eltigre Wrote:greekwolf Wrote:Cincinnati got the biggest screwjob I've EVER seen from the selection committee. I mean, I was livid when the final team was called out and it wasn't the Bearcats.
And believe it or not, I do feel some sympathy for good Card fans who had to endure such a horrific season. It's almost like Memphis and Louisville swapped places from last year.
Of course, then I remember how Garcia jumped up on the scorer's table in the forum and gave the throat slashing sign to the Memphis crowd after DWash missed that last free-throw, and suddenly I don't feel so bad anymore. ;-)
Securing the NBE BC$ indeed!!!! Do you have cable(espn), read the papers, listen to radio, put tin foil on your head and process alien messages???? The nbe is a huge worry of the bc$ and MOST know it.
I guess you missed this little gem from College Football News.
1. Other than USC and Texas, who are the top challengers for the national title?
Texas and USC will likely be 1-2 going into the season. Texas has everything in place except quarterback, while USC appears to have reloaded on offense and improved on defense with the addition of Nick Holt as defensive coordinator. Getting to the national championship game requires a good team, a favorable schedule, and a whole bunch of luck. If it's not Texas and/or USC in Phoenix, one or two of these ten teams will likely be there.
11. California
Team: One of the 15 most talented in America with a fearsome offense that'll be among the nation's best.
Schedule: A win at Tennessee in the opener would put the Bears in the hunt, but road trip on November 18th at USC could end title hopes. Otherwise, it's not bad with almost all the tough games at home outside of Tennessee and USC.
10. LSU
Team: It could be argued that there's not a more talented team in America.
Schedule: Nope. As good as LSU might be, it's not going unbeaten with road trips to Auburn, Florida, Tennessee and Arkansas.
9. Florida
Team: If Leak fits the offense, and vice versa, the Gators should far and away be the best team in the East. It's SEC title game or bust.
Schedule: Along with home games against Alabama, LSU and South Carolina, there are road dates at Tennessee and Florida State, along with the neutral site game against Georgia, that'll be too tough for an unbeaten season.
8. Florida State
Team: Probably the best in the ACC. The offense will be better, but the defense will need time to jell. It won't get it because ...
Schedule: ... the opener is at Miami. If the Noles beat the Canes, 12-0 is very possible with the remaining road games at NC State, Duke and Maryland. The only home dates to worry about are against Clemson, Boston College and Virginia before the showdown with Florida.
7. Miami
Team: Solid, but not the killer of past years. Will the offense find any consistency? Can the defense be better? It's still a great team, but it has to always play up to its talent level.
Schedule: ... Very, very nice considering the home slate. The toughest games are in the Orange Bowl against Florida State, and Virginia Tech, but a road trip to Louisville is dangerous.
6. Auburn
Team: Very, very good. Probably a top five team in the preseason rankings as long as the defense plays like a killer in off-season practices.
Schedule: It's not a walk in the park, but the nasty games are at home. The road games are at Mississippi State, South Carolina and Ole Miss before ending at Alabama. Washington State, LSU, Arkansas, Florida and Georgia travel to Jordan-Hare.
5. Oklahoma
Team: Very good. The Sooners will likely be underrated to start the season before taking up permanent residence in the top ten and maybe higher.
Schedule: No offense to Texas Tech and Texas A&M, but it's a two-game season. If OU wins at Oregon and beats Texas, its national title fate should be in its own hands.
4. Ohio State
Team: Top five, likely number three to start the year. The defense will turn out to be fine, while Troy Smith and the offense will be amazing.
Schedule: September 9th at Texas. A win in Austin would do for Ohio State with the Texas win in Columbus did for the Longhorns last year. The remaining road games are at Iowa, Michigan State, Illinois and Northwestern. That's not bad.
3. Notre Dame
Team: The defense won't be appreciably better than last year, but the offense will be lights out with Brady Quinn, Darius Walker and Jeff Samardzija returning.
Schedule: 11-0 before the trip to USC? The schedule looks harder than it actually might be with Penn State, Michigan, Purdue and UCLA coming to South Bend. A national title caliber team has to beat Georgia Tech, Michigan State and Navy on the road. Of course, things could all blow up on November 25th in L.A.
2. West Virginia
Team: Top 20, but not much higher. However, Pat White and Steve Slaton are superior talents, and the offensive line will be great.
Schedule: Maryland will be tough, at Pitt will be a bear trap and at Mississippi State might be sneaky-tough, but it all comes down to the Louisville game. Unfortunately for the Mountaineers, it's played at ...
1. Louisville
Team: One of the nation's most explosive offenses, but the defense might be suspect.
Schedule: A home win over Miami would give the Cardinals the win needed to be discussed in the national title hunt, and a win at Kansas State the week after would really get the ball rolling. It all comes down to the home showdown with West Virginia.
http://collegefootballnews.com/2006/Spri...ns_3_1.htm
Or this little gem from ESPN.com. Media now giving the Football league respect.
Friday, January 20, 2006
Slaton, White could lead Mountaineers to new heights
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By Pat Forde
ESPN.com
Picking the 2006 Top 25 in January is dumber than an improvised lateral on the dead run to an unsuspecting teammate. (Was that really you, Reggie Bush?) But that's the job here, with a mild re-write after underclassmen have made their stay-or-go declarations for the NFL draft:
Here's the first word on next season:
1. West Virginia Mountaineers
Why: One of the surprise teams of 2005 should be better in '06. Quarterback Pat White and running back Steve Slaton were amazingly productive as freshmen, and they have plenty of other offensive weapons to rely on.
Why not: The secondary must be rebuilt, and we all remember how the Mountaineers underachieved in 2004 with top 10 expectations.
2. Ohio State Buckeyes
Why: Did you see Troy Smith, Ted Ginn and Antonio Pittman carve up Notre Dame in the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl?
Why not: Can the Buckeyes really be No. 2 after losing all three members of a great linebacking crew, plus two key offensive linemen? And with a trip to Austin next fall?
3. Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Why: Brady Quinn, Jeff Samardzija, Anthony Fasano and Darius Walker all return along with another strong line, so the offense will torch scoreboards again. The defense will be improved. And there's a strong recruiting class coming in. Charlie Weis is just getting started.
Why not: The Irish will be breaking in some new linebackers against a schedule that includes six 2005 bowl squads.
4. LSU Tigers
Why: Tons of talent at the skill positions and the defensive backfield, and tons of momentum from that flattening of Miami in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl.
Why not: Some key losses on both lines. Settling on a quarterback could be troublesome -- and Les Miles can ask Phil Fulmer about what a quarterback controversy can do to a team's chemistry.
5. Florida Gators
Why: Chris Leak should continue to progress in Urban Meyer's offense, and Meyer should have a better handle on what will work in the SEC. Lots of other talent to be found on both sides of the ball, and another very good recruiting class is on the way.
Why not: If Leak looked skittish behind a veteran offensive line, what will he look like behind a rebuilt one in '06?
6. Oklahoma Sooners
Why: Adrian Peterson should return to Heisman contender form, Rhett Bomar should take a major step forward at quarterback, and the defense should be up to usual Bob Stoops standards.
Why not: A shaky offensive line in 2005 only gets younger in 2006. And although Bomar impressed with his toughness in the Pacific Life Holiday Bowl, he's still got a long way to go before mastering his position.
7. USC Trojans
Why: If you've been paying attention the past three years, you know why. Regardless of the NFL exodus, there is plenty of talent ready to step forward at Troy.
Why not: All good things come to an end -- especially when the best and most experienced players in recent school history are gone. Darnell Bing and Fred Matua joining them a year early doesn't help, either.
8. Michigan Wolverines
Why: If Mike Hart stays healthy and Chad Henne continues to progress, the Wolverines will still score a lot of points. And the defense will have a lot of experience at linebacker and in the secondary.
Why not: When was the last time this program lived up to expectations?
9. Miami Hurricanes
Why: Kyle Wright will be better, and in Greg Olsen and Ryan Moore, he'll have a couple of quality targets to throw to. The Hurricanes' secondary should be excellent again.
Why not: Concerns exist regarding the leadership of the program, from the head coach to the upperclassmen, after the disaster in the Peach Bowl.
10. Oregon Ducks
Why: Start with a sensational offensive line and add plenty of skill talent and very good coaching.
Why not: Defense will miss Haloti Ngata up front, and quarterbacks Dennis Dixon and Brady Leaf will have to prove they're big-time leaders and playmakers.
11. Texas Longhorns
Why: The monkey is off their back and lies dead at the Longhorns' feet. They know how to win championships -- and they have a deep cast of skill-position talent to work with, even if the quarterback has changed.
Why not: That's not just any change at quarterback. Vince Young was the heart, soul and singular talent on that Texas title team. There have been no bigger shoes to fill in college football in many years.
12. Louisville Cardinals
Why: If Brian Brohm returns healthy from knee surgery, he and running back Michael Bush will both be strong All-America candidates. There is speed and talent on defense and at wide receiver that should only improve by next year.
Why not: There are some key offensive line losses, and star rush end Elvis Dumervil has left the building.
http://proxy.espn.go.com/espn/columns/st...id=2299436
Or this little gem on Louisville Football on ESPN.com
Wednesday, March 8, 2006
Updated: March 10, 10:05 AM ET
Bush, Brohm form lethal 1-2 punch
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By Joe Starkey
Special to ESPN.com
Louisville's bruising senior tailback, Michael Bush, is not obsessed with winning the Heisman Trophy, but he did put a bug in the ear of assistant sports information director Rocco Gasparro.
"I've been pushing Rocco to get after a campaign a little bit," Bush said, laughing.
Michael Bush rushed for 23 TDs in 2005.
Maybe the campaign could capitalize on the fact that Reggie Bush (no relation) won the Heisman last season, or maybe it could go for the gusto with a slogan like: George W. isn't the only Bush running the country.
Better yet, maybe Gasparro could mount a dual campaign for Bush and Louisville's junior quarterback Brian Brohm. Both have the pedigree.
Bush, despite playing only 10 games last season, led the country in scoring and rushed for 1,143 yards on an offense that put up more points than any team but USC and Texas.
Brohm, whose season ended Nov. 26 because of a torn ACL, posted the second-best passer rating (166.7) in the nation, one slot behind Arizona State's Rudy Carpenter and one ahead of some guy named Vince Young. Brohm passed for 19 touchdowns and only five interceptions.
But let's not get ahead of ourselves. Louisville garnered all kinds of passionate preseason talk in 2005 only to fall flat on its face in Week 3 at South Florida. The Cardinals, who were favored to win the Big East and perhaps challenge for a national championship, lost that game 45-14 and wound up the regular season 9-2 overall, 5-2 in the conference and ranked No. 15.
They were in Jacksonville, Fla., still smarting from their Gator Bowl loss to Virginia Tech, when they watched Big East champ West Virginia jack up Georgia, 38-35, in the Sugar Bowl.
And they were thinking, to a man, "That should have been us."
If Louisville hadn't blown a 24-7 fourth-quarter lead at West Virginia on Oct. 15, it would have been the Big East's BCS representative.
"Yeah, it crossed your mind a number of times," admitted Cardinals coach Bobby Petrino.
WVU's sensational freshmen, quarterback Pat White and tailback Steve Slaton, came of age on that October afternoon. Slaton scored five touchdowns -- one more than Bush.
White and Slaton versus Brohm and Bush. It's the best matchup in the Big East.
"They do have a good 1-2 punch," said the 6-foot-4 Brohm. "But I think our 1-2 punch is as good as any out there."
Those two losses still stick in the Cardinals' craws. They have a chance to avenge both at home. West Virginia visits on Nov. 2, while South Florida comes to town Nov. 18.
The Cardinals also have tough nonconference games against Kansas State (away) and Miami (home). Any Heisman Trophy talk will have to evolve naturally out of team success.
"I'm not too worried about it," Brohm said. "Mike's a senior, so I'm sure he'll have [some attention], but we have to go out and win games to even be mentioned for that. If we do, at some point we might be considered for that award."
Brian Brohm threw for 2,883 yards and 19 TDs in 2005.
Petrino was asked if he expects to see Bush and Brohm on a list of preseason Heisman candidates.
"I don't know if that'll happen," Petrino said. "But I do know this: It's up to them whether they become Heisman candidates or not. They're the ones who will determine that, on the field."
When Petrino arrived at Louisville, he said it was his "dream" to bring native sons Bush and Brohm aboard. Both had their pick of powerhouse college programs. Bush, a superstar quarterback at nearby Male High, stayed home on the promise that Louisville would give him a chance to continue as a quarterback.
Petrino was the offensive coordinator at Auburn when he saw Brohm and Bush hook up in a phenomenal Kentucky Class 4-A championship game on Dec. 7, 2002. Trinity prevailed, 59-56, as Brohm completed 19 of 25 passes for 552 yards and seven touchdowns.
Bush? He passed for 468 yards and five touchdowns and ran for 116 yards and a TD. Two weeks later, Petrino was named head coach at Louisville.
Bush signed up shortly thereafter and practiced as a quarterback for much of his freshman year. But his designs on eventually winning the No. 1 spot dissolved when Petrino brought in Brohm.
Bush considered transferring, but after a lengthy video session with his father and Petrino, agreed that his 6-3, 245-pound frame might best be utilized at running back.
Bush still believes he could play quarterback, but he's glad Brohm is on his side. The feeling is mutual.
"A lot of people thought we were enemies in high school, but we just didn't know each other," Brohm said. "We're pretty close now."
Bush has been rehabbing from a bruised bone in his foot. It caused him to miss two games and parts of two others last season. Brohm tore the ACL scrambling against Syracuse. His recovery is ahead of schedule, although he won't participate in team drills during spring practice, which begins March 28.
Brohm almost didn't have much company returning this year. Petrino and Bush considered a jump to the NFL. Bush stayed when he was told he'd likely be a second-round pick.
"Once I saw all the juniors going into the draft, I decided it would be a perfect time for me to sit back and chill," he said.
Petrino turned down the Oakland Raiders' head coaching job for a third time. The Raiders reportedly offered a five-year deal worth $18 million.
"I looked at the job," Petrino said. "Of course, when they throw that much at you, you have to look. But I really have deep feelings for the players here. My family loves it here, and I have the same goals, I think, that [AD] Tom Jurich has for the program. He's the guy who gave me my first chance and has set the table, with our facilities, to give us an opportunity to do what we want, which is win the Big East, get to one of those BCS bowl games and hopefully play for a national championship.
"We have a lot of work to do to get to that point."
http://insider.espn.go.com/ncf/insider/n...id=2360053
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He who laughs last, laughs best-Memphis v L'ville & Cinc
