Clock protest

Here's your chance to weigh in on the clock rule changes this season, which one blogger says are shaving up to 16 plays out of every NCAA game. A Web site is leading a petition drive to change the rules back to their prior form. You can even reveal your team allegiance when you vote. So far, Florida fans appear to be the most outraged (1,453 votes) while Vanderbilt has notched 31 tallies. Let's hope the score is closer this weekend. Go Dores!!

New Helmet Designs?

The hat AND the crown?

Does USC's loss mean that one of the Big East powerhouses will get a shot at the national title? Maybe, and especially if it's West Virginia who wins this Thursday as Coach Bando and Coach Woody do battle at Papa John's Cardinal Stadium. (I say that because the Mountaineers are already #3 prior to the game, but Louisville can certainly climb if they win, too.)

While Coach Rob is still in the thick of the race, too, could Thursday's game be a battle for (or against) the dreaded hat? We'll see.

Let's hear it for the Owls! Hoot hoot!

What happens when fans yell, "Go Owls," and then the Owls actually do go? Usually, it means that either Temple (above) or Rice win, but it doesn't happen very often. Yesterday, Temple snapped a 20-game losing streak by defeating Coach GQ's family favorite Bowling Green Falcons 28-14. Way to go, Owls! (by the way, the Falcons beat Temple 70-7 last season. Whoops.)

The rest of the FP is really wishing that Coach GQ had taken his family's beloved Falcons this year, as he has done once before. The FP is also extremely pleased that Temple's victory did not come at the expense of the Vanderbilt Commodores and that Vanderbilt did not prevent the team that now holds the nation's longest losing streak, Duke, from breaking their own streak of futility yesterday. Go Dores!!

WTF?!?

That last letter is for Florida, of course. What is going on down there? Sure, the Gators are doing fine this season, but Miami and Florida State are in shambles with both their real-life coaches on the hot seat. In the FP, both teams are continuing to cause grief for Coaches Bando and Woody, respectively, as the 'Canes and 'Noles both dropped games yesterday. Miami fell 30-23 to Georgia Tech in Bando's presence in Atlanta, and Woody wisely did not make the trip to see Maryland top Florida State 27-24.

This week's motto, which may also be this season's maxim, must be, "That's why they play the games."

Go Testudo!

Maryland's mascot really is named Testudo. Apparently this is a classification of turtle that got its name from a Roman military formation (or vice versa).

Moral of the story: Fear the turtle.

Tick, tock

Coach Rob was sweating it big time when the Texas Tech Red Raiders jumped out in front of his Texas Longhorns yesterday, but the Horns had enough to pull out the win in the second half. Yikes, the pool is getting tight in a hurry.

Damn Beavers!

Boy, this one is begging for innuendo, but let's keep it clean and say that the Oregon State Beavers did what the Clemson Tigers could not this past weekend: Hand Coach Rob another loss. Oregon State downed USC 33-31, ending a 38-game regular season winning streak for the Trojans and keeping the FP standings tight as the coaches head into the November home stretch. Ouch.

MyESPN: Worth a look

Coaches, take note: ESPN has begun offering MyESPN, a new personalized, customizable front page for sports fans. I won't use it as my home page, but Woody, I think it does replace My Yahoo!'s page for me. It's easier to arrange teams and their schedules. I do still wish it gave us a way to view future schedules easier, but it's still really handy.

Check it out and let me know what you think.

Holy Hokie!

Coach Rob definitely did not see this coming, but he's not complaining. The Clemson Tigers have looked like the class of the ACC at times this season, but last night they were the second-best team on the field in Blacksburg as Virginia Tech steamrolled Clemson 24-7.

As Coach Woody reminded the FP yesterday, "That's why they play the games."

Slick

I was cleaning some files from my computer and came across this. Had to post it to the site.

BAUMAN Jersey

Found this on the web...

It's not easy being a Wolverine fan living behind enemy lines in Ohio. From what we've been told by those that live there, the abuse is constant.Well, a couple of M Zone readers and M fans finally had enough. And they came up with a very funny and clever way to get back at their Buckeye brethren who surround them on a daily basis.The guys contacted Eastbay, a large online athletic supply company, and had a couple of custom #58 Clemson jerseys made up with the name "BAUMAN" put on the back. As the guys said in their email to us: "It's a small moral victory but we do enjoy wearing these whenever we happen to be in Columbus for OSU home games. Yes, it's pretty childish but it makes us laugh. Especially when OSU fans recognize the name and jersey, and become very, very upset."So who is Charlie Bauman and why would this piss off Buckeyes so much? Well, for those that don't already know...Charlie Bauman was the Clemson football player who had the audacity to intercept Buckeye QB Art Schlichter's 3rd and 5 toss in the waning moments of '78 Gator Bowl. He then ran out of bounds in front of the Ohio State bench. Woody Hayes became enraged that somebody had the nerve to intercept one of his rare pass plays and decided national TV was a great place to slug Mr. Bauman. As a result, Ohio State fired Hayes the next day (and Hayes went to his grave never having apologized for "The Punch"). Needless to say, one can now understand why Tosu folks bristle at the sight of these jerseys.Ah, the art of the subtle - but highly effective - taunt. I think I can speak for all the M Zone staff by saying, "Well done, gentlemen. Well done."

Wunderlik Test - College Edition

College Football Wunderlik test?

If the Ohio State tailback gets $42,000 from a Buckeye booster but the Escalade he wants is $57,000, he should:

a) Buy a different SUV

b) Take a job he doesn't have to show up for from another booster to cover the difference

c) Ask Maurice Clarett to borrow one for him

d) Transfer to an SEC school with more generous boosters

Texas A&M scores 46 points against Miami in a bowl game. How many staff members will Larry Coker fire the next week?

A linebacker is 21. The underage girl he sleeps with is 16. At Tennessee, how many plays against a non-conference team would he have to miss as punishment?

Marcus Vick runs a 4.3 and Maurice Clarett runs a 4.48 but the 9mm Glock hidden in Vick's waistband is heavier. Who has a better chance of out-running the cops and evading arrest?

The full list of questions can be found at http://michiganzone.blogspot.com/2006/03/m-zone-wonderlic-test.html

Bando 2, Fate 0

I think Bando has a shot at the hat trick, too...

Bando 1, Fate 0

Bando, you missed your destiny last night. You probably should have blown off your school function.

Vandy Video - again?

Ok, are they going to start making these for every SEC victory? I know they don't come around too often, but a video for the Georgia game? The UT one was fun, and worth getting. But this seems a little odd.

Commodore Count

The Commodore Count has been lowered to level five, "Dores fold late," in the wake of yesterday's loss. Level four, "Whipped from the start," almost seemed appropriate, too, so maybe the Dores are really at level four-and-a-half. Either way, it hurts.

Gettin' Lucky

Speaking of Coach Woody, his Notre Dame Fighting Irish must have rubbed the @#%# out of their rabbit's foot (above) when they eked out a 20-17 victory over UCLA with less than a minute remaining this afternoon. Boy, Notre Dame is annoying, but coach is sure happy to avoid what we all thought was a sure defeat.

Uniform fire sale: everything must go!

Coach Woody's Florida State Seminoles may want to rethink their decision to debut new all-black uniforms today in the wake of their 24-19 loss to Boston College. I thought they were ugly, and--as you can see in the photo above--no longer accurate ("unconquered" doesn't seem to fit). The Seminoles may want to spend more time in practice this week and less time in front of the mirror.

Ouch

The answer to Joe Biddle's question, unfortunately, is no. South Carolina downed Vanderbilt today 31-13 in front of the entire FP. It could have been closer, but it also could have been worse. It was painful to watch the second half.

What's wrong with Alabama football

It pains me to say this...

... but Joe Biddle is right.

But is Biddle's high-school classmate Steve Spurrier right, or is he taking a page out of former Gamecock coach Lou Holtz's playbook? We'll see in a few hours, but here's the line Spurrier is towing right now:

"I look at the Vanderbilt team now, man are they different from the early '90s. They got athletes. They got kids that train year round and want to play. They got a commitment and Bobby Johnson and his guys have done a super job. Shoot, they look about as good to me as anyone in the league right now.''

Go Dores!!

The Great Alaska Shootout

Nope, I'm not bringing up college hoops on the FP site. I am bringing up college hockey, though, and check out the war that's gradually building in Alaska. I side with the Seawolves on this one. Here's my favorite part of this story:

"We're the bigger school," said UAA assistant hockey captain Justin Bourne. "Whatever, we'll deal with it on the ice."

For what it's worth, I'm not sure anyone below the 49th parallel really cares (and neither does anyone in Canada). Both schools are Division II except for college hockey anyway. The teams face off this weekend, and I'll be sure to share the results. Go Seawolves!

How do you spell "breakfast"?

Answer: "Texas A&M." Pass the milk, please, but not until Thanksgiving.

This is Bando's fault

Well, it's Coach Bando's Miami Hurricanes' fault, at least. Celebrating on the logo has now arrived in the Ivy League. Holy Cross (incidentally, not in the Ivy League) and Dartmouth brawled following the Crusaders' overtime victory against the Big Green last Saturday.

Things are really getting out of hand.

Big House To Get Bigger

Renovation plans for the Big House should be complete for the 2010 season. We'll need to go back in a few years.

Details and diagram with the luxury boxes are available.
Men—urinals and toilets Existing: 358 (includes portables)Proposed: 505 (+41%)
Women—toiletsExisting: 317 (includes portables)Proposed: 542 (+71%)
Concessions —including tentsExisting: 294Proposed: 335 (+14%)

Q: What will the new capacity be once the renovations are complete?

The current seating capacity of the stadium is 107,501. As part of the renovations, approximately 83 suites and 3,200 club seats will be added. Other actions, such as widening seats and aisles and adding seating for mobility-impaired fans, will result in the loss of some seats. When the renovations are complete, capacity at the "Big House" will top 108,000.

Question of the Week

It may not be one you'd expect, coaches: Is there a player on the cover of the Michigan Wolverines' game day program this week?

HawkCentral answers why, but not whom. The Michigan Web site doesn't include its program, but it does include this "weekly release" that Coach GQ will undoubtedly enjoy.

If HawkCentral's theory holds true on Saturday, then Mike Hart (above) is my vote to grace the program cover.

Sigh

I told you to give it time: The VOL Index has been increased from 5 to 4 in the wake of the first BCS standings, in which the Vols are listed as #11 despite their human poll rankings (#8 USAT/ESPN and #7 AP). They have a legitimate gripe, especially ranking one spot behind Coach GQ's California Bears, but it won't take long for the outrage machine to crank the volume high above the necessary level.

Outlook doesn't get any better for Rob...

After 3 losses in the Pool this weekend, the day doesn't get any better for Rossk. Bando, QBacca and Woodah all have Lego Star Wars characters on the video game but poor Rossk is left to only the real toy.

WOODY-Ball!

Did you catch Woody Widenhofer on the sidelines of New Mexico State against Boise State on Sunday? I forgot he was at NMSU. His defensive schemes didn't work against Boise St. last night.

http://www.nmstatesports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=9521&SPID=583&DB_OEM_ID=1900&ATCLID=99476&Q_SEASON=2006

Roar!

Coach Rob feels compelled to acknowledge Coach GQ's Auburn Tigers, who knocked off the Florida Gators 27-17 yesterday afternoon in the loveliest village on the plains. It's been a roller coaster for the Gators and for Coach Rob this week, as Florida first rose (LSU) and then tumbled when taking on Tigers in successive weeks.

After a wild weekend in the pool with plenty of upsets, Coach GQ has a commanding lead, and the hated hat is once again up for grabs. Don't believe Coach Woody's impersonation of Lou Holtz: The H is O!

Index updates

In the wake of the Commodores upset yesterday and developments in the Vol nation, all three FP indices have been updated.

• The Commodore Count has been set at eight in the wake of yesterday's victory over Georgia.
• The Wagon Watch has been set at four (Give Jamal the Ball!) following last week's defeat of Georgia. (It's been a rough nine days for the Bulldogs.)
• The VOL Index has been set at its baseline level of five (ESPN conspiring against). With the bandwagon beginning to heat up, outrage is at a low level at present. Give it time.
  

FP Indices

The FP is proud to add the Commodore Count to its arsenal of indices as of today.

The Commodore Count measures the current state of the Vanderbilt football program. Allegiance to the Commodores is, to put it lightly, a labor of love, a sacrifice of common sense and act of unadulterated volition requiring tolerance to pain and discomfort. Nonetheless, there are both highs and lows that result from following Vanderbilt football (and other sports), and the Count is intended to assess these milestones. Here are the Commodore Count levels:

• Uncharted territory (12): Peace on earth. Poverty and disease wiped out.
  
• Seven wins (11):
  
• Bowl eligible (10): The promised land!
  
• Dores defeat Vols (9): Tears of joy flow freely.
  
• Dores pull upset (8): Yah-hoo!
  
• Dores win (7): Hallelujah!
  
• Vols lose (6): There is justice in this world.
  
• Dores fold in 4th quarter (5): Sigh. (repeat)
  
• Dores whipped from the start (4): Saturday.
  
• Loss to Temple (3): Oh, the humanity!
  
• Program disbanded (2): Mercy has its price.
  
• Loss to I-AA team (1): Suicide watch commences.

The Commodore Count joins the Wagon Watch and the VOL Index as the FP's rating systems of record. May it always be high and the Wagon Watch always be low. Let the VOL Index fluctuate as only it can. Go Dores!!

Commodore Conquest

The FP's beloved Vanderbilt Commodores have shocked Coach Rob's Georgia Bulldogs this afternoon 24-22. Coach feels a little bittersweet to take one on the chin, but he is awfully proud of the Dores' performance today. Overdue all season, Vandy did something today that they rarely do: They rallied when it counted. Go Dores!!

TRAC spotting in Ft. Worth

I saw this on the campus of TCU. Is TRAC moonlighting for the Frogs? Can you blame him for going with the team that has at least won a couple games?

GQ visits Woody's Horned Frogs of TCU

On October 9-12, Brian went on a work trip to Arlington, TX, and had an afternoon free to visit the TCU Horned Frogs. Pictures are attached (taken in person). This coming Saturday is a bye week for TCU, but fortunately for the rest of the football pool, the Frogs thought the last two weeks were bye weeks, went through the motions, and lost to BYU and UTAH.

The campus looked pretty nice as I drove through it.

Here's some history for you.

Amon G. Carter Stadium is an open-air football stadium on the campus of Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, Texas. It is the home stadium of the TCU football team, the Horned Frogs. It also hosts the annual Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl, which has been played since 2003. It was named after Amon G. Carter, a prominent Fort Worth businessman, newspaper publisher, and city booster.
The stadium was opened in 1930, with a seating capacity of 22,000. It was built to replace Clark Field. Dedication of the stadium was on October 11, 1930. TCU defeated the University of Arkansas, 40-0. Several different expansions of stadium's end zone and east grand stands took place in the 1940s and 1950s. The first of which took place in 1948, with construction raising the capacity by 8,500 to 30,500. In 1951 and 1953, 2,500 and 4,000 more seats were added to the sections giving the facility 37,000 seats.
An upper-deck and two-level press box were added to the structure in 1956. They were placed above the southwest grandstands. Improvements were made to the seating in 1985 and 1991. First the seats in the lower grandstands were removed and aluminum seats were put in their place. Then the upper-deck seats were replaced with the aluminum seats. In 1992, the artificial turf, which had been in place since 1973, was replaced with natural grass. Today the stadium seats 46,083 spectators.
Amon G. Carter Stadium most recently sold out on September 16, 2006 when TCU defeated Texas Tech, 12-3. The previous time the stadium sold out was November 17, 1984. That day 12th-ranked TCU fell to 10th-ranked Texas in a nationally televised contest on CBS.
The stadium, which now stands to the northwest of Daniel-Meyer Coliseum, has been home to such greats as Sammy Baugh, Davey O'Brien, Jim Swink, Bob Lilly, and LaDainian Tomlinson.