A big “THANK YOU!!!” to CBS and DirecTV for putting this on channel 613 for us out-of-staters today. I would have been seriously bummed if I had not been able to watch my U for the second week in a row. The Big Picture Once again, the usual suspects—the “traditional” football powers—went into the season overrated and over-ranked, and once again reality brings to bear how UN-traditional college football has become in the last 25 years. #6 Ohio State and #7 Virginia Tech lost today for the second time, despite the voters’ stubborn persistence in keeping them in the top 10 after one loss; #2 Texas barely squeaked by #20 Oklahoma; #22 South Carolina doesn’t knock off #5 Alabama because they are an undisciplined team still coached by Steve Spurrier, who looks more like a constipated old woman with each passing year. And talk about stubborn persistence by the voters…USC loses to a LOUSY Washington team coming off a winless season—yet they were still at #6 in the last rankings, and were within mere seconds of getting knocked off today by #25 Notre Dame! I believe that there need to be two “resets” in the ranking system. The first is, the AP and ESPN need to wipe the slate completely clean of voters—start fresh and choose a new crop. Fresh eyes that don’t view the whole college football picture through Big Ten, Big 12 and USC-colored glasses, as the current voters seem to. The second is to hit a figurative “reset button” in the week 7 rankings, the week that the BCS rankings begin. Completely wipe the rankings clean in that week every year and start from scratch, ranking teams according to the reality of games played to that point instead of continuing to carry over the many corners the rankings manage to paint themselves into as teams lose, then beat teams who go on to beat the team they lost to… You know. I’m curious to know if YOU (yeah, YOU! ) made a Top-25 from scratch today, without the taint that covers today’s rankings, what would YOUR rankings look like? The Game For all the talk of being wary of being overconfident, either Miami seriously underestimated UCF or the coaches were seriously underprepared for what the Knights’ coaches would bring against them. The Knights came out swinging on Offense, using misdirection and movement to confuse the ‘Canes and gain some yards early. On Defense, they gave Jacory Harris and Miami’s Offensive Line all they could handle, and they effectively stuffed Miami’s running game for most of the game. I’m in danger of taking just how good Jacory Harris is for granted, he makes everything he does seem so effortless; working hard not to let it happen. You can see him getting better every week; working in the pocket, rolling out, not losing focus downfield, knowing where he is at all times, throwing smart when he’s flushed out…there’s very little he doesn’t already do well. The laser he threw to Jimmy Graham between three UCF defenders @0:20/3rd was absolute perfection. If Harris isn’t in the top 3 contenders for the Heisman Trophy next season, it’ll be a crime. The Hurricanes’ Secondary was exposed once again as a major weakness, though. Giving up long pass plays and once again tackling poorly, the unit will be a detriment in any chance the team might have at the championship. A bright spot is Ray-Ray Armstrong; I’m glad to see Ray-Ray more involved and I hope to see more of him as the season wears on. Armstrong’s ceiling is astronomical; could The U possibly have two Heisman candidates in top contention next season? It’s too bad that Arthur Brown can’t seem to get on the field more; with Sean Spence playing as inconsistently as he has, it would be nice to have Brown step up. Good thing Colin McCarthy has been solid, if unspectacular. And now… Random Thoughts Congratulations to Javarris James for his achievement: 2000 career yards at Miami! I hope that he can carry his success into the NFL. He’s a great kid who has done nothing but produce throughout a difficult time in the program’s history. Miami’s kicking woes continue; A Matt Bosher punt goes, what…15, 20 yards in the 1st quarter? Alex Uribe’s kickoff @1:39/1st goes only to the 15; On Miami’s second touchdown, Bosher almost missed the PAT off of what looked like a good hold; And then, the “experienced” Kicker/Punter kicks a high snap out of his end zone instead of falling on it, giving the Knights the ball at the 2 instead of a safety and free kick! Is The U recruiting a kicker this year? Seems like a good idea, doesn’t it? You KNOW what’s coming, don’t you? Don’t you? That’s right… There you go, Matt; your second Nabo’s Fairy Princess Award for your continued screwing of the proverbial pooch. Enjoy. BIG kudos to the Miami Defense for stepping up in the ensuing series and DEVASTATING UCF’s Offense to make them lose about 15 yards before picking them off to end the goal-line threat. UCF was giving Miami fits in the 1st quarter with all their activity and misdirection in the Offensive backfield… Miami fixed that quick with Sean Spence’s blitz near the end of the quarter. The U’s Corey Nelms’ slobberknocker on Quincy McDuffie during the kickoff @9:40/2nd was one of the most violent hits I’ve seen; the way McDuffie’s head snapped back, I didn’t think he’d get up right away. Glad everyone is okay, but that was a joy to watch. Big ups to McDuffie for not only coming back from that tremendous hit, but excelling in the 3rd and 4th quarters. I LOVE LaRon Byrd! The way he plays is EXACTLY the way Miami Receivers should have been playing for the last decade; The way he catches and runs routes should be examples in a textbook on the subject. Good riddance to the Lance Leggetts, the Darnell Jenkins, the Ryan Moores and the rest of the lazy, sloppy bastards of the last few years. Yeah, I’ve said it before. Yeah, it bears repeating. Rough, ROUGH game for Miami’s Offensive Line; That does not bode well for any kind of championship run by the ‘Canes late in the season. I know he’s only a true Sophomore, but Sean Spence is just dreadful in coverage. You know I love Javarris James, but Damien Berry might just be the ‘Canes toughest runner. A compact runner, but not small by any means at 5’11” 217, I do hope that he stays for his Senior season in 2010. What in the world could be keeping Junior Offensive Tackle Ian Symonette off the field?! 6’9” 357 pounds—Jesus, can’t he do ANYTHING?! At that size he could just fall on people and play halfway effectively! I’m gonna be seriously pissed if he turns out to be one of Shannon’s Doghouse Players who underachieve at The U and then go on to play well as pros. It was funny, that Miami requested heaters on their sideline for the game—because it was 60°! And lame… Conspiracy theorists, break out your tinfoil caps; those two penalties on Arkansas in the 4th, just after scoring a TD to go ahead of Florida, were—in the words of the announcers—inexplicable. The first: a non-existent defensive pass interference call against the Razorbacks in the end zone to give Florida a 1st down; The second: a couple of plays later, a personal foul on an Arkansas player, about 20 yards from the play—and all the guy did was knock down a Florida player who was going to block him. That one was such a non-call that there was an Official running right by the play, looking right at it, and he didn’t call it. The Referee did. So…unranked Arkansas is threatening #1 Florida in the 4th quarter; they go 7 ahead on an incredible 75-yard pass by Ryan Mallet—and all of a sudden the Gators get a boost from the Officials in the form of two HORRIBLE calls against Arkansas? And on the Gators’ next possession one of their WRs blatantly interferes with a Razorback DB in the end zone, and it is not called?! I’m not a conspiracy nut; but tell me that’s not at least a little bit odd… SEC Refs protecting the money team? If our government wants to do something truly important instead of wasting time on wars and healthcare, they can pass a law that forces broadcasters to air commercials at 2/3 the volume (or less) of the program during which they air. I don’t know what you haters are on about when it comes to Fergie, but that woman is H O T ! ! ! She is welcome to wrap those long legs around me anytime, anywhere. Very welcome.
It is not the tinfoil hat crowd that are the nieve ones Nabo.......you got TCU, Iowa, Boise, Cincy, legitimately competing for a NC game birth....and you have one eliminated by virtue of being the UF-Alabama loser..........There is NO FREAKIN WAY the SEC, BCS, NCAA or anyone that had any sort of control of that game or a yellow flag in their pocket was going to allow Arkansas to win....you think the SEC or SEC ref's relish the possibility any more than the NCAA or BCS of a Boise-Bama or Boise-UF or a Iowa-Cincy NC game.......ain't happenin.....Florida and Bama will not lose any relative close game, and Texas has some losable games that will probably start to go their way (and some mysterious personal fouls calls)as the Big wigs figure out that there is a not so great for revenue scenario developing.....Boise, Cincy, Iowa and TCU go undefeated and UF/Bama/Texas/USC and UM all end up with one loss...your NC game is UF and USC. the system is set up to get the big draws in the big game....USC dropping to what 8 after losing to Washington........Florida being #1 after beating College of Bob, Atlantis, or the fact there is even any poll after three weeks.....all support a BS "system" designed to help the most popular revenue generators. There is no "number 1" or best team any more...just most popular with the best backing that can sell the most tickets for the generate the highest revenue for those in control.........CFB is great for entertainment but I for one have lost all zeal and support of labels and absolutes when it comes to NC issues..........cause...it is all about money. It is a joke that Texas got left out last year and OU got in the NC game.....and the calls against Arkansas were two of the worst I have ever seen.....but hey if you want to be naive and think the timing was coincidental then Okey dokey......just let me know if you can get tickets for the NC game locally there in Gainesville, Tuscaloosa, Austin or LA...cause I know you have to be familiar with those areas if you think those calls were legit and good calls.
I do recognize the realities of commerce, and of life in general. It's naive to think that anyone could be 100% objective; it more naive to believe it when you're talking about Officials who live and work in the conference that they serve; it is even more naive to believe it of people in the South, where team allegiances burn hotter than anywhere else. It is also a given that corporate America rots everything that it touches, and college football today is no different in that respect than anything else. But it is depressing to think that CFB is on its way to being more like wrestling (or even just boxing) than the CFB we grew up with. But no matter how equanimous a light I try to shed on those penalties against Arkansas, I can't help but have a sick feeling about the sequence of events and how it played out. The fact is that until the point at which the Razorbacks went ahead on that long pass, that game had been well-officiated and hard-fought. And the fact also is that after that 75-yard pass, the officiating turned 180 degrees to become entirely one-sided in favor of Florida. It was blatant, and a bit sickening. Of course, nothing will ever come of my suspicions or anyone else's; just like USC almost got knocked off by the #25 team yesterday and yet MOVED UP TWO SPOTS IN THE POLLS TODAY! I'd love to see a private investigation into the SEC Ref in that game; I'd like for someone to take a close look at his finances and see if any big bills have suddenly been paid off, or any large deposits made. THAT's how egregious I believe those penalties were.
Well Nabo, what bothers me is the Defense does not play with enough intensity, sure they dialed it up when UCF had the ball at are 1 inch line, but :theU: should always play like that until the game is out of reach, then rotate in the freshmen and sophomores for some playing time. As for the BCS...pretty much, I stopped watching college football after miami was hosed in the national title game with the 15 seconds late flag in the endzone against OSU...
I don't think there is any conspiracy but it was pretty clear that both those calls were terrible. Especially the second one. The Florida player is charging at him full steam, the Arkansas player takes a very clean shot at him so that he wont be leveled himself. I don't see how that is a penalty at all. Anyway I mostly agree. I don't think Bosher (minus the punt) had a bad game or is having a bad season. He is money from long range and I have full faith in him to hit a game winner from 40+. Sure he kicked the ball out but it ended up helping us actually, I don't blame him for that play. It's the play most guys make. Overall the game wasn't as close as the score. I agree Berry is a good one but I think James is our best one. He never goes down at first contact, the guy is just so strong. It's sad he has been injured so much. Also the run game was a lot better than stats show. Sacks and the botched snap count against rush yards.
You know, that is something that has always been a trait of The U: not putting away opponents in blowouts. No matter how inept the opponent or how badly Miami dominates them, somehow they always manage at least a TD or a field goal - or both. Look at how few shutouts Miami had when they were dominant, compared to other dominant programs. I don't know why that is, but it's always been true, for decades.
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vZp9V9fG_UE&feature=related"]YouTube - Mark Duper / Leonard Hankerson Workout Part 1 (clearer version)[/ame] Four more videos can be found on You Tube.
The PI was a good call. DB never played the ball and ran into WR as he stopped for ball. PF was a bad call and I have no idea what the Ref saw. He might have looked at the last second and seen the Gator OL getting drilled you never know. However to think the Refs were paid off is a complete joke
No one said paid off first of all. Second the calls did not go both ways. Cooper had Offensive PI for the same type "contact"...hell Coopers was rape compared to the other call....Jerricho Nelson got flagged for hands to the face when he did not even touch anyone on the ENTIRE PLAY...yeah some things are a "joke" I agree... like having a guy that gave an extra down to a team to decide a Big 12 championship, called Rahshan Woods inbounds when the replays showed the guy at least 3 feet OOB to eliminate Okie from the NC picture that year....guess who just happened to be #4 in the polls.....hmmmmmmmm...... Ohio State.....and he got drilled for calling a phantom clip call to decide another national Championship, graduated from Miami of Ohio and grew up in Akron ...as in OHIO..........yeah lets give THAT guy the NC game in Tempe played by UM and OHIO STATE.........you know the one near AKRON.......google Terry Porter.....yeah those were probably coincidental also............
Ohio State isn't near Akron (IMO), it's over two hours away. I also don't see why graduating from Miami (OH) means you would like Ohio State. I grew up near Toledo, graduated from The University of Akron, and root for Ohio State to lose each time they take the field.
OK in your world two hours is not close......I think oh maybe...just color me crazy maybe they could have found a referee NOT from OHIO and WITHOUT the obvious history of crappy questionable calls......and oh I don't know maybe possibly one NOT EVEN CONNECTED TO OHIO.....crazy at it sounds I have heard there are good referees that are from California, even New york...I even heard there was one in Texas.......damn I also remember somewhere there was a good one in Arizona......... point is why would you even put the guy and those potential questions out there and then you throw in another questionable call this guy from Ohio makes that benefits Ohio State.... I am not saying that it is or was not a lay down; but damn please do not BBQ those of us that question the possibility...the guy may despise Ohio state for all I know.....but he damn sure is not above reproach.......just like the UF-Arkansas calls were so one sided, bad, and at bad times and benefited monetarily the power brokers and money school............the question begs to be asked........maybe nothing to it....but one post was just out of line and something worthy of POFO spin...... Signed, The innocent guy on the grassy knoll...
No I haven't put one together for one reason I don't want to go screaming off into the cold night to be picked up as crazy by the cops in Pooler when I compare it to the mess that is put out as gospel. Just as everyone else here has stated, ok most everyone, it is all based on money; nothing else jmo. I'll give you two reasons I think so: Tim Tebo and Sam Bradford neither guy should have been on the field; one (TT) looked silly and not all there and the other (SB) got rehurt again. Putting two young men's health at risk, for what, both HCs need to truly step back and rethink their priorities. And this goes on ALL the time. Its one thing to tell a grown man to play while hurt, suck it up - be a man , hes at least getting paid alot of money to do so and if he believes it takes away from his manhood who am I to argue. To use that attitude with a young kid, and yes these guys are kids (that grown men are making a hell of a lot of money on), is nothing less than criminal imho. As for the negative comments concerning my 2cents remarks about betting in the sports world imho he is spot on and if you think I'm silly so be it. I've got some land on the moon I'll sell you cheap!! BTW NaboCane thanks for keeping me in the loop!
Lou Holtz made a good point in the post-game about Bradford; he said That Bradford simply has not been coached on how to take a hit. He illustrated by showing that when Bradford gets taken down, he falls on his side, whereas Holtz says he always coached his QBs to fall on their backs, to avoid shoulder injuries just like Bradford's. And I agree, Tebow should NOT been playing. He did not look like himself, and if there's even a hint of a possibility that it was due to residual effects of the severe concussion he withstood, Meyer should have erred on the side of caution.
If you watch the replay the DB never even actually touches the WR beyond what happens on every play. It's not the corners fault the ball was underthrown AND behind them both. Is he supposed to move out of the way so a Gator can catch it? He did the only think he really could do. IMO
I was at the UCF vs UM game. It was as close as it could of been for the Knights. The Knights really have no QB or WR's. The name everyone here throws around is Rocky Ross (WR). He has been more myth then player. Their (UCF's) D played a very good game. Kept the game close for about 3 quarters, but they never got support. The play calling on the offensive side of the ball was horrible for the Knights. When they had the ball on a first and goal on the two, what do they try... a pitch. KNOWING that UM had a faster squad. No way that play works. And starting the game with a missed FG was a sign.
Well, this turned lively. My point is that, as recently as a couple of years ago we had an NBA Ref selling out; he got fired and went to jail for it. It's fact, it happened. Anyone who believes that boxing is not scripted, although not as ridiculously as wrestling, is simply naive. Sports, to most of us, is about competition among the many teams and athletes to whom we are loyal; but to some, sports is just about money. It's a fact. It's also a fact that anything that money touches can be bought or sold; whether it is actually is or not, the possibility is there. Does it happen all the time? Sure, in some sports. Boxing, which I mentioned, is one. College football? Well...there has never been a blatant case made of the corruption of a game Official; however, with all the money surreptitiously thrown around by corrupt boosters and alumni, is it really that far out of the realm of possibility that we should dismiss it as ridiculous? Reggie Bush gets a $6000-a-month house for his family from a USC booster - a blatant violation of NCAA rules, and a step above the usual way that boosters spread money around. As recently as five years ago, Alabama faced serious charges of corruption of the rules by its boosters for the third or fourth time in the decade; yet, as with the Bush incident, nothing much came of it. The fact that a school like SMU received the "death penalty" in the '80s for repeated violations, while Alabama - whose violations were no less egregious than SMU's - got off with almost no penalties; the fact that the heavy wallets in La-la land got USC off the hook for what should have been an program-crippling incident should signal to those who don't believe that corruption is rife in their beloved world of college football that they should consider reality before deciding. And if corruption is possible at that level - then why the disbelief of the possibility that a Ref might have been paid off to ensure a victory for a certain team? Or maybe just his own personal allegiances got into the mix - who knows. The point is that it's not as "impossible" as we'd like to believe. And we all want to believe that the sports we follow so faithfully; that the teams we support so fervently are above reproach. We want to believe this because the moment we believe otherwise, our fanhood goes from purity to just another goddam disappointment, just another dashing of our trust in a world that leeches the purity out of EVERYTHING with its greed. But it isn't black or white. If one basketball Ref sells his calls and his ****ing soul for a few bucks, we don't have to believe that every call is now tainted. Just as if one college football Ref sells his soul it doesn't mean all of them do. Just that one ****ing Ref in the Florida-Arkansas game.
I think football, once the ball is kicked, is near impossible to fix in regards to refs. Basketball is much easier IMO. I believe there is definitely rule breaking going on by multiple (if not all) FBS programs in one way or another, and some programs probably due it more than others. I think if a game is going to be fixed in football, you have to get to the players themselves (like recently at Toledo) or maybe even coaches. And I too think if there are corrupt refs (which there likely is at least one), I don't think the majority are bad. Some just might not be very good.
I disagree about CFB. I actually think it is easier to fix. For instance all a ref would have to do is throw a flag, oh I don't know for say, a Personal foul or oh say a pass interference in a key situation to effect the outcome or better yet throw both at a key point in the game say...oh...the fourth quarter when a drive looks to be stalling to assure an outcome....BB these are more points and more increments for accumulating those points so the "thievery" would have to be more systemic and repetitive....in football it only takes a couple key calls at key times and only needs to involve one referee and not a whole crew................................
A crew can waive a flag off though if they don't find the penalty to be justified. That's why they conference about it at times. A flag can indeed change a game, I am not disagreeing with that, but I think it is very hard to fix a game with a flag (given circumstances need to be just right in order for a fixed flag to do that). Erroneous flags can be thrown many times and in many instances, but for that erroneous flag to be one that significantly changes the outcome is not easy to fix IMO. FTR I thought the PI from the UF/ARK game was very questionable and the following personal foul was a flat out terrible call, but I never thought UF would lose (though I hoped they would).
Actually, only the Referee himself can wave off a call by another Official. But if the Referee is the one who is corrupt, there is no system of checks and balances on the spot to prevent that; the system works on honor. And it works well 99%+ of the time when it comes to game officiating.
I knew the man in charge could waive it off, I just meant he does hear opinions from others. Thanks for the specification that I was lacking though. Was the Ref the one who threw the PI and PF flags in the game in question?
Flags change a game immensely...look at UGa/LSU...statistically the penalty yards were close but when it counted UGa got a celebration call that was total horsecrap and changed the game and the ref's gave the same penalty to LSU when it mattered not a bit.....same yards totally different game effect. Again not surprising but I disagree and have played in many games where one or two key call changed games. It is still easy even with replay to change a games outcome with a well placed personal foul or holding call even if just to put a team in a down and distance hole. I never played basketball so that is only my perception of the sport and how it "could" be manipulated...but I strongly disagree with the sentiment that it is hard to change game outcomes if you are a referee......did you play in college or HS BTW, I ask because my experience on the field is that it is easy for ref's to effect games in football...baseball even easier but harder to prove and more clandestine so to speak....particularly balls and strikes.....
Speaking of the Ark/UF game : LITTLE ROCK, Ark. -- The Southeastern Conference says there's no video evidence to support the personal foul call against Arkansas' Malcolm Sheppard in the fourth quarter of the Razorbacks' 23-20 loss to Florida. The penalty gave the Gators the ball on the Arkansas 10-yard line, and they scored on the next play to tie the game at 20. Arkansas athletic director Jeff Long said Monday the school had expressed its concerns to the league. The league said schools can send in plays after each game for review. The SEC said it told Arkansas "there was no evidence on the video to support the personal foul penalty." It was the same group of officials that called the LSU-Georgia game earlier this month, which included a late unsportsmanlike conduct penalty the league said shouldn't have been called. http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=4577932
I played football and lacrosse at time in HS. Not physically talented (or determined) enough to play FB beyond HS, aside from intramural sports. Never played bball (either one) in HS. I think it is easy to affect football games, but not change them. That's just my opinion though.
Did not realize it was the same crew...at best they are incompetent and at worst they are initiating their will as to the outcome of games.....truth is probably as always somewhere int the middle............as incompetent as they are...... I am sure they will get the Alabama Florida game and probably the NC game the way the NCAA works........................
Good read. I'd have to give my Fairy Princess award to the O-Line though. They got manhandled out there.
Don't say sorry, I was genuinely thanking you, I should have been more specific. It was my fault. I now can say referee in the future and not doubt myself about whether it is accurate or not.
Reading this I'm reminded of the Venny play to get a TD that never was. Replay clearly showed that he moved the ball accross after he was down but they didn't reverse it!
Video speaks better than words and no he was not playing the ball and he did not tip it [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hI4v1o-ZhzI&feature=related"]YouTube - Arkansas gets screwed by Refs against florida (Pass Interference)[/ame] I even said that the PF was a bad call. However the Gators were going to be in a 2nd and 8 without it. They did not win the game on that call.
