College Football And It`s New Playoff System

Beginning this college football season we will have a four team playoff to determine the national champion.  For you traditional football fans, don't worry we will still have plenty of bowl games to watch.  Here is how it's going to work.  College Football has selected a committee of 13 people that will rank the top 25 teams, stating midway through the season.  At the end of the season the top 4 teams will go to the playoffs.  On New Years Eve the number one team plays the fourth ranked team, while the second and third ranked teams play each other.  A week or so later the two winners will play for the national championship.
So I mentioned earlier that a 13 person committee has been selected to determine who makes the playoffs.  The committee consists of mainly Athletic Directors.  there is also a cuople of former coaches and even a former QB in Archie Manning.  There are plenty of familiar names among the committee, such as Pat Hayden, Tom Osborne, Barry Alvarez and Tyrone Willingham.  But probably the most famous name doesn't have any connection to college football.
Condoleeza Rice is a former Untied States Secretary of State and is one of the committee members.  I'm not sure why she was chosen, but it makes you wonder how much of a role politics will play in the selections process.  Rice may be very qualified to take on this role, but just the fact that she does not have a football background tells the average football fan that she is not qualified.  I wish the NCAA would have put more thought into this selections.  I wonder if she was chosen to have a women on the committee because she is the only female.  If this is the reason they could have picked a women that is connected to college football instead of a women that was in politics.

Tidbit Tuesday 4/22/2014 Pat Tillman Edition

Did you know 10 years ago today the nation lost an athlete, a war hero, a role model and an all around outstanding person.  Pat Tillman was killed by friendly fire in Afghanistan April 22. 2004 when his Army Ranger team was carrying out a mission.  Many people were touched deeply by this news because of Pat Tillman's story.  Pat Tillman was a football player who started his career in Tempe, Arizona.  He played linebacker for the Arizona State Sun Devil's and quickly became a fan favorite with his inspirational play and his long hair.  When Tillman graduated from ASU he was drafted by the Arizona Cardinal's.  He was then moved to safety and made an immediate impact for the Cardinal's. 
Then Pat Tillman's life was changed forever on September 11, 2001.  America was attacked by terrorist and Tillman gave up a great deal of money to enlist in the Army with his brother, who played minor league baseball for the Cleveland Indians.  Ten years later Pat Tillman's memory is still not forgotten.  The citizen's of the United States are very gracious to Tillman and all who have served in the armed forces.  RIP Pat Tillman.

If You Build It........They Will Come!

"If you build it .....they will come.  If you build it.....they will come".  In case you don't remember this phrase it is from one of the greatest sports movies ever made.  The movie is called Field of Dreams.  It's about a farmer who hears voices telling him the famous quote.  If you build it they will come.  It refers to a baseball field and when he builds it they do come.  The Chicago Black Sox and "Shoeless" Joe Jackson show up.  The movie does a great job of reminding how important baseball used to be to an average American citizen.  This is a great movie and if you have not seen it you definitely should.  The reason I mention this is because the movie came out 25 years ago today.  there is a lot more to the movie and it will bring out the die hard baseball fan in you.

R-E-S-P-E-C-T

The brackets are out and both the Arizona schools got in!  Arizona is the 1 seed in thw West and Arizona St. is the 10 seed in the Midwest.  ASU plays Texas on Thursday and Uof A plays Weber St. on Friday.  Those of you that follow me know that I feared U of A would not get a ntop seed and ASU would be left out of the Tournament.  Well that didn`t happen but I was right about one thing.  The Arizona Wildcat`s even though they are so good don`t get an respect nationally.
Arizona needs to tap into their inner Aretha Franklin and demand a little R-E-S-P-E-C-T from the  NCAA selection committee.  They can do that with a dominant performance during March Madness.  Arizona should have been the overall number one seed but that was given to Florida.  In case you don`t follow College Basketball until March here is a little knowledge drop for you.  Like football the NCAA uses a computer combining wins, strength of schedule and and overall record to determine each teams ranking.  Its called RPI ranking.  After the regular season ended U of A`s RPI was 1, meaning they are the best team in college basketball.  Since Arizona doesn`t get much respect outside of the Pac 12 nobody is saying anything about this unjustice.  But let me leave you with this point.  If this was college football and at the end of the season Alabama was the top team according to the computer and another team, lets just say Notre Dame was awarded the National Championship game everybody would be in an uproar!

If ASU gets Left Out of NCAA Tourney it`s because of U of A?

Arizona St. lost in the second round of the Pac 12 Tournament.  The Sun Devil`s ended the season 2-5.  With this disturbing performance as of late many people think ASU is on the bubble and may not get into next weeks NCAA Tournament.  My feeling is this, if ASU does not get into the tournament it is directly because of the Wildcat`s.  I know I said once ASU beat Arizona a few weeks ago they punched their ticket to go marching, so hear me out.   Regardless of how Arizona finishes in the Pac 12 Tourney they deserve a number one seed.  In my opinion it should be an overall number one seed.  But only time will tell on that.  Sunday the brackets come and both Arizona schools will learn their fate.  This brings me to my point.  If for some reason Arizona doesn`t get a number one seed then ASU will be left out. If that happens then its obvious that the Pac 12 isn`t going to get any respect from the selection committee.  If that happens, given ASU`s lack of success in the NCAA Tournament i could see them getting left out of the tournament.

Arizona Wildcat`s advance in first round of Pac 12 Tournament

Earlier today the Arizona Wildcat`s easily advanced to the semifinals of the Pac 12 tournament with a win over the Ute`s of Utah 71-39.  Arizona came out the gate fast and never looked back.  They led 34-13 at the break and outscored Utah by 11 in the second half.  The Wildcat`s were led by Nick Johnson`s 14 points.  Johnson is starting to  get national attention for all - america honors.  The Cat`s were also helped by Hollis-Jefferson`s 8 rebounds and point guard T.J. McConnell`s 4 assist`s.  Arizona showed that it is ready to make a run at a national championship later this month.  Arizona now faces the winner of the Cal vs. Colorado game, a game that is going on right now and is a 4 point game late in the second half.  With another conviencing win Arizona could put a grip on the overall number 1 seed in the NCAA tournament.

The Great Basketball State of Arizona

Guess what everybody it`s March and you know what that means.  Time for March Madness!  Before the NCAA Tournament starts I want to point something out to all college basketball fans.  Watch out for the Great State of Arizona!  If you know even just a little bit about college hoops you already know about the Wildcat`s from the University of Arizona.  They are currently ranked 4th in the nation and are a lock for a number 1 seed.  Some experts, including myself, have the Wildcat`s as the overall top seed in the tournament.  But for the state of Arizona it gets better.  Our other school, arizona St. is quietly posittioning themselfs into the tournament as well.  ASU tied with 5 other teams for 3rd place in the PAC 12 conference.  They won the tie breaker and with just one win in the conference tournament they will be in the senifinals.  Acomplishing that feat may give them a better seed then they already have.  Right now they are a projected 8 or 9seed, but with a good showing this week in the tournament they may be able to get a 7 or even a 6 seed.  While I`m predicting a Final Four for the Wildcat`s, Im not saying the Sun Devil`s will get that far.  With the right seed and the right opponents the state of Arizona may be saying "both our schools made it to the Sweet 16 and one is National Champion."

Tidbit Tuesday February 18, 2014

With the announcement of NFL prospect Michael Sam being gay there are all kinds of stories about the affect it will have on the NFL.  Well his another one.  Did you hear the story about Safety Kerry Rhodes?  Rhodes last played for the Arizona Cardinals during the 2012 season.  At one point during the season he was considered the fourth best safety in the NFL.  He wasn't an old player and showed a lot of potential.  Then there were some allegations that he was gay.  His former assistant alleged that he and Rhodes were in a relationship.  Rhodes denies any relationship and says he is not gay. 
When the 2012 season ended Ken Whisenhunt was fired as head coach of the Cardinals.  The Cardinals interviewed Defensive Coordinator Ray Horton but went with Bruce Arians who then named Todd Bowles as the Defensive coordinator.  The Cardinals and Rhodes parted ways and the safety has not played a down since.  I'll let you be the judge of weather or not these allegations have anything to do with the fact tat Rhodes has not been signed by another team.  I'll leave you with this thought Kerry Rhodes is a much better Safety than most of the active players in the NFL, including the Cardinals own Rashad Johnson who was thought to be an upgrade after Rhodes left.  Johnson eventually lost his finger tip and starting job.  He was replaced by a rookie.  

Why Super Bowl XLVIII Wasn't So Super

In case your not tired of the the Super Bowl talk, here is some more.  Overall I give the Super Bowl a C at best.  The Super Bowl was terrible in many ways.  As like every year there is much anticipation leading up to the Super Bowl.  This year was not any different and we were let down for four reasons.  The weather, the game, the halftime show and the commercials are what let many of us down.
The Weather
Many people might disagree with me when I talk about the weather.  Game time weather was great and when it did rain it was during half time and had no affect on the game.  True, but the week leading up to game was very cold and miserable.  People who attend the Super Bowl show up for all the events leading up to the big game.  Many people only attend those events because they can't get tickets to the game.  These events are always busy and packed with fans.  The bad weather just put a sour taste in many Americans mouths, making them wonder if the game was even going to be worth all the hassle.
The Game
The main reason the Super Bowl was disappointing was the game itself.  Many people thought we had an evenly matched game that would go down to the wire.  And we did, until the ball was snapped into the end zone giving the Seahawks a safety and a lead that they would never give back.  Thanks to dominating defense by Seattle this game got so out of hand that Russell Wilson was never given the chance to show he was as elite a QB as Peyton Manning.  The intriguing part is he never needed to.
The Halftime Show
Halftime shows are always hard for Super Bowl committees to fill.  With such a diverse fan base for the NFL it is nearly impossible to keep everyone happy when you decide on entertainment for the big game.  Bruno Mars was a decent choice.  Given the fact that he hasn't been a relevant star for at least a year I would have picked someone else.  The Red Hot Chili Peepers were added kind of last minute.  When they came out wearing just shorts and not showing how cold it really was in New York made the half time show watchable.
The Commercials
The commercials did not live up to their hype this year.  Alot of people watch the Super Bowl just to see the commercials.  Many times the commercials are the big thing talked about on Monday.  This year was a let down.  Many company weren't willing to spend big on the Superbowl and it showed.  Now don't get me wrong there was a couple of commercials that were good but we are used to seeing a Super Bowl filled with lots and lots of great commercials.
So there is my proof that Super Bowl XLVIII was a super let down.  The Super Bowl could have been a whole lot better in more ways then one.  the reality is its still the Super Bowl and the biggest sports event we have today.  So if I could go back in time to Super Sunday would I watch knowing its not going to be a great Superbowl?  You bet your life I would!  That's what makes football so great.

Super Bowl XLVIII Prediction

We are less than an hour away from the big game.  Whether its the game itself or the commercials all eyes will be on New York this evening.  Both teams are very deserving of the right to call themselves Super Bowl XLVIII champs.  This will be a very close game that will come down to the final drive.  The weather seems to be in favor of Peyton Manning and the Broncos.  But with the best defense in the league don't count out the Seattle Seahawks.  I'm predicting the Bromcos th win 37-34, but if the score is low it gives the Seahawks the advantage.  Look for a heavy dose of Marshawn Lynch and for Peyton to throw early and often.  What ever the outcome we should be treated to another great Super Bowl.