like everyone else, I’m still disappointed that a receiver didn’t honor Plaxico Burress last weekend by catching a touchdown, then pretending to shoot himself in the leg with the football and limping around. This never would have not happened if Chad Johnson was still alive.”
Dan Daly, Washington Times: “Jaguars receiver Matt Jones met with NFL officials Thursday to appeal his three-game suspension for a drug bust. I’m not sure it helps his case any, though, that all of his best games this season - against Cleveland (eight catches, 117 yards), Houston (eight, 104), Denver (seven, 69), Cincinnati (seven, 69) and Tennessee (six, 80) - have come on grass.”
Dwight Perry, Seattle Times: “The LPGA Tour, in a sign of bad economic times, announced it will stage three fewer tournaments next year and pay out $5 million less in prize money. In other words, the newest fashion trend in women’s golf will be smaller purses.”
MEGAPHONE
“It’s a good feeling. I really earned it. I legitimately went through Q-school. I took my medicine. And I got it. It feels good. It’s like high school graduation.”
Michelle Wie, after finally earning her LPGA Tour card.
Who could have guessed that the Rams and their Swiss Cheese defense would give up a touchdown on the opening drive? Or that the offense would go three and out with their first possession?
Note to “Action” Jackson, SHUT THE HELL UP. All you do is run your mouth all week long, then come Sunday you’re either hurt or not very good. Start pretending that the football is your paycheck then I bet you hold on.
On to “Coach” Stinkel and Misery – what a fraud. You’re not even good enough to hand OU their uniforms much less be on the same field. No pass rush, can’t cover anyone plus turnovers by Charlie Daniel equals a SIX touchdown loss.
Hey Stinkel, don’t you think it’s about time to start making some in-game adjustments and holding your coaches (especially defense) responsible?
Face it Misery fans, while he is a solid recruiter, this guy can’t coach. Look at what happens when they go against someone with equal or better talent – they wilt very time.
The Cardinals haven’t won a division since 1975! Sadly I can remember that. Sadder still is the fact that the hopeless Rams can’t figure out that even if they suck out loud, beating the Cardinals is something they should do. For the fans. Of course that would require some effort, coaching, execution………Bigger bust: Bulger or Jackson? Something like $85 million between the two of them.
F.
With regards to Mizzou, it’s all fine and dandy to heap scorn on the coaches, especially the defensive coordinator, but at some point the players have to perform. Chase Daniel is the ultimate choke artist in big games. I have come to expect him to make bone-headed decisions time after time, and to consistently be off target on his passes. Couple his weak play with a defensive scheme that couldn’t stop a good high school offense, and you have the making of disasters. While I like Pinkel, and think he has done a good job, it is time for him to shake up his staff some. Christenson is already gone, and it is past time for Eberflus to go. Mizzou has had some good offensive production, but Eberflus has consistently turned out poor defensive teams and does not make good use of the talent he has.
S.W., can you please shut up? Do you think people care about your ‘Kevin Slaton created’ opinions? We don’t. To bash Pinkel and Mizzou shows how incredibly shallow you (and all other fair weather fans) are. I will NOT bash Mizzou or the job Coach Pinkel has done, because frankly, I am just glad that we have a college football team to root for again. They have provided a lot of great memories the past few years (Cotton Bowl, incredible game against Oregon State eventhough a loss in 2006, etc) which beats what we have been dealing w/ for the past few decades. So, continue to spew your negativity and show how incredibly UNknowledgable and shallow you really are. I am going to continue to enjoy rooting for a fun college team again. They are building something in Columbia. I at least will give them time, and a chance.
Ear Muffs has a point, as tough as it is to watch Mizzou get thumped by OU at least the constant 3-8 years are over.
Unger…I am not sure who is the biggest bust but it is impossible to build a team with any depth when Bulger, Jackson, Pace and Holt consume most of the annual salary cap.
I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I agree with S.W.. Pinkel is doing a good job getting Mizzou into the top 25 as a program, but that is it!! We have been over-hyped for 3 years now and that is not what this program needs. Mizzou has never faired well when “given” a top tier program ranking i.e. the Basketball program under Quin Snyder. I believe the same is happening to the football program. They will start playing better when no one gives them any credit again. Mark my words!!!
I have to agree with S.W. too - at least partially. The defense is really bad and it’s not for a wont of talent. The line seems undersized to me and what kind of coverage scheme can Mizzou be running when every receiver has a ten-yard cushion? I think Eberflus needs to go and they really need to get some big guys at the tackle positions. Mizzou is still definitely a rung or two below the Oklahomas and Texases of the world but it IS a heck of lot better than it used to be. I just hope it doesn’t take another eight years to get to that level.
Most of the Mizzou/Pinkel bashers need to just get over the fact that OU and Texas are just better. They’ve got better players - period. With their recent success Mizzou has started to recruit better talent - but you don’t just catch up to Texas and OU overnight. Besides Missouri will never out-recruit either Texas or OU within the state of Texas - won’t happen - so it will be difficult to get the Missouri program to that level. I hate to sound like a whiner when it comes to getting the score run up on you - but Stoops/OU have really sunk to a new low. What really is disturbing is how the media cheered for it. Stoops answer to getting beat by Texas was to run up the score on every opponent he could - too bad the BCS system seems to reward that over head to head competition. Yeah, OU socred over 60 five games in a row - no one has ever done that before. Herbstreit and Musberger made a big deal of it. I’m thinking they should have made a bigger deal over those teams in the past that could have done it - but had the class not to. Again - OU was clearly superior and I am a big believer in simply playing better if you don’t want to get the score run up on you. BUT - when you’ve got a 30 point lead in the fourth quarter and your starting QB, who is scheduled for surgery on his hand the next day, is still in the game - there is no explanation for that other than the head coach is a total A-hole. Hope Florida stomps OU.
S.W.—-Take your medication. Tiger defense is bad this year and needs to improve, but much progress has been made. You must have gotten great grades in poetry class with your rhyming abilities. Do you feel like a big man taking pot shots at a college kid who is playing his heart out for his university, for free, and has taken his program to another level. Why don’t you become a Notre Dame fan so we don’t have to read you here.