FOOTBALL

The Dirty Dozen

The 12 Key Questions as College Football Hits the Halfway Mark

 

Our analysts: Rob Rochholz, Steen Lawson and Richie Weldon. Check out their preseason picks

Which team is the biggest surprise? Rob:  California.  The Golden Bears under first-year coach Jeff Tedford have to be the biggest surprise after winning only one game last year.  It's one thing to beat Baylor and New Mexico State like the Bears did to open the season, but who could have expected Cal to crush Michigan State on the road?  And who could have foreseen the Bears beating Washington in Seattle?  Runners-up as biggest surprise:  Air Force, Iowa State and Bowling Green. Steen: Who can deny that Notre Dame is a huge surprise? None of us had them in our Top 25 and we likely did that with a little delight. After all, who likes Notre Dame other than it's own "particular" fan base. I am glad though that "second choice" Tyrone Willingham is kicking ass. Backup Choices: Kentucky, California and Iowa Richie: Bowling Green. Sitting at 4-0, this team has a good chance of going undefeated through the entire season. There's no game left on BGSU's schedule they do not have a good chance of beating. (Sorry Western Michigan, you'll lose to the Falcons.)

Which team has been the biggest disappointment?  Rob: Even Husker fans knew this wasn't going to be a banner year, but consecutive blowout losses to Penn State and Iowa State in September? Yikes. That's unheard of in Lincoln. Runners-up as biggest flop: Syracuse, Stanford and Michigan State. Steen: Where do I start? Colorado, I had them way too high. Barnett needs to figure out how to get his team to win early in the season if he ever wants to win a National Championship. Backup Choices: Louisville and Illinois. Richie: Colorado, with Nebraska a close second. Both these teams were ranked pretty high in my preseason poll and have stunk the place up pretty good. When was the last time Nebraska wasn't ranked? Colorado's back on probation. (Yes, it was under Neuheisel, but you did hire him Buffs. Go cry somewhere else.)

Which game are you most looking forward to? Rob:  The matchup between Virginia Tech and Miami on Dec. 7 will likely be for a spot in the Fiesta Bowl. The Hokies have really surprised me and the wins over LSU, Marshall and Texas A&M on consecutive weeks were impressive. Miami, meanwhile, finally got a close game against Florida State and I think it will make the Canes an even better team. Steen: Oregon at Washington State should be a lot of fun. This is a game that is not normally on the radar of college football watchers. Both teams have a great star player and this one should determine who goes to the Rose Bowl. Richie: 11/23 - FSU at NC State; 12/7 - Virginia Tech at Miami FSU visits NC State in late November. The Wolfpack have beaten the Seminoles twice already, and this should be the third time, and the first time any team in the ACC has beaten FSU two seasons in a row. Virginia Tech goes down to Miami for the Big East championship game. Both teams should be undefeated which leads into a matchup between the #1 team and #2 (or #3 depending on how Texas & Oklahoma finish the season) team. The Hokies came closest to beating the Hurricanes last year, losing by two.

What is the best game you've attended?  Rob: The best game I've attended was Fresno State's 32-30 win over Colorado State, which entered the game 4-1 and ranked 22nd. The game was wild with three TDs coming on 50+ yard plays, and the Bulldogs swatting away a 2-point conversion in the final minute for the win. Fresno State's injury-decimated team of mostly reserves and freshmen beat the Rams for a third straight year. Steen: So far I have not gone to a game. Arizona State is my hometown team and I have little motivation other than the shirtless Frat boys. Hey, wait! I can see more by just renting that porn tape. On TV I got a real kick out of the Iowa - Penn State game, great comeback by PSU and an even better OT win by Iowa. Richie: The Sept. 21 game between Virginia Tech and Texas A&M. It was my first trip ever to Texas and to Kyle Field. The Aggie fans were great, though not that loud. The game was played well by both teams, and close until the final quarter. Seeing 5000+ other Hokies in the stands was great!

What are your Heisman thoughts?  Rob:  I predicted Ken Dorsey to win it before the season started and I still think he's the best choice. If the Canes continue their dominance in the second half of the year, it should be a no-brainer. Dorsey's leadership has been crucial for Miami, and the Canes are head and shoulders above everyone else -- so far. The way he rallied Miami to the come-from-behind win over Florida State was impressive. Runner-up: Iowa State's Seneca Wallace. Steen: Seneca Wallace, bay-bee!!!!! Just a few more wins and this stud will have a lock on the statue. If he falters just give the damn thing to Ken Dorsey sort of like a college lifetime achievement award.   Richie: OK - this is the question I hate every year. The media hypes up players in the preseason and expects them to be "perfect" throughout all their games. Players who really deserve this award rarely win it because they were not on the media's radar during the preseason. With that said, give the award to Philip Rivers from NC State.

Who is coach of the year so far? Rob: Cal's Jeff Tedford deserves it, but I'd go with Air Force head coach Fisher Deberry at this point. The Falcons were predicted dead last in the Mountain West Conference by some preseason forecasts and now could be in position for a BCS bowl bid. Steen:  I am not a big Notre Dame fan but Tyrone Willingham has rocked the first half of the season. Richie: Lee Corso. For once he hasn't ticked me off with his comments about various teams and his color commentary is getting better each year. (Note to the "Game Day" crew: have Corso's cue cards contain fewer syllable words and print them in large letters. He stumbles over the big words and squints at the cards.) Seriously it's really hard to say at this point, but Frank Beamer (Virginia Tech), Larry Coker (Miami), and Fisher DeBerry (Air Force). Each of these coaches has his team undefeated. Beamer and Coker could be facing a "play-in" game for the National Championship game; DeBerry could be throwing a spanner in the works for the BCS poll come the end of the year if AFA can surpass Notre Dame on Oct. 19.

Which hottie has most caught your eye?           Schiano          Mills               Boller Rob: My vote goes not to a player, but a coach -- Rutgers' Greg Schiano, the youngest coach in Division I-A football. His team may be horrible, but there is definitely a reason to watch Rutgers this year. Steen: Zack Mills (Penn State). This guy might be the salvation of JoePa's last few years coaching. He's a great fighter and has a boy next-door quality, yum! Richie: Kyle Boller from Cal. YUM! I didn't know people at Berkely were attractive. Figured all the good looking guys went to Stanford instead. When's the "SAT Bowl" this year? (11/23 if you're wondering...same day as the FSU @ NCSU game.)

Is a successful Notre Dame good for college football? Rob: Ugh. I can't remember the last time I watched an entire Notre Dame game on television. In fact, NBC is the last network I turn to when I'm watching college football. I think the Irish are overrated, get more than their fair share of perks and are treated like national heroes if they get anywhere close to a 10-win season. With that said, something tells me they're going to be beaten soundly by Air Force and still reach a BCS bowl. Steen: Mostly no, I was hoping they would be down for a few more years so NBC would kill that ridiculous contract. After that they would have been forced to join a conference and end the preferential treatment in the BCS. Richie: Notre Dame is bad for college football. The "media darling" and "America's Team" seems to always have the rules bent in its favor. Year in and year out, ND gets breaks when they should not. In the 2000 season, ND went to the Fiesta Bowl to play against Oregon State and got spanked. Virginia Tech was having a much better season than ND and was snubbed and was sent to the Gator Bowl only to destroy Clemson.

Which football commentators/analysts do you like? Rob:  My favorite is ESPN's talented and very underrated Pam Ward. She's the first woman to handle college football play-by-play and she really knows her stuff. In fact, she's usually far more knowledgeable about the teams, players and game situations than her male counterparts. She's got an intriguing deep voice and offers great insight into the teams she's covering. Best of all, she often lets the action on the field speak for itself and doesn't talk constantly throughout the game like some announcers. Take that, Andy Rooney! My other favorites: ESPN's Chris Fowler and Fox Sports Net's Steve Physioc and Barry Tompkins. Steen: I love watching "College Game Day" on ESPN and it is not just for a Kirk Herbstreit fix. Yes Kirk makes for great eye candy but you must admit the interplay of Lee Corso and the gang is super fun and very insightful. Richie: Trev Alberts, Rodney Gilmore, Chris Fowler, Reece Davis, and Kirk Herbstreit. These guys know their stuff and are usually unbiased. Yes, they all do work for ESPN but they are just good. Their picks are sometimes wrong, but they are only human. Being able to separate their feelings from their intuition has put them all on my "A" list.

Which football commentators/analysts do you most dislike?  Rob:  ESPN's Rod Gilmore can be annoying at times. In a recent game he was covering, he went into a two-minute rant where he said a penalty should have been called on a particular player for removing his helmet during the game. The live shots and replays clearly showed the helmet flew off when the player's chin strap broke! Geez. Gilmore never did admit his mistake. Steen: I can't say I dislike her but there is this woman with short blond hair that does booth commentary for ESPN2. If you close you eyes you would swear she is a man. It is a little strange to listen to her but she does call the games well. Sorry but I can't remember her name. Richie: Mark May from ESPN is bad, bad, bad in my book. Yes, he's entitled to his opinion, but week in and week out he snubs teams that are worthy of praise. He needs to lose his bias and open his eyes to what is *currently* happening in sports and not dwell on the past. Oh, I can't leave out Beano Cook. What the heck is his contribution to football? Can anyone actually understand what his points are during his segments on TV? His history lesson each weekend has no correlation to college football (how does the almost upset victory of Cincinnati over Ohio State have anything to do with Warren Harding being the GOP nomination back in 1920 (or something like that)?). Uggghh...it's best to just press "mute" during his segments.

If you could change one college football rule, what would it be?  Rob: I would change the overtime rule that currently has each team getting possession at the 25-yard line. That's too close. I'd make it more challenging and let each team start at the 35- or 40-yard line so teams couldn't automatically kick a field goal to win it without moving the ball. A five-overtime, five-hour game is ridiculous! Also, I'd like to see a rule that requires neutral officials rather than the home team using an officiating crew from its own conference. It's discouraging to see Pac-10 teams, for example, protected so much at home by their league officials. Steen: Allowing instant replay would be great. I know it can slow down the games but there have been too many bad calls ruining games in the last few years at the college level. Richie: I don't like the Halo Violation. 10 yards for each infraction? Baaaah. It was better when it was only 5 yards. Yes, you're trying to protect the kick-returner, but 10 yards? Nope, sure don't like it.

Pick the BCS Bowl Matchups  Rob Fiesta Bowl : Miami vs. Oklahoma. Orange Bowl: Florida State vs. Notre Dame. Sugar Bowl: Georgia vs. Virginia Tech. Rose Bowl: Ohio State vs. Washington State. Steen Fiesta: Miami - Ohio State, OSU has a better shot at remaining undefeated than the other top teams. Orange: NC State - Notre Dame, yes I know it's a strange match-up but Florida State is not going to win the ACC, ha ha. Sugar: Mississippi - Iowa State, this is purely a fantasy game but it could happen. Rose: Penn State - Washington State, should be a great QB battle. Richie Fiesta: Miami, Oklahoma (Miami wins again...) Orange: Georgia, NC State (NC Sate wins) Sugar: Virginia Tech, Notre Dame (VT kicks some Irish butt) Rose: Washington State, Ohio State (Wazzou takes home the roses)

About Our Pollsters Rob is a graduate of Fresno State who works as a graphic designer and lives in San Francisco.  He's a former sportswriter at The Fresno Bee, where he covered the WAC, Pac-10 and Big West conferences.  His favorite sports personalities include Jerry Tarkanian and Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Armando Rios.  His least favorite sports personalities include John Rocker and Fresno State athletic director Scott Johnson. Steen is a Sales and Marketing Manager for a Digital Printing company in Phoenix. His partner John and he have been together for over two years and they have two Havanese show dogs. Steen went to University of Illinois where he became a college sports fan. Here in Phoenix, he is one of the few and proud season ticket holders for the Arizona Cardinals who are showing signs of improvement. Richie has been a college football fan since 1995, his freshman year in college. He lives in Seattle cheering on his favorite team (Virginia Tech) from across the country. Every football Saturday Richie and his roommate have a party for all the Hokies they know of out here in Seattle watching games from 9 a.m. until the PAC-10 game of the week on Fox Sports Net starts to get boring. (Honestly, the PAC-10 games aren't all that much fun to watch unless you're with people who are die-hard fans for that team. The only fun comes from watching Washington win a game in the 4th quarter after being down by a touchdown or two…but that only happens three or four times a season.) Every week this season Richie is going to try and add his thoughts about the college football world to his Web site, so be sure and check it out!