this week we had the final indignity – Iceland trying to butt in and screw up the proceedings. A volcano called Bardarbunga (1) – which ranks with Jumanji (RIP Robin Williams) and Tora Bora for provocative additions to the lexicon – is threatening to blow. A red-alert transoceanic travel advisory was issued. There was speculation that Saturday's Penn State-Central Florida game (2) in Ireland would be imperiled by a flight-stopping ash plume from Bardarbunga.

As of publication of this column, the volcano is cooperating with the football gods. Perhaps they tossed a few virgins from UCF off the caldera to appease them and get the first game of the first football Saturday played.

CINDERELLA IS DEAD

Continuing the off-season theme of creating further separation between the Haves and Have Nots, the poll voters have collectively turned their backs on the little guys. There are zero teams ranked in the preseason Top 25s – either AP or USA Today poll – from outside the power-five/Notre Dame axis of worldwide domination and maximized revenue (13). This is the first time we’ve started a season like that since 1999. Voters are shoving them out of sight and out of mind from the get-go now.

The two unranked, non-power programs The Dash will be watching closest:

UCF (15). Blake Bortles was a special player. Still, losing him shouldn’t result in a classic trap-dooring of a mid-major team that went 12-1 and dominated the Fiesta Bowl. The Knights are good and get two immediate chances to show how good, opening against Penn State and then playing Missouri in Columbia on Sept. 13. They also have five weeknight games later on that provide a captive audience of fans, voters, media members and committee members to impress.

CONFERENCE PREDICTIONS SURE TO GO WRONG

AMERICAN ATHLETIC

Notable additions: East Carolina, Tulsa, Tulane. Because nothing says “instant rivalry” quite like Tulane vs. Connecticut, schools that are a mere 1,450 miles apart. Believe it or not, tickets are still available for that Oct. 11 meeting in New Orleans.

Notable subtractions: Louisville, Rutgers. Predatory leagues have left just a few bare bones of the old Big East carcass.

Champ: Central Florida.

Dark horse: East Carolina (27). A lot of holes to fill from last year’s 10-3 team, and this is a step up in conference class. But the Pirates can build around the league’s best pass-and-catch combo in quarterback Shane Carden and wide receiver Justin Hardy.

Bust: SMU. Program has had a good restorative run under June Jones, but it is showing signs of losing momentum. Mustangs had their first losing season since 2008 last year, and could pretty easily start 0-6 this year.

Dumbest thing: UCF and Cincinnati, probably the two best teams this year and certainly the two most stable programs over recent years, don’t play each other. The league has robbed itself of a rare marquee matchup.

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/forde-yard-...ncaaf.html

Forde obviously doesn't see that the reason ECU/UH and UC/UCF avoid each other is to have the most teams possible ranked and to not knock ourselves out of the Access Bowl.

Forde lives in Louisville and is a huge Cardinal fan (in fact, he probably posts on this board).

I am not suprised that he thinks the conference is dead now that his team has gotten the gold ticket.

Forde might be the biggest a__hole in college sports media. I'd like him to get into a helicopter with Paul Finebaum. And I'd like that helicopter to crash.

Ok, that's extreme. I take that back. But both these guys are what is wrong with the sport and the sports writing culture these days.

is it me, or does Finebaum resemble Johnny Cab - the robot cab driver - in "Total Recall"? You be the judge:

(08-26-2014 12:22 PM)NBPirate Wrote:  Forde obviously doesn't see that the reason ECU/UH and UC/UCF avoid each other is to have the most teams possible ranked and to not knock ourselves out of the Access Bowl.

Don't care if that is the reason, I am with Ford and absolutely hate that the best teams don't play each other (in a year where there is no conference championship game).

There are no virgins at UCF.

(08-26-2014 12:25 PM)CliftonAve Wrote:  Forde lives in Louisville and is a huge Cardinal fan (in fact, he probably posts on this board).

I am not suprised that he thinks the conference is dead now that his team has gotten the gold ticket.

this

i am surprised he can even type with louisevilles nuts in his mouth

(08-26-2014 12:29 PM)OUGwave Wrote:  Forde might be the biggest a__hole in college sports media. I'd like him to get into a helicopter with Paul Finebaum. And I'd like that helicopter to crash.

Ok, that's extreme. I take that back. But both these guys are what is wrong with the sport and the sports writing culture these days.

i would hate to see a good helicopter ruined.