Category: navy football

STOCK MARKET: WEEK THIRTEEN

On By MikeIn navy football9 Comments

Mike

STOCK DOWN: Hawaii. I’m praying that there is no truth to this whatsoever. And honestly, “the admissions office received an anonymous letter Nov. 3 accusing unnamed players of intentionally playing poorly to affect the final score as part of a gambling scheme” sounds like the product of a message board conspiracy theorist taking himself way too seriously. For the good of the school and the game, let’s hope that’s all this is.

STOCK DOWN: Maryland. The Terps were up 41-14 in the third quarter before giving up FORTY-TWO unanswered points and losing to North Carolina State, 56-41. But hell, that’s just par for the course for Maryland football this year. The actual bad news is that due to budget shortfalls, Maryland will be cutting 8 sports:

The teams are men’s tennis, men’s track and field (indoor, outdoor and cross country), men’s swimming and diving, women’s swimming and diving, women’s water polo and women’s acrobatics and tumbling, formerly called “competitive cheer.”

It’s a blow to AD Kevin Anderson, who built his reputation at Oregon State and Army primarily as a fundraiser. It’s almost certainly what made him attractive to Maryland, whose financial difficulties have been years in the making. The bad decisions that led to this mess aren’t Anderson’s fault, but he certainly could have done more to prevent this outcome. The 20 empty suites at Byrd Stadium are a financial albatross. That didn’t have to be the case. When you’re competing with two NFL franchises, two baseball franchises, an NBA team, and an NHL team for corporate entertainment dollars, you don’t hire a milquetoast guy like Randy Edsall to sell luxury suites and premium seating. You hire someone like Mike Leach. Even if you somehow thought that Edsall gave you the better chance to win, when you’re at the point when you’re about to cut sports, winning isn’t your first consideration. Money is. I’m no fan of Mike Leach, but he clearly would have generated a lot of excitement and sold a lot of tickets. In hindsight, he probably wouldn’t have been 2-10 either.

STOCK UP: Conference USA. If you aren’t excited to watch Houston play Southern Miss in the C-USA championship game, then you don’t like college football.

STOCK DOWN: Clemson. Saturday’s 34-13 blowout against South Carolina capped off a 1-3 stretch that saw the Tigers go from national championship contenders to ACC title game underdogs in about a month. Taking collateral damage from Clemson’s slide is Virginia Tech, who could’ve used a win over a higher-ranked opponent in the ACC title game to boost their outside shot at a national championship.

STOCK UP: The Capital One Bowl. The bowl committee actually live-tweeted their last meeting on Twitter. That’s worth a follow to get an inside look at the sorts of things that bowls consider when they make their selections. And if you aren’t on Twitter, you’re doing it wrong.

STOCK UP. I MEAN DOWN. I MEAN UP. WHAT THE HELL: UCLA. Rick Neuheisel was fired. They’re in the Pac 12 championship game. They lost to USC 50-0. They’re 6-6. They can either go to the Rose Bowl or hope their petition to the NCAA is approved so they can go to any bowl. Well that makes sense.

Adam

STOCK UP: Houston. All year long I was certain the Cougars would lose a conference game, and all year long they left me saying, “let’s wait and see what happens next week.” Suffice it to say I had my doubts about Case Keenum and company headed into last Saturday’s matchup at Tulsa (a team that had won 7 straight), but a 48-16 spanking of the Golden Hurricane proves Houston has earned a BCS bowl berth. We talk a ton about Kevin Sumlin’s offense, but given the defense’s play over the last month, I’m wondering if we’re not seeing one of the most dominant non-BCS teams ever. Yes, you read that correctly: ever. I know they still have to get pass Austin Davis and USM, but I think this is Houston’s year.

STOCK DOWN: Maryland. Good God, what can you say? As if representing the very theme of ACC mediocrity all year long, Randy Edsall’s Terps hit a new low on Saturday, allowing 42 unanswered North Carolina State points in 21 minutes of action to somehow blow a 27-point lead. In other news, I’m guessing Tom O’Brien is sleeping a bit easier tonight.

STOCK UP: Mike Leach. Love him or hate him (and personally, I think he’s freaking hilarious – especially as a weatherman) he’s coming back to the gridiron. It could be for Illinois – which fired Ron Zook after a 0-6 finish – or it might be for Washington State or Arizona State, but with the start to the college football firing season off to a bang and sure to fire away for another few weeks, you can bet one Pirate will soon be swinging that sword on a sideline next year. Just make sure your AD doesn’t mess with his parking spot when he gets there.

STOCK DOWN: Florida. As pundits were proclaiming the superiority of SEC teams everywhere this past Saturday, the team just a few years removed from a national title – Florida – was struggling to move the ball in a 21-7 loss to archrival Florida State. All this in the vaunted Charlie Weis offense fully equipped with all that speed. Talk all you want about how good the SEC West is, but has anyone quietly noticed how average the SEC East is this year?

STOCK DOWN: Rob Ianello. The onetime hotshot assistant and recruiter extraordinaire proves that yes, you can in fact be too young and inexperienced to run a college program. Two years and two wins after being hired as Akron’s head coach, Ianello got the can this past weekend. It wasn’t unexpected, but it is significant. We hear so much about the importance of recruiting in today’s game, and while it is important, it has left us with a trend of hires in recent years of ill-suited assistants when it comes to game day management and X and O thinking. My suggestion for non-AQ teams looking to reverse a losing trend? Take a look at the veteran FCS coaches out there. They might just know what they’re doing.

STOCK UP: Gary Andersen. Three words: I love Potatoes.

STOCK MARKET: WEEK TWELVE

On By MikeIn navy football6 Comments

Mike

STOCK DOWN: The “November to remember.” Well it was fun while it lasted. After beating SMU, it looked like the Mids might’ve had a real shot at winning out and getting to their ninth-straight bowl game. It wasn’t meant to be. San Jose State completely sold out to stop the run, parking their safeties within 7 or 8 yards of the line of scrimmage and basically ignoring the pass. Navy couldn’t take advantage. People seem to think that passing isn’t supposed to be anything more than a sideshow in the Navy offense, but that’s not true. The offense has its roots in the run & shoot. The whole point of taking the slotbacks out of the backfield and putting them on the line of scrimmage is to stretch the defense. To make them respect the threat of the pass. If they don’t, then you have to make them pay the price. Navy couldn’t. They better fix that soon, though, because that’s the approach Army is going to take. If you want to see a game where Navy did make the defense pay for lining up this way, look here.

STOCK UP: Yellow journalism. It’s alive and well! Calling the post “Budget Crunch” and comparing Niumat’s salary to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs? Completely— and intentionally– misleading. Ricks has always disliked the idea of service academies as they exist today, and he’s entitled to his opinion. But if he’s willing to skirt integrity and stoop to garbage posts like this to try to sell his ideas, then maybe he doesn’t think they’re strong enough to stand on their own merits.

STOCK UP: Baylor. ROBERT GRIFFIN ROBERT GRIFFIN ROBERT GRIFFIN ROBERT GRIFFIN ROBERT GRIFFIN ROBERT GRIFFIN ROBERT GRIFFIN ROBERT GRIFFIN ROBERT GRIFFIN ROBERT GRIFFIN ROBERT GRIFFIN ROBERT GRIFFIN ROBERT GRIFFIN ROBERT GRIFFIN ROBERT GRIFFIN ROBERT GRIFFIN ROBERT GRIFFIN ROBERT GRIFFIN ROBERT GRIFFIN

STOCK DOWN: Miami. No bowl for you. One wonders if we’d have seen this announcement if the Hurricanes were headed towards the Peach Bowl and not the Independence Bowl.

STOCK UP: Houston. The Cougars passed the first test in their 3-game gauntlet to end the season, topping SMU 37-7. While Case Keenum and the offense are usually the story with this team, it was the defense that led the way this time. The Mustangs were held to 263 yards and committed two turnovers, including only 24 rushing yards without Zach Line. Houston is now ranked #8 in the BCS and faces a very good Tulsa squad to finish the regular season.

STOCK DOWN: Rematches. One of the great things about college football is that you rarely see a rematch. Each game is its own micro-season. You get one chance to prove your superiority over your rival, and that’s it. If you fail, it’s better luck next year. That’s what makes each game so tense, so exciting. For that reason (and others), nobody wants to see LSU-Alabama again. Less hope the madness of this past weekend continues so we aren’t stuck with reruns.

Adam

STOCK UP: Chaos Theory. From the befuddling mess of one-loss teams vying for position in the BCS standings, to the inconceivable and pathetic five-way tie atop the Big East, college football has ceased to make any sense to me. How else can you explain dual Oklahoma and Oklahoma State implosions, or Southern Mississippi’s loss to a UAB team which might just be among the worst college football teams ever? I have no idea. I guess I should be thankful for some of the chaos. Believe it or not, my alma mater has pulled off three straight (if not entirely unforeseeable) wins in the final minutes of games to pull even at .500. Famous Potato Bowl here we come!

STOCK DOWN: Illinois. Seriously, is this the same program that went to the Rose Bowl a few years ago? Not only did Ron Zook pull a “talk to the hand” when asked about his job security early last week, but his Illini have dropped five consecutive games after a 6-0 start. There’s usually no shame in losing to Wisconsin, but considering Illinois jumped out to a 17-7 lead on Saturday, the “woulda, coulda, shouldas” of one of the biggest crash-and-burn stories of the year likely will persist well into the offseason. The same might not be said for Zook’s gainful employment.

STOCK UP: Manti Te’o. I don’t know if anyone took time out of watching Navy’s teeth-pulling loss to check in on senior day from Notre Dame stadium, but if you did, you probably saw the last college home game for what I believe to be the single most dominant linebacker in college football today. The Hawaiian native is just unblockable, and consistently makes impact defensive plays for an Irish team that has risen to 22nd in the latest AP Poll. Despite being banged up, he leads the Irish with 103 tackles, 11.5 tackles for a loss, and 4.5 sacks. For a team which is still struggling to consistently put together offensive drives, Te’o’s play has made all the difference in keeping Notre Dame relevant.

STOCK DOWN: Tuner Gill’s job security. Anyone who has ever met the former Buffalo coach will be the first to tell you he is one of the true “good guys” in the game, but Kansas has been anything but a good story this year. After blowing close games to Iowa State and Baylor in the previous two weeks, Gill’s Jayhawks sleepwalked through a 61-7 blowout loss to Texas A&M, which took off its own perennial underachiever mask for a week to hold Kansas to just 197 total yards. Kansas hasn’t won a conference game in two years, and with the nation’s most porous defense, it’s tough to see them getting a win against Missouri next week. I hate to say it, but Gill’s days in Lawrence might be numbered.

STOCK UP: Louisiana Tech. Sonny Dykes’ team might just be the hottest non-BCS team in the country, and more than likely sealed a WAC Title with a 24-20 win over Nevada on Saturday. Six straight wins (including five on the road) is a lot to ask of a team after staring 1-4, but resiliency has been the name of the game in Ruston. They proved it in a big way against the similarly hot Wolf Pack, who blew a 20-3 lead fourth-quarter lead by allowing Colby Cameron to connect on three late touchdown tosses.

STOCK DOWN: Stockings, as in Christmas. The other day at work while attempting to watch Navy struggle in an eventual loss to San Jose State on a slow-as-heck internet connection, a kid came to my desk and told me the exact number of days until Christmas. It made me smile, and reminded me that just because Navy’s bowl streak has come to an end, doesn’t mean we all have to say “bah humbug” for the next few weeks.

With an eye on Thanksgiving

On By christianswezeyIn army-navy, basketball, navy football9 Comments

Navy’s streak of eight consecutive bowls is over. But with Thanksgiving on the horizon, it’s time to give thanks for the streak that was and look for positives amid its end.

1. Army-Navy has its own day

I wasn’t always a fan of the decision to move Army-Navy back one week. I worried about being one week colder in the stands; about Navy having one week less prep time/healing time for the bowl game; and about my brother, whose wedding anniversary is the once-safe Dec. 12.

The move sure looks smart this year. Even with the recent, and welcome, surge in patriotism in our country, I’m not liking the chances that Army-Navy would get the attention it deserves if it were on the same day as the SEC championship, the Big Ten championship, the ACC championship and, this year at least, a couple pretty compelling Big 12 games (Texas-Baylor and Oklahoma-Oklahoma State).

2. Navy has basketball teams

There is much new energy around the Navy men’s and women’s basketball teams this season. The Navy men’s team appears back to the defense-and-rebounding-first approach that made Patriot League games fun to watch (and somewhat winnable) under Don DeVoe. The women’s team is coming off an historic season with an NCAA tournament berth.

I lost Navy men’s and women’s basketball on my radar in recent years. It was still football season into late December with the bowl, then bowl recovery/analysis/handwringng/celebratory hangover. So by the time I turned attention to hoops, Navy usually had a sub-.500 record from nonconference games and lacrosse was dipping its toes into the frigid outdoors for preseason workouts.

It’s time to be reintroduced to Navy basketball and the excellent Pete Medhurst on the radio play-by-play.

3. The streak that was

How great was that eight-year bowl streak? The long drive against New Mexico. Slotback Frank Divis’s passes against New Mexico. Reggie Campbell’s touchdowns against Colorado State. The Navy defense going head-to-head against Matt Ryan of Boston College. The Navy offense going head-to-head against BJ Raji of Boston College. The successful onside kick in the final minute against Utah. For a D.C. native like myself, even the bowl game at RFK Stadium was enormous fun. The crushing win over Missouri.

And I still haven’t forgiven Mike Leach for the cheap touchdown celebration Texas Tech did in the fourth quarter of the 2003 bowl game. (What ever happened to Leach? Oh, wait a minute…)

So the bowl streak is over. And the CIC trophy streak. Neither was going to last forever! One streak that will resume next year is the streak of our enjoyment of Navy football continues. Maybe this dip will make all of us a little more hungry, a little more focused.

“Let us learn to appreciate there will be times when the trees will be bare,” Anton Chekov wrote, “and look forward to the time when we may pick the fruit.”

STOCK MARKET: WEEK ELEVEN

On By MikeIn football, navy football11 Comments

Mike

STOCK UP: Navy. I love the Gansz Trophy. I want to take it to the club, drink champagne out of it, show it off to chicks, and tell them it’s the Stanley Cup.  The Mids put on their best defensive performance of the season on Saturday, holding SMU’s run & shoot offense to 249 passing yards while grabbing two interceptions and allowing the Mustangs to convert only 4 of 12 3rd-down attempts. Navy’s defense played great against SMU last year too. I don’t know what it is about this game, but I’ll take it.

STOCK DOWN: Air Force. Air Force had a lot of the same hype this year that Navy had going into 2010. The results, however, have been a lot worse. The Falcons fell back to .500 after losing to Wyoming on Saturday, 25-17. Two of their wins have come against I-AA teams, which means that Air Force will not be bowl eligible if they lose either of their last two games. Fortunately for them, those two games are against UNLV and Colorado State, both of which are horrible (this is the Mountain West, after all). Still, things might get a little hairy if Air Force has to go without Tim Jefferson, who left the Wyoming game with an apparent concussion.

STOCK DOWN: Boise State. By losing to TCU, the Broncos will not only likely miss out on a BCS bowl, but they probably won’t even win the Mountain West. TCU is undefeated in the conference and will most likely stay that way with only Colorado State and UNLV left to play. Bonus stock down to the referee who called pass interference on Boise’s last drive. That was almost as corrupt as Pacquiao-Marquez. Almost.

STOCK UP: Houston. Boise’s loss opens the door for the undefeated Cougars to make a BCS bowl game if they win out. The highest-ranked champion of a non-AQ conference can earn an automatic berth if they are either in the top 12 of the BCS standings, or in the top 16 and ranked ahead of the champion of an AQ conference. Houston is already ranked in the top 12 and is on a collision course with Southern Miss in Conference USA. The Eagles might have an outside shot at a BCS bowl if they win C-USA instead, but they would need a lot of help getting into the top 16.

STOCK UP: Oklahoma State. A ho-hum 60-point conference road win helped to solidify the Cowboys as the #2 team in the country. And who doesn’t want to see the Oklahoma State offense take on the LSU defense?

STOCK UP: Georgia. South Carolina kept the pressure on Georgia in the race for the SEC East crown by beating Florida. After the game, Steve Spurrier said, “We’ll see how Georgia plays when they know they have to win.” Apparently they play pretty well, if their 45-7 thrashing of Auburn is any indication. After an 0-2 start that had some predicting Mark Richt’s demise, Georgia has won 8 straight and has only Kentucky standing between them and a spot in the SEC championship game. Kentucky was just blown out by Vanderbilt; we’ve been told they supposed to be SEC, but this year it’s been in name only. Everything’s coming up Bulldogs.

STOCK DOWN: Tim DeRuyter. The former Air Force (and Navy) defensive coordinator left his alma mater to take the same job at Texas A&M because, he said, it would help him prepare to eventually return to Air Force as head coach. Let’s all hope so. Texas A&M is the most underachieving team in the country; they were a preseason top 10 in both polls, but fell to 5-5 with Saturday’s overtime loss to Kansas State. Considering that the Aggies have scored no fewer than 29 points in any game this year, and coupled with the fact that 4 of A&M’s 5 losses have come as a result of blowing double-digit leads, DeRuyter might be available to go back to Colorado Springs sooner rather than later.

STOCK DOWN: Florida State-Miami. There was a time when people used to rank this rivalry up with the best in college football. I actually live in Florida, and this year I forgot this game was even being played. This is fine example of the difference between a great game and a great rivalry. One doesn’t make the other. Now that neither has been much of a national player for a while, the nobody seems to talk about the rivalry anymore.

Adam

STOCK UP: Brett Smith. A week after getting knocked out of an upset bid against TCU with a concussion, the Wyoming freshman led the Pokes to a win at Air Force, accounting for all three of his team’s touchdowns (1 passing, 2 rushing) while all but securing Wyoming’s status as the third best team in the MWC. Wiry but athletic, Smith has impressed me with both his poise away from Cowboy Stadium this year, as well as his progression in what can be a complicated Dave Christensen offense. The Cowboys still need one more win to get bowl eligible, but with a home date against New Mexico next week, something tells me that win will come real soon.

STOCK DOWN: Arizona State. It hardly seems like it was this season, but I’m fairly sure I watched the Sun Devils beat then 23rd-ranked USC in late September while asking myself, “is Dennis Erickson’s team good enough to win the PAC-12?” It looked like it at the time, but with three losses in the last four games, QB Brock Osweiler and company have come back down to earth. Granted, all three of those losses have been on the road, but the last two – to average UCLA and Washington State teams – have taken Arizona State out of contention for the league title. If nothing else, Saturday’s 37-27 loss at the hands of a backup quarterback shows that Arizona State is not, in fact, ready for the national spotlight.

STOCK UP: Kleining. Ok, it’s official; I’m starting the next viral posing movement. After two weeks of Tebowing in all public places to the looks of bewildered old people, I’ve decided to set up a tackling dummy and proceed to run over it. Again. And again. And again. I call it “Kleining,” – after the Kansas State quarterback, whose five rushing touchdowns lifted the Wildcats to victory in a wild three-overtime thriller against Texas A&M. Klein’s 24 rushing touchdowns this year are approaching (dare I say) Ricky Dobbs like numbers, and the junior quarterback’s passing prowess hasn’t exactly been suspect to boot. If the Wildcats finish out the season 10-2, Klein deserves to be invited to the Heisman ceremony.

STOCK DOWN: Cincinnati. Losing 24-21 to West Virginia doesn’t doom the first-place Bearcats, but losing quarterback Zach Collaros to a broken right ankle just might. Collaros ranked third in total offense in the Big East before the injury, and with back-to-back road games against Rutgers and Syracuse, his experience and knowledge of the offense will be missed as the Bearcats try to claw their way towards a BCS bowl.

STOCK UP: Utah State. For the first time this season Utah State won back-to-back games, keeping my postseason travel hopes alive with their second improbable fourth-quarter comeback in as many weeks. Once again, backup quarterback Adam Kennedy overcame a barrage of turnovers and miscues by the offense to rally the team, which trailed 33-21 with just over five minutes left in the game. With two wins in three tries my Aggies can get bowl eligible, but with a conference that is about as predictable as Logan’s weather, I’m not booking my plane ticket just yet.

STOCK DOWN: Others Receiving Votes. I’m not saying Georgia Southern (9-1) is not deserving of a spot in the FBS poll, but when even the AP voters take note of an FCS team, it’s not the greatest indicator of how strong the bottom half of the Top 25 is. Hats off to Coach Monk and Jaybo Shaw, however, who will get a chance to prove to the country how good they really are when they travel to face Alabama this weekend.

STOCK MARKET: WEEK TEN

On By MikeIn football, navy football9 Comments

Mike

STOCK DOWN: WordPress. This would have been posted yesterday, but when I hit “Publish” I got an error message and everything was erased. Not that you’re missing much.

STOCK UP: IT’S GANSZ TROPHY WEEK ERRBODY GET CRAZY WOOOOOOOOOO. Such a storied rivalry. I remember my first Gansz Trophy game like it was just two years ago. What memories.

STOCK UP: Aaron Santiago’s return. I was sure that we had seen the last of Aaron Santiago after he broke his arm at Western Kentucky. I mean, there are broken arms, and there are broken AAAAAAAAAAAAAAA. Aaron’s injury was most definitely the latter, which you might have noticed since CBS decided to show a replay of it for reasons known only to God. The hope at the time of the injury was that Aaron might be able to dress for Army-Navy. It’s a small miracle that not only was he back in time for Senior Day, but he ran for 80 yards in one half of play. With the Mids needing to win out to go to their ninth consecutive bowl game, any help they can get is good news.

STOCK DOWN: Big East defectors. It wasn’t a good week for those moving on to greener pastures, as all three teams leaving the Big East lost to teams staying put. Louisville beat West Virginia, UConn topped Syracuse, and Pitt fell to Cincinnati. Is this where I let out a cheer for conference solidarity? Someone needs to fill me in on how this whole conference thing works. Speaking of which…

STOCK UP: Missouri. I don’t care what conference they’re in. I’m just glad that there is actual news in the conference realignment shuffle as opposed to more rumors from questionable sources. Maybe this will finally get the dominoes falling so we can get all of this over with, whatever is going to happen.

STOCK UP: A bird’s eye view. Buddy Green called the game from upstairs on Saturday. Do I think that’s the reason why the defense looked better? Meh, not really. Am I superstitious enough that I want him in the box anyway from here on out? ABSOLUTELY.

THIS WEEK IN SEASON TURNAROUND GOOD VIBES: Last week we talked about WKU, who kept the ball rolling on Saturday by beating FIU to pull over .500 on the season. This week’s good vibes story is UCLA. As we watched the Bruins get dismantled by a pretty bad Arizona team, did anyone think that they would be in control of their own destiny in the Pac-12 South at this point in the season? Hell no. But after beating Arizona State on Saturday, that’s exactly where they are with three games to play. Two of those three (Utah and Colorado) are very winnable, making the season finale with USC even bigger than usual. Happy thoughts, Navy.

ENRON: Penn State. I questioned whether or not to even mention this mess, given the usual lighthearted nature of this post. You can’t really get around it, though. I haven’t been able to finish a single article I’ve read on the whole affair because I get too disgusted. The best coverage of the story is at pennlive.com, or you can read the grand jury findings of fact for yourself here. I doubt you’ll be able to finish it either.

Adam

STOCK UP: Mike London. I live and work in Cavs country, and let me tell you, this guy actually has people in central Virginia excited for football on Saturdays. It’s not just that the former Richmond Head Coach has gotten Virginia bowl eligible for the first time since 2007, it’s that he is doing it the right way and engaging the community. Virginia is in the hunt for a conference crown for the first time in years, and could be on track to make the ACC title game when they host Virginia Tech on November 26th.

STOCK DOWN: Rex Burkhead’s Heisman campaign (formerly sponsored by yours truly). I’ve been an admirer of the legend of Rex ever since watching the former Plano (TX) prep star tear it up on a Rivals scouting video, and coming into last Saturday’s game, the All-American I-back looked like he might just make a surge for a late-season Heisman run. We knew Northwestern might score on the Black Shirts, but c’mon, who among us saw the Wildcat defense holding Burkhead in check? A costly fumble in the redzone not only kills whatever outside chance Burkhead had at making that run, but it might have killed Nebraska’s BCS bowl hopes.

STOCK UP: MACTION. Tuesday night used to have the distinction of being THE WORST night for television watching. This is not an opinion, but a legitimate fact. However, after last Tuesday night’s 123-point smörgåsbord of offense in Northern Illinois’ 63-60 win over Toledo, we all have reason to reevaluate our troubled relationship with Tuesday evenings. And with two key conference games coming up this Tuesday (Western Michigan @ Toledo and Northern Illinois @ Bowling Green) the fun isn’t likely to stop.

STOCK DOWN: Washington State. Have things really changed in Pullman? After starting 3-1, the Cougars have lost five consecutive games, including Saturday’s 30-7 loss to Cal. I thought Paul Wolff would be able to get this team to a bowl after a hot start, but asking Washington State to win its final three games looks like too much considering Arizona State and Washington loom ahead.

STOCK UP: The Conference-USA title race. Houston and Southern Miss are two of the hottest teams in the country, and if both can win their remaining three games, they will meet in what just might be the most high-profile Conference-USA Championship ever. Considering how many teams ranked 10-20 have been losing as of late, I’m guessing both head into the game ranked in the Top 20 of the AP Poll – a distinction, I should add, that gives the eventual champion a legitimate case at playing in a BCS Bowl.

STOCK DOWN: Penn State. Really, if the allegations are true, all I can say is this situation is beyond joking about. Sad is an understatement here.

STOCK MARKET: WEEK NINE

On By MikeIn football, navy football5 Comments

STOCK DOWN: The state of Maryland. Both of the Old Line State’s I-A schools were 9-4 a year ago. Both of them are 2-6 now. Navy, you might have heard, had a mudhole stomped in them by Notre Dame. As for the Terps, they lost 28-17 to a Boston College team whose only other win this year was against UMass. BC running back Rolandan Finch got the start after Montel Harris’ season-ending injury and ran for 243 yards, nearly doubling his total yardage for the season. This might be Randy Edsall’s dream, but it’s Maryland fans’ nightmare. Somewhere, Mike Leach is pouring lighter fluid on Ralph Friedgen’s burning diploma.

STOCK UP: Turning your season around. Well at least we know it’s possible. WKU, who followed up their loss to Navy with a 44-16 loss to I-AA Indiana State, has won four in a row. Their winning streak includes a shutout of Florida Atlantic, a 42-23 win over conference front-runner Louisiana-Lafayette, and Saturday’s overtime win over the team formerly known as the Fighting Weatherbies. WKU is now 4-1 in the Sun Belt and in the running for the conference championship. GUIDE US TO THE LAND OF MILK AND HONEY, HILLTOPPERS.

STOCK DOWN: Sportsmanship.

Uh, yeah.

STOCK DOWN: SMU. Since going on a 5-game winning streak that included victories over UCF and TCU, SMU has lost two straight. Now there’s no shame in losing to Southern Miss and Tulsa. Both are good football teams and could very well meet in the Conference-USA title game. The problem is in how SMU lost. June Jones’ run & shoot offense has been held to 10 combined points over this losing streak (LOL YOU CALL THAT A LOSING STREAK?), and against Tulsa the Mustangs gave up 3 sacks, threw 4 interceptions, and were held to 180 yards passing. Fortunately for SMU, the cure for what ails most football teams is a game against Tulane, and the Green Wave head to Dallas next week. That’ll be a good tuneup for the all-important Gansz Trophy showdown with future Big East rival Navy. THROW OUT THE RECORDS WHEN THOSE TWO STORIED RIVALS MEET.

(Please?)

STOCK UP: Case Keenum. Of course, Tulsa probably won’t win their division unless Case Keenum is injured. Keenum threw for 534 yards and NINE TOUCHDOWNS against Rice. NINE.

NINE.

IX.

(9)

He set the record for most career TD passes in I-A history after he threw his fifth, but what kind of slacker stops at 5 TD passes?

STOCK UP: Georgia Tech. Paul Johnson’s team had a losing streak of their own cooking before unscrewing themselves in a 31-17 thumping of previously unbeaten Clemson. The Jackets just steamrolled the #5 team in the BCS while running for 383 yards, but I guarantee the next time they lose someone will say that the spread option offense has been “solved.” Whatever.

STOCK DOWN: Football games being 60 minutes long. There’s been a lot of talk lately about the welfare of NCAA student-athletes, from protecting their health by eliminating dangerous hits, to approving a $2,000 stipend for football and basketball players to cover the “full cost of attendance.” I fully support these measures. In fact, I would do more. We need to consider the long-term effects of playing football on athlete health. If we shortened the length of the game from 60 minutes to 58 minutes, we could save 24 minutes a year in a 12-game season. That’s a solid hour and a half over the course of a 4-year career, saving players’ bodies from additional wear and tear and reducing the chance of a serious injury that might have occurred in all of that extra time. We’ve taken great steps toward taking care of our players, and when the rules committee looks at changes for next year, I hope they go one step further and consider 58-minute games. For the players.

(This post written by special guest commentator Bret Bielema.)

STOCK UP. WAY, WAY UP: This.