Road Trippin'

The Game:  Toledo at Miami (OH)

The Mileage:  198 (Approximately a 3.5 hour drive)

The Reasons:  Robert Frost described Miami University as "the most beautiful college there ever was," so that should be reason enough.  Also, Toledo head coach Tim Beckman wants you to make the trip.  Both teams defenses are serving up more that 34 points per game, so there should be a lot of scoring.  The Miami RedHawks hold a 28-20-1 edge over the Toledo Rockets in the all-time series. 

Lodging:  It's only a 3.5 hour drive, so you can drive back after the game.

Eats:  Bagel & Deli Shop is located less than a block from campus.  Founded in 1975, Bagel & Deli shop is known for steamed bagel sandwiches and subs.  It boasts more than 90 speciality sandwiches and has spawned four other branches across the nation.

Bagel & Deli Shop
119 E High St
Oxford, OH 45056
(513) 523-2131
http://www.bagelanddeli.com/

Another Miami legend is the Tuffy's Toasted Roll. The Toasted Roll was created by Myron Timothy Potter (nicknamed Tuffy), who enrolled in Miami in 1921 and never left.  You can get one at the Tuffy's in the Shriver Center located in the middle of campus.



Tickets:  You should have no problem getting tickets last minute.  Call the ticket office at (513) 529-HAWK to make sure.

Tips:  Don't step on the seal.  The University Seal is embedded into the sidewalk in the center of campus.  The tradition is to avoid stepping on the seal, out of respect for the history and values of Miami University. 

Please add your own suggestions in the comments.
 

Baseball Shows The Flaws In A Playoff, Again

Was just channel flipping and caught the end of a conversation between Steve Phillips and Colin Cowherd on some ESPN show.  The gist of their conversation was that playoff baseball with days off isn't structured to determine what team is the best especially in relation to the regular season which has teams playing almost daily.  Instead, success tends to shift to teams with impact players (read: the ones with the financial resources).

Its an interesting consideration especially when so much of the playoff talk in college football is about fairness and letting the little guy get in on the action.  What programs have the resources to acquire the great bulk of impact players?  The big guys, of course --- USC, Notre Dame, Alabama, Oklahoma, Texas, etc.

Whether that extrapolates to college football I'm unsure but I certainly think a playoff (just like the bowls) is distinctive from the regular season and is structurally set up to reward differently than what success in the regular season means.  Not enough attention is paid to the distinctions.  I think back often to Billy Beane's thoughts in Moneyball about only caring that he get his team to the playoffs in the first place because after that, playoff baseball was a crapshoot that no amount of his tinkering could really influence the outcome.  That is, entirely too much outside noise gummed up the works to reward not necessarily superior teams but merely the lucky.

It blows my mind that postseason success could be much more random than about the atual ability of the various teams.  Playoff advocates need to think long and hard about that consideration and try to find (if even possible) how to manage the randomness of it all, and if they can't find a smart way to do it, step back from the megaphone.

Look, I'm not anti playoff.  There's a few that I think work fairly well but you have to structure them appropriately.  In my mind there's simply no way, however, to appropriately organize a college football playoff.

None.

Even in baseball where you have a series of games between teams, the randomness of the game is so large the format still doesn't always advance the generally superior regular season teams.

The NFL playoffs are great entertainment, but they're one and done.  While there's certainly something significant to teams having just one game to advance or disappear, there's still so much noise to just a one game situation from weather to officiating to health to a million other factors.  The only way in my mind to fairly reduce that and have the teams truly prove themselves beyond the noise (and not within the fog of it) is to play a series of games between them which is obviously unfeasible in college football.

Road Trippin'

Road Trippin' is a new feature here at College Football Resource.  Each week, we'll try our best to convince you to get off the couch and make an epic road trip to watch your favorite team play.  The teams, cities, and travel times will change, but the concept will stay the same:  We will turn an ill-advised, last minute road trip into a well-advised, last minute road trip.

The Game:  #23 Houston at Tulane

The Mileage:  347 (Approximately a 5.5 hour drive)

The Reasons:  The Houston Cougars are coming off a road victory against an SEC opponent, but are still looking for their first C-USA victory.  QB Case Keenum is 21 yards away from passing David Klingler for second on the Cougars' career passing yards list.  Houston is 10-4 all-time against Tulane.

If you are a Cougar fan, you should jump in the car and make the road trip.  Not only will you see your favorite team, but you will also get to spend some time in New Orleans.

Lodging:  A quick search on SideStep results in a variety of rooms and rates.  My pick?

Crescent Palms Motel
3923 Martin Luther King Jr Blv
New Orleans, LA, United States
504 821-7773
www.crescentpalmsmotel.com

It's located 1 mile from The Louisiana Superdome, so you can walk to and from the game to avoid paying for parking there.  The rate is $69/night, plus they boast a cocktail lounge, which sounds like a win-win situation.

Eats:  Get some local flavor at Joey K's.  It was featured on Food Network's Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives, and has a menu filled with New Orleans' classics.  Plus, it is located only 2 miles from the Crescent Palms Motel and the Superdome.

Joey K's Restaurant & Bar
3001 Magazine St
New Orleans, LA 70115
(504) 891-0997
www.joeyksrestaurant.com

Tickets:  Tickets seem to be scarce around the web, which leaves you with three options.  1.  Buy some off a ticket website and hope they show up at will call.  2.  Scavenge for tickets at the Superdome.  3.  Tailgate and then watch the game in the French Quarter.

Pregame:  The Tulane Tailgating Village is set up on top of the Southeast Parking Garage at the Superdome.  You can also just walk around until you see some red shirts in the green wave and join your fellow Houston fans.

Postgame:  French Quarter.  New Orleans is your oyster po-boy.

Tips:  Don't show up empty-handed, especially if you're going to be looking for tickets.  I would suggest bringing some Houston flavor in the form of local beer.

Please add your own suggestions in the comments.

SEC Quotable

The Wiz of Odds blasts the SEC in his latest writeup at Covers.com

The reality is that the SEC in 2009 consists of Alabama, Florida and a bunch of nobodies. In nonconference games against Division I-A opponents, SEC teams are a pedestrian 14-11 against the spread. In nonconference play against teams from Bowl Championship Series conferences, the record is 4-7. That’s a .363 percentage, the worst of the six BCS conferences.

As we've said on here plenty o' times, things are cyclical.  The SEC is the conference best positioned to dominate college football and has the most intense fan base, but the rumors of its invincibility have long been more fable than reality.

Its an old, tired debate but a good kick to the groin every now and then (while still voting Alabama No. 1, heh) hopefully keeps people honest and the whole discussion in perspective.

Dez Bryant, Meet NCAA

NCAA, meet head-scratching frivolity.  You do that a lot, we realize.

The more stupid situations like this that go down, the less ground you have to stand on.  This whole amateurism thing can't last forever, and you have to realize that, right?

Right?

Find a smart way to abandon it and maybe, maaaaaaaaaaybe when the reckoning comes for your organization, it can retain some reasonable scraps of power and carve out a more limited, focused, meaningful purpose more in line with reality.

But you have to wake up first.

CFR College Football Power Rankings Week Six 2009

Ohhhhh kayyyyyy, things seem to have sorted out a bit more this week.  Things get extremely dicey after the top 10 or so, reasonable given most schools are about five games in.

1. Alabama -- Not perfect on the road against Kentucky, but good enough given all the playmaking on an otherwise sleepy outing
2. Texas -- See last week's notes
3. Florida -- Big showdown Saturday against LSU, likely without the baby rhinocerus at quarterback
4. USC -- Solid win against a reeling California, offense still very much a work in progress
5. Virginia Tech -- Playing quality football, got a career passing day from quarterback Tyrod Taylor against Duke
6. Miami -- Huge rebound after falling to VaTech in beating an Oklahoma team that was catching stride
7. Ohio State -- Seem to have found their identity, although not getting quite what they would like out of Terrelle Pryor yet
8. Oregon -- Red hot, can reasonably place the Boise State loss in context at this point and argue for what they've done since
9. Cincinnati -- Alabama lite, that isn't a bad thing
10. Boise State -- Defense a little leaky in games that probably could have been shutouts against Bowling Green (14 points allowed) and UC Davis (16) Quibbles, we know

Others: LSU, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Penn State, Arizona, UCLA, Notre Dame, TCU, Michigan, Wisconsin, Georgia Tech, USF, Fresno State (don't laugh!), BYU, Kansas, Nebraska, Auburn, Iowa

CFR College Football Power Rankings Week Five 2009

All but belated.  Really tough picking this week, there's just not much order after those first three teams.  Thank heavens the season is 12 weeks.

1. Alabama -- They're baaaaaack!
2. Texas -- Extremely inconsistent run game, vulnerable defense, but may have caught stride in the passing game which makes them near impossible to stop.
3. Florida -- Slow out of the gate, pretty much as anticipated.  Still loaded with or without Tebow.
4. Oklahoma -- Nice recovery.
5. Boise State -- The story here, oddly, is defense.
6. Virginia Tech -- Ehhhh.
7. Cincinnati -- Probably a bit high but they win and are extremely well coached.
8. USC -- The defense is ridiculous, high contrast with that shaky offense.
9. Ohio State -- Another fine defensive program.
10. Penn State -- There's something about Iowa.

Oregon, Auburn, Houston, Iowa, LSU are all on the cusp.  Watch how much this changes in just a few weeks.

Thumbs Up For Gus Malzahn

Football Outsiders' 'Varsity Numbers' college football space takes a look at Gus Malzahn's college career and brief showing so far with Auburn and finds his impact explosive.

Malzahn has to be considered the main cause for the sudden success. While it's nice that he has brought some early excitement to Auburn, the fact that the team's numbers have been so closely in line with Malzahn's offensive identity may be a sign of sustained prosperity.

CFR College Football Power Rankings Week Four 2009

Every week, some changes.

1. Florida -- Playing sort of how I felt they would, looking like a No. 1 but not the impregnable machine everyone sort of fears they'd be.
2. Alabama -- The 'Tide do almost everything right.  If McElroy ever develops into a powerhouse quarterback they'll be ridiculous.
3. Texas -- May have finally found a running back.  About time.
4. Penn State -- Went in hiding for a few weeks but GameDay's out for their revenge game against Iowa.
5. Cal -- Shaky at times against Minnesota but rallied.  Can Jahvid Best ever stay healthy for a full game?
6. Miami -- The challenge this year will be performing consistently once the rough early schedule passes and excitement wanes.
7. USC -- Still hasn't figured out how to play consistent offensive football since the split with Norm Chow.  Disappointing.
8. Ohio State -- Went to the air last week to positive results while pitching a shutout against an explosive (albeit MAC) offense.
9. Cincinnati -- Defense has surprised and they're playing hard.
10. Ole Miss -- Jevan Snead is the star but the defensive line really gets after it.

Tier II (no particular order): LSU, Florida State, Oklahoma, Michigan, Notre Dame, TCU, Boise State

Tier III: Auburn, Clemson, Virginia Tech, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma State, Washington, Oregon State, Fresno State, Houston, BYU

Postponed

The CFR Heisman Ballot and Robert Griffin Watch are postponed, but will return next week.

CFR College Football Power Rankings Week Two 2009

As always, these are power rankings.  Its good to see some early sorting out and shaking out going on.  Apologies for the lateness of this.  D'oh.

1. Florida -- Default.
2. USC -- A shaky No. 2, hmm?  And now Matt Barkley's hurt and probably won't play Saturday.  Taylor Mays may get shelved, as well, as Pete Carroll goes up against the understudy.
3. Alabama -- Shaky last week, but ...
4. Texas -- Lots of slow offensive starts last week in the top three.
5. Ohio State -- Letdown week?
6. Penn State -- Not much separation between them and the Buckeyes.
7. California -- Sneaky.
8. Cincinnati -- They're a machine early on.

Tier II -- Miami, TCU, BYU, Boise State, Oklahoma, Virginia Tech, Oklahoma State, Notre Dame, Michigan, Auburn, LSU

Kirk Herbstreit's Nascent Populism

Whats up with this sudden streak of populism from the face of college football on ESPN, Kirk Herbstreit?

I don't mind folks sticking up for the BYU's and Boise State's of the world, but essentially saying before the season's even close to played out an undefeated BYU should be in the BCS Championship game is unsettling.

One part of what I think is a solid corrective of the present system is that teams that benefit from a tremendous amount of luck or continue to skate by can be punished by voters.  I'm not saying that will be how BYU goes through the season but the larger point is we should observe their entire body of work.

Regardless, taking down Oklahoma and if they win Saturday, Florida State in the same season gives *strong* backing to one's case and that should be taken as such, but not the entirety.  There was a reason Utah was not in the top four at the end of last year, and USC was not seriously discussed as a BCS Championship possible.  They combined for just one loss but were pedestrian enough in a handful of other outings to leave some doubt.

We need to wait and see on BYU instead of declaring in advance that if they're undefeated, they need to be on at least one voter's ballot as BCS Championship Game worthies.

I understand the impulse to be progressive and right old wrongs, but its dangerous and not sensible so far in advance.  Let BYU get in on their own merits, not because we feel bad that other non-BCS programs have arguably been left out when they shouldn't have.

AMAZING Florida Stat

As seen moments ago on ESPN's College Football Live:

Florida has scored 30 or more points in 13 straight SEC games (!)(!)(!)  Unreal.

Coaches Atwitter 9/14/09

Colorado head coach Dan Hawkins is busy watching film, probably a lot of it:

USC head coach Pete Carroll congratulates his former assistant and this week's opponent:

Western Kentucky head coach David Elson took part in YouTube comedy gold:

Robert Griffin Watch: Week One

CFR is 'adopting' Baylor quarterback Robert Griffin.

Why?

Why not.  He's an unusual player at a secondary program that appears on the ascendant.  Catch a wave, right?

9/5 @ Wake Forest

15/24 (.625) for 136 yards 1 TD/0 INT

123.85 Rating

13 Carries, 41 yards (3.2) average, 0 TD

The lowlight of the outing may have been his fourth quarter fumble at Baylor's 25 that led to a Wake Forest touchdown to cut the Bears' lead from 24-14 to 24-21.  Two Griffin-led drives were spoiled by a blocked field goal and a missed field goal.  Amusingly, Griffin boomed a 59-yard punt after a three-and-out in the first half, the ball downed at the Wake Forest five yard line.

Overall it looks like Griffin had a real tough time completing anything other than short passes after his successful first drive, but was able to use his running ability in tandem with a decent running day from Jay Finley and a trick play touchdown to get first downs, scores, and keep the Bears' offense moving.

CFR's Week One Heisman Rankings

Throughout the season CFR will have a weekly mock ballot of who its Heisman Trophy choice would be at that point in the season.

This week:

1. TOO
2. DAMN
3. EARLY

There's just not enough to go by after one week of play and way too many great performances to name.  I look forward to putting some names up there hopefully starting next week but there's just nothing to really go by today.

CFR College Football Power Rankings Week One 2009

So one week of play is in, yippee!  As always these are power rankings.  Record matters, but so does talent and performance.

1. Florida -- Not much to judge by when playing extra soft cupcakes.
2. USC -- Mind you it was San Jose State but wow.  The offense has all the returning starters but the defense might be the better side of the team.  Quietly confirming what I suspected about the USC defense that it could be a top five group even after losing so many great players to the NFL draft.
3. Texas -- Slight nod over Alabama.  Call it the Colt McCoy factor.
4. Alabama -- The bowl loss set them back in peoples' eyes but man this team is going to be good.  Tough, talented, they've already shown they can run the ball against a really good defense while playing a new quarterback.
5. Penn State -- Daryll Clark just gets better each week, deserves some Heisman mention if he keeps this up after throwing for nearly 400 yards.  A little worried about their offensive line and defensive line outside of anchor Odrick but we'll learn more in Big Ten play.
6. California -- Just a notch below the big boys as far as talent but like USC they seem to have perked up this year and could be headed for a rematch of that epic 2004 game except this time it'll be up in Berkeley.
7. LSU -- Dubious start against Washington but I saw that coming.  Defense isn't like LSU defenses of old but they really, really run and tackle well.  Jordan Jefferson is steady, has a knack for making plays.
8. Oklahoma State -- Solid home beating of Georgia.  Exposed Georgia's quarterback woes even before SEC play, which is unusual.  But as we saw Georgia's defense did a great job of holding down the Cowboys' offense.  I have to believe several of the teams ahead of them here could do the same.
9. Ohio State -- Shaky start against Navy but they'll get their shot this weekend at home against USC with a lot to prove.  Terrelle Pryor hasn't made The Leap yet but he's getting closer.  Brandon Saine seems to have woken up and perhaps moved past dependable slasher Dan 'Boom' Herron.

Others on CFR's Radar:

BYU, Boise State, Cincinnati, Virginia Tech, Florida State, Miami, Georgia Tech, Ole Miss

Wait and See ...

TCU, Notre Dame, Michigan, Missouri, Baylor, Tennessee, Oklahoma

Coaches Atwitter 9/9/09

Stanford head coach Jim Harbaugh was glad some professional golfers were thinking about Stanford football:

How did your coach handle practice on Tuesday?

CFR College Football Power Rankings Preseason 2009

As always, these are power rankings.  Records matter, performance and overall perception of team strength plays a big role.

Preseason picks are a challenge and fortunately they mean nothing once the players hit the field.  Instead of building out a 20+ team list this year I think I'll just stick to a power nine of the programs I believe to be the strongest right now.

1. Florida -- They're loaded, but I hunch they won't dominate in anywhere near the same fashion as last year when they were surprisingly off the radar once they lost to Ole Miss.  Everyone will take their best shots but its hard to argue with Tim Tebow, an endless array of offensive weapons and an entire two deep back from a top ten defense.
2. USC -- Gut call here.  I believe this to be the best USC team since 2005, one that is particularly hungry not having tasted a championship game in four years.  The decision to play true freshman Matt Barkley at quarterback is a severe head-scratcher but everything else lines up nicely.  The schedule is challenging with rivals, top 10 teams, revenge games and lots of tough roadies.  Count on that keeping USC alert week-to-week this time around.
3. Oklahoma -- I like their defense better than Texas', and they'll be better running the ball.  Everyone talks about having to go it with four new offensive linemen but Oklahoma's a talent factory, that'll resolve itself after a few weeks.  They should also beat Texas in a revenge game of sorts for last year's defeat.
4. Texas -- Colt McCoy is ridiculous.  Flat out ridiculous, and I hope he keeps up the ridiculous accuracy.  I just don't see it though with the run game and replacing two impact veteran defensive linemen.  The schedule is a breeze so they'll be in the hunt but I think they're just a notch below the others.
5. Alabama -- Ignore the Sugar Bowl loss, if you can.  It was a letdown game and they played like it.  This is a program that just gets better each year, very fast and tough on defense, the new quarterback should bring a new energy to the offense, very solid overall team.
6. LSU -- Rebound year.  They fixed their quarterback and defensive coordinator issues in a big way and are under the radar for the first time in more than a few years.  They'll catch a few people sleeping.
7. Penn State -- Some questions on both lines but Daryll Clark really impressed me in the Rose Bowl last year, the guy just never lets up and makes a lot of plays.  They'll run the ball well and have been really tough on defense the last few years which should continue.
8. Ohio State -- Seem to have found their groove in the bowl loss to Texas last year, looks like they turned a corner even in (narrow) defeat to a very good team.  Good defensive line, their offensive line might be their best in years, will run the ball well and they have a threat nobody else possesses at quarterback.
9. California -- Should be excellent defensively this year.  Quarterback Riley really slid the last two years but if he gets back to form he's pretty darn good and will need to be to create more opportunities for explosive back Jahvid Best.

Coaches Atwitter 8/24/09

USC head coach Pete Carroll is ready to lift some boxes:

Stanford head coach Jim Harbaugh wants everyone to check out the latest rankings:

The University of Central Florida's coaching staff uses an almost identical tweet for the rankings (FYI: UCF is ranked #5 on the list of up-and-coming universities):

Florida State's TEs coach and recruiting coordinator James Coley advises you to stay awake:

SMU head coach June Jones had the nation's 43rd President stop by and take some pictures: