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Let me introduce you to Kevin McGuire. Last week, Kevin evolved into Examiner's national college football writer. It's easy to understand Kevin's preoccupation with college football by assigning it a straightforward biographical cause: Kevin loves college football!
Kevin asked me to be a part of his College Football Round Table this week. He's highlighting several of the major rivalries played Thanksgiving weekend. Here are five questions Kevin tossed my way.
1. Which rivalry played this Thanksgiving weekend is the best?
When I went to the University of Texas, the best Thanksgiving weekend rivalry was the Lone Star Showdown between Texas and Texas A&M. Then I moved to Oklahoma about the time A&M fell off the face of the football foothills. My spirit has grown fond of the Bedlam Series between Oklahoma and Oklahoma State. It weighs heavily on Oklahomans like unwilling sleep 51 weeks of the year. Then, all of a sudden, all sorts of, well, hell breaks loose. I mean, these two sides hate each other. This Bedlam week, the hatred in this state being spewed toward President Barak Obama gets a reprieve.
2. With two weeks remaining, who is going to wind up playing in the BCS Championship game?
Like most football fans, I view the BCS as a stepping stone rather than a final destination. But your question, Kevin, deserves the answer only those of us with a crystal ball or a Ph.D in mathematics can fathom: (Blank) 23, (Blank) 17.
Texas is beatable. No, not by Texas A&M. By Nebraska, which, by the way, I predicted preseason would win the Big 12 North. (OK, so I was wrong about Oklahoma in the Big 12 South. Who knew their OL couldn't protect Sam Bradford from a slow, undersized BYU linebacker?)
Florida is beatable by Alabama because Florida has Tim Tebow, the namesake of ETPN (Entertainment Tebow Programming Network.) In his four years at Flordia, his passing hasn't gotten better and his yardage per rushing attempt has sunk each consecutive season. Yet Captain Microphone is worshipped as a worshipper and practically enshrined as college football's greatest player ever. Would somebody please invent some eyeblack that reads "Tim Tebow" under the right eye and "Is Overrated" under the left?
When Texas and Florida lose their conference championship games, voila, that'll leave TCU and Alabama, the two best teams all along, and TCU will take home the giant trophy.
3. There were a number of questionable coaching decisions in last weekend's games. Which one was the worst and why?
I want someone I can grow old and have plastic surgery with. I can't remember yesterday, much less a weekend ago. Let me turn on my VCR. Wait a sec. Rewinding. Viewing.
OK, it was Notre Dame's decision to hire Charlie Weis in the first place. Oh, you said coaching decision. OK, it was Charlie Weis' decision to come back this year. Oh, you asked about coaching decision last weekend. That's easy. It was Les Miles' clock management in the Tiger's loss to Ole Miss. Those of us in Oklahoma who watched Miles coach Oklahoma State already knew he choked on the big ones.
4. The popular speculation seems to believe that Notre Dame's Charlie Weis has coached his last home game for the Irish. Two part question. Should Weis be fired? Is Notre Dame still an attractive coaching position?
Someone once said that rumors are the poetry of truth. That means that there's usually something to them. No, Weis shouldn't be fired. He should be offered the opportunity to resign and then take it.
I can't speak for the Catholic contingent on whether Notre Dame is still a good-looking job. But I would surmise that almost any slick-talking coach could recruit quality young men to Notre Dame under the guidance, "After the game, you'll be able to enjoy the post-game meal with your teammates, take an ice bath, and then help your girlfriend to see God."
5. There is a decent chance that the regular season ends with six undefeated teams. Moreover, after the conference championship games, there could still be five unbeaten teams. Another two part question. Will each unbeaten team play in a BCS bowl? Should the BCS pair up TCU and Boise State in one bowl game if both stay undefeated?
The administrator of the BCS, Bill Hancock, sent me an email this week. It stated that as of Monday, 20 teams remain under consideration for BCS slots. Before I could answer your first question, Kevin, I need more than a crystal ball. I need that Ph.D in mathematics.
I just hope enough college presidents with enough pull get so pissed off this year that a revolt happens and we move to a playoff system. Of course, the process of which, say, 16 teams get selected for the playoff system might not be any better than the BCS system.
As for your second question, I defer to the viewpoint of my TCU colleague Stephen Francis. He has an intriguing take on a possible TCU-Boise State bowl matchup.
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