William Dowling beat me in a College Football trivia stand-off on August 4, 2007
sorry it took me so long to put this on here, William!
College Football: Final AP Poll reviewed
Monday, January 15, 2007
The final poll reflects the results of all bowl games including the BCS National Championship Game. I’ll admit that I made my picks in that game and the Rose Bowl to follow the way that I was rooting in those games, but I really did feel like Florida was going to beat Ohio State. If you listen to talk radio or read the sports page or internet sites like this one, you’ve heard over and over how Ohio State’s schedule was weaker than Florida’s. I said it in the article I wrote before the bowls started.
So I was right about Florida winning but I don’t know anyone who expected a blowout like we saw last Monday night. We saw the total destruction of one of college football’s true powers in that game and possibly the beginnings of a dynasty coming out of Gainesville, FL. I was very wrong about the Rose Bowl. I bashed the Big Ten but for some reason overlooked that and said the Wolverines would crush USC. Not a good pick there, but as I said before I was rooting for a split national title and this was the only way that scenario would come to fruition. More
College Football: Final AP Poll
Wednesday, December 13, 2006
We now turn our attention to the Bowl Season: “the most wonderful time of the year” as ESPN likes to name it. I know this is off the usual subject, but one thing I’d like to note is that when it comes to playoffs, we aren’t going to see them come all at once folks. We need to take baby steps towards that system and this year we are taking one of those baby steps by adding an extra bowl game on January 8th. Eventually, this extra game may turn into a “plus one” game which pits winners of two other bowls against each other. We’re not that far from what we all want, so don’t get too frustrated.
There weren’t too many games to pick from this week so I may have had my worst week of picks of all season long. UCLA shocked USC and honestly I don’t feel too bad about that pick. I did pick Arkansas, Georgia Tech, and Hawaii – all losers. Sometimes you have to pick the upsets and Florida proved me wrong by showing that they should be considered for the national title. I did pick Louisville, Oklahoma, West Virginia, and Cal but those winners were not hard picks to make.More
College Football: Week 14 Poll
Wednesday, November 29, 2006
It’s been a great season so far and we’re almost done now. We now go from “Rivalry Week #2” to “Rivalry Week #3 / Conference Championship Weekend”. The Big East and Pac-10 have recently started scheduling games during the first week of December in lieu of a conference championship game. This week, we’ll see rivalry games like USC vs. UCLA and Cal vs. Stanford.
Maybe more important than any single game this past week was the fact that USC jumped Michigan in the poll. Remember that the AP Poll no longer factors into the BCS Standings, but also remember that the AP still crowns its own national champion. We may not be rid of the split national champions yet, folks. I correctly predicted that USC would easily beat Notre Dame but I thought the pollsters would wait a week to move the Trojans ahead of the Wolverines. I guess the victory was impressive enough for the voters to take the initiative this week. None of this will matter if UCLA can pull the huge upset this week in the Rose Bowl. More
College Football: Week 13 AP Poll
Wednesday, November 22, 2006
As we move from “Rivalry Week #1” to “Rivalry Week #2”, one thing I want to point out is that college football so rarely disappoints. Whenever we have a huge game on tap over the last couple of years, it always lives up to the hype. Ohio State – Michigan delivered on its promise of becoming “The Game” this year. Who ever put money down on a final score of 42-39 must have some sort of clairvoyant power because that final score was so unexpected it made my jaw drop.
I didn’t expect that final score by any stretch, but a couple of my other predictions came true. First, Ohio State won the game and clinched a trip to Glendale to play for all the marbles. Second, Troy Smith clinched the Heisman Trophy. I know that second item is not official yet, but who really thinks that Brady Quinn or anyone else can catch Smith after that performance? The trip to New York City in a couple weeks and the production that is put on to celebrate the five finalists’ accomplishments is really just a formality at this point. More
College Football: Week 12 AP Poll
Tuesday, November 14, 2006
It saddens me to say this, but we’re almost at the end of the season. We’re already entering “Rivalry Week #1” and maybe the biggest rivalry game of them all means more this time than ever. Before we get into Ohio State-Michigan, let’s discuss the week that was.
Each week I keep making the same point, but these two teams are forcing me to keep them in the storyline. Rutgers and Wake Forest are truly amazing stories. Rutgers is getting all of the national hype and deservedly so. The Scarlet Knights won the biggest game in their history last Thursday by taking down the undefeated Louisville Cardinals. Wake Forest beat down Florida State 30-0 in Tallahassee. Say what you will about the ‘Noles being down this year, but the 9-1 Demon Deacons are almost as impressive to me as the boys from Piscataway. More
College Football: Week 11 AP Poll
Wednesday, November 08, 2006
I mentioned a few weeks ago that it was strange that Rutgers and Wake Forest were ranked at the simultaneously for the first time I can remember. Not only have both the Scarlet Knights and Demon Deacons stayed ranked ever since, but we’ve now had our “Game of the Week” played by two Big East teams on a Thursday night. What has this world come to?
Last week I predicted the Mountaineers to take out Louisville and was very wrong on that one. Louisville continues to surprise me without one of their star players, Michael Bush. For the record, I believe the Cardinals should get a chance to go to the National Championship Game if they run the table. I believe if a team in a BCS conference goes undefeated and they are one of only two teams undefeated left, they should go over all one-loss teams. The question is will the Cards stay undefeated long enough to stay in the hunt? Well, you’ll have to read on for that answer. More
College Football: Week 10 AP Poll
Tuesday, October 31, 2006
“Upset Saturday”? I haven’t seen any media source dub this past weekend as that, but probably more upsets happened than in any other weekend. First of all, Oregon State taking down goliath USC has to be the upset of the year. I had previously given Arkansas over Auburn that title but this one’s bigger because of how Arkansas has succeeded since their upset win. USC dropped to #9 but they’re still the highest ranked Pac-10 team.
The Trojans weren’t the only top 10 team to go down on the road. Everything was going right for Tommy Bowden and his Clemson Tigers. Most people were crowning them as the best team in the ACC and were one BC loss away from going to the ACC Championship Game in Jacksonville. That all came to a grinding halt on Thursday night in Blacksburg as the Hokies played the role of spoiler very well. The Tigers’ chances of making a BCS bowl are now slim to none.More
College Football: Week 9 AP Poll
Tuesday, October 24, 2006
I probably had my best week to date as far as picks go. I’ll admit that the games weren’t extremely difficult to pick because there weren’t many big games but of all the games of the weekend, I only missed on three. Coming in, the games of the week were Texas @ Nebraska and Georgia Tech @ Clemson. One of those games lived up to its billing but I was right in my predictions on both.
Nebraska almost proved me wrong and had Texas on the ropes until Terrance Nunn fumbled away to the Longhorns which led to a walk-on kicker’s game winning field goal. The loss sent the Huskers to #20 when I predicted it would send them to #22. I didn’t expect the score to be as close so congratulations to Nebraska for a great game. More
College Football: Week 8 AP Poll
Thursday, October 19, 2006
Perhaps we’re entering into a new era in the world of college football. When was the last time Rutgers and Wake Forest were both ranked in the AP Poll? We had a huge matchup this past weekend in Auburn when the #2 Florida Gators took on the Auburn Tigers. As I predicted, the Tigers jumped back into the national title picture by beating the visiting Gators. The win moved Auburn up to #8 in the AP Poll, but more importantly to #4 in the BCS Standings ahead of undefeated West Virginia. So much for the loss to Arkansas taking Auburn out of the title hunt!
We also had a couple of unexpected upsets. Indiana shocked Iowa in Bloomington and Vanderbilt shocked Georgia in Athens. Other less shocking upsets involving ranked teams were #19 Missouri falling to unranked Texas A&M and #22 Virginia Tech falling to unranked Boston College. The victorious teams in these latter cases were all rewarded with their own spots on the ranking list this week. More
College Football: Week 7 AP Poll
Wednesday, October 11, 2006
Fans of college football were treated to a very entertaining weekend this past weekend. The weekend had its share of upsets and also provided some exciting games between highly ranked teams. Maybe we can call Arkansas defeating Auburn in Auburn the upset of the year. The game was lopsided but not the way most people expected, yours truly included. Knowing that USC had been able to hit the half century mark against Arkansas in Fayetteville a few weeks earlier, there was no way to see this upset coming.
Arkansas was unranked before this game but climbed to #17 in a hurry. Beating the #2 ranked team in the land on their home turf will do that for you. Auburn fell all the way to #11 and possibly out of the national title picture. But before you write off the Tigers too quickly, know that a win over the current #2 team this week – the Florida Gators – puts Tommy Tuberville’s team right back into the discussion.More
College Football: Week 6 AP Poll
Thursday, October 05, 2006
This past weekend was relatively quiet as was the week prior to that. So quiet that yours truly easily predicted the top ten in the AP Poll in the exact order as they actually appear today. This wasn’t so hard to do since two of the top ten teams had a bye and some of the games involving the other eight included the likes of Sam Houston State, Mississippi State, and Ole Miss. Upsets in any of those games would have probably shaken the Earth off of its axis.
The game of the week was top ranked Ohio State going to Iowa City to take on the Hawkeyes. The Buckeyes left no doubt that they are the team to beat this year. The Hawkeyes seemed to hang around at points in the game, but I don’t think Ohio State ever doubted that they were going to win. Perhaps some had picked the upset but I wasn’t in that camp for this one. More
College Football: Week 5 AP Poll
Tuesday, September 26, 2006
This past weekend didn’t produce much noise in the world of college football. The weekend before was filled with so many huge matchups that the media was trying to name it. “Separation Saturday” and “Shakeout Saturday” were titles that I heard. This past weekend didn’t have any catchy name attached to it and it didn’t produce any huge upsets. Still, a ho-hum day in college football beats a day at work any time!
If you go by rankings, the game of the week was #20 Arizona State @ #22 Cal - not exactly the battle of heavyweights that you’ll be telling your grandkids about. It may have been the only game that was difficult to predict so of course I picked it wrong. You gamblers may want to start reading this article so you can pick opposite of me and make some money. I promise to stop punishing Cal for their loss in Knoxville from now on! More
College Football: Week 4 AP Poll
Tuesday, September 19, 2006
What a great weekend for college football!! I’ve heard some say this was the best day of high-profile matchups we’ve had in over a decade. I’ve also heard some say that the list of matchups we had this past Saturday was a better slate of games than you’ll get on New Year’s Day.
I was very surprised to see the smack-down Notre Dame received at the hands of Lloyd Carr and his Michigan Wolverines. Not many people outside of Ann Arbor could see that one coming. I’d dare say that many in Ann Arbor were expecting a blowout in the opposite direction as well. So, I don’t feel bad about missing that pick. I took Notre Dame in that one but now it looks like Brady Quinn’s Heisman campaign is over. More
College Football: Week 3 AP Poll
Tuesday, September 12, 2006
It’s been a decade since the last time we saw a regular season game between #1 and #2 in both major polls. The game itself was a disappointment as the Longhorns couldn’t muster anything on offense against the new Buckeye defense and Ohio State rolled in Austin 24-7. I definitely blew that pick. These nine new starters on defense for Ohio State are going to do just fine, thank you very much.
Let’s see how the rest of my picks turned out. Below is a table showing how I had predicted the poll to look last week lined up against how it looks in reality today. I’ve also added this week’s opponent for each team to the table.More
The Long Wait is Over: Bring on the NFL!!!
Thursday, September 07, 2006
Fall is my favorite season of the year. Yeah, it’s nice to lose that uncomfortable heat and humidity of the summer and the scenery of the leaves changing color is pretty and all, but I think most people reading this know why I’m such a fan of Autumn.
Tonight we see the defending Super Bowl Champion Pittsburgh Steelers take on the Miami Dolphins to kick off the NFL season. There are so many things to look forward to in the coming months on and off the field. More
College Football: Week 2 AP Poll
Wednesday, September 06, 2006
What will the AP Poll look like next week? I’ve got the answer for you. Each week we’ll be predicting what each ranked team will do in the upcoming games and how that will impact their rankings. Then, we’ll compare these predictions against what actually happened as the season progresses.
In the early weeks of the season, a lot of teams play the cupcakes of their schedule so there usually isn’t much movement in the polls. We did have some great games in the first week of the season nonetheless. More
So There Are Some QBs in the ACC
Monday, September 04, 2006
The ACC’s top two passers battled strong fast defenses and displayed more growth than expected. Drew Weatherford made a huge statement against Miami. He is a legit QB and showed tremendous poise. Even more importantly, he has FSU back in the national title picture. Maybe title hopes were dashed for Miami tonight, but Kyle Wright should help the Hurricanes create some noise throughout this season. More
Fourth and Inches: Are you ready for some football?
by Calvin Dubose
Thursday, August 31, 2006
Well the time has finally come. Tonight begins another season of football and needless to say I have been chomping at the bit. So many questions to be answered. Did Bomar's conduct cost OU a shot at the title? Is Lloyd Carr in trouble up at Michigan? How does USC perform without all those Heisman trophy winners? Can Mack Brown and Texas repeat as national champs? Does Tuberville and Auburn finally get an invitation to play in a national championship game? Just so many questions. More
Week 1 Game of the Week
Wednesday, August 30, 2006
The game of the week is…….Notre Dame at Georgia Tech. Yeah, there is a Georgia Tech bias here. The invitation is open to you the fan to change that. Until that time, let’s talk about those Jackets. Actually, this game is definitely one of the top games this week and may be of the most interest. Nationally, Tech serves as a pain in the side for powerhouse teams. Outside of Atlanta, the only people picking the Jackets are those trying to make the cool pick. The interest here lies with the Fighting Irish. Is this a legit national title contender? We will definitely know that by the end of September and could know as soon as Saturday. More
College Football: Week 1 AP Poll
Monday, August 28, 2006
What will the AP Poll look like next week? I’ve got the answer for you. Each week we’ll be predicting what each ranked team will do in the upcoming games and how that will impact their rankings. Then, we’ll compare these predictions against what actually happened as the season progresses.
In week 1, most teams play the cupcakes of their schedule so there usually isn’t much movement in comparison with other weeks of the season. This year is no different but we do have some high quality matchups this week that will shake the poll out a little bit. More
Which conference was the best in college football last year? NFL Draft
Monday, August 28, 2006
The last category to discuss is the 2006 NFL Draft. Through the first three categories discussed, the SEC has taken the lead but the ACC and the Big Ten are close behind. The Big XII has an outside chance of taking it over, but the Pac-10 and the Big East are almost surely out of the race.
I’ve removed Mid-Majors and Div I-AA players drafted from the following table. The table shows the number of total players drafted and how this number breaks out by round. More
Which conference was the best in college football last year? Polls
Thursday, July 20, 2006
We’ve already discussed out of conference records and bowl games and really we haven’t seen one conference start to break away from the pack to take the lead. What we have seen are two of the conferences begin to trail. The Big East and the Pac-10 have started to fall behind the other conferences. Perhaps these two can catch up in the standings as we look through different criteria to judge. The next category to discuss is polls. More
Not Your Father's Northwestern Wildcats
Thursday, July 06, 2006
by Calvin Dubose
Welcome to the debut column of Fourth & Inches. I will certainly make every effort to keep it short and entertaining......
FOURTH
With the recent passing of Northwestern University football coach Randy Walker I was forced to take a walk back down memory lane. From as far back as I can remember, the program was a human punching bag not just to the Big 10 in which they are a member of but to college football in general. More
Which conference was the best in college football last year? Bowl Games
Thursday, June 29, 2006
Now that we’ve discussed out of conference records, the next category to analyze is bowl games. We’ll take the same approach to bowl games as we did with out of conference regular season games. First, we’ll take an objective look at the cumulative records and compare these records to those of the other conferences. Then, I’ll add my own subjectivity. More
Which conference was the best in college football last year? Non-conference games
Thursday, June 15, 2006
The first category I’ll discuss to settle the debate is out of conference games. Keep in mind, this article will focus on regular season out of conference games, not bowl games. Bowl games will be a separate article on it own. We can look at this objectively and add up the out of conference records of each team in a conference and compare the cumulative record with other conferences. This is what we’ll do first, but after taking a look at the facts, I’m going to add my own subjectivity to the debate. More