Tuesday, October 14, 2008

Washington Huskies Football: The Fate

Washington Football: The Fate

As of this very moment, there are two teams in Division I that have donuts in the wins column. One is North Texas at 0-6, the other is Washington at 0-5. And yet, even with that mark, they STILL have a chance at making it to post season…

Hey, stop LAUGHING!

I’m serious!

Theoretically speaking, Washington still has a chance to make it to a bowl, or to at least win 6 games. I realize that is only wishful thinking, but right now the focus of thinking with this school and team has to be based on much lower expectations. Right now, they have to wonder, will they have their coach after this season?

But let’s look at some factors here, based on a smaller steps that Washington has to embrace first. I mean, the National Championship is gone, and unless the world turns upside down, the Pac-10 Championship is out the window too. So what’s there left to play for?

Well, to look at this, let’s look at the season the Huskies have had thus far:

Starting the season with a conference game MIGHT not have been the wisest thing to do because there is no tune up, so the Oregon game was a bad decision. With every game being so important, and no conference championship, playing any conference foe would have been a mistake, let alone a ranked one. So losing 44-10 was not a good sign.

Then there’s the BYU game…

Any idiot could say that at 0-5 Washington was probably not going to win anyway, but that is silly to imply. Who’s to say that a win against a quality team might have given Washington some energy and confidence? That was a very close and controversial game, and losing 28-27, and to a second ranked team hurt Washington pretty bad.

So did the 33-14 thrashing by #3 Oklahoma…

And the embarrassing loss to Stanford 35-28.

It’s about this time that a team, regardless of how bad they are, has to “man up” and start playing for pride. You don’t wait until you’re 0-8 or 0-9 and start fearing going winless. Sure, you can blame Tyrone Willingham, but you better not stop there. Players have to accept responsibility too.

It’s like Clemson, who recently lost their head coach. The top brass of the university might like to blame it on the coach, and even some of the players seem to be doing the same, but tell me this…how many snaps did the head coach take so far this season? How many interceptions or fumbles did he make? How many sacks did he allow, or dropped passes? I understand that a coach is always the scape goat in college football, and stupid rich alumni with big wallets call the shots to the Athletic Directors, but let’s not forget that players make the team too.

So Washington now has a problem, not winning a game after losing to Stanford. At least they were within a possession of tying it. But what explains the loss to Arizona? Losing 48-14 could be a back-breaker to a team desperate to get at least 1 win. I mean, at least last year they were 4-9, beating Syracuse, Boise State, Stanford and California.

So now Washington has to find their heart, and fast. Nobody wants to end up 0-11 or 0-12, but right now, there are only two teams left to take that very disappointing merit. Washington has to win a few games to salvage, but can they?

Their next game is against Oregon State, a team that is 3-3 and has proven that they can beat the elite and lose to the cellar teams. If ever there was a case to make a statement, and while AT home, this is it. But Oregon State has seen the big foes, playing USC, Utah and Penn State. You’re not going to intimate them…but you still need to win.

Another home game brings in Notre Dame, a team that just got kicked out of Chapel Hill and looks to Washington for a sweet, creamy cup cake win. Notre Dame can say whatever they want, but they are coming in expecting an easy win. If Washington believes that, they have already lost the game…and the season. There needs to be a serious gut-check for the Huskies while at home to take care of some business. For Heaven’s sake, you’re one of the BCS power conferences, you can’t go out with a zero in your win column!

USC expects you to come see them in their back yard with your tails between your legs, and they’d like to see that because they need every win they can get to jump back in the National Championship hunt. Washington would be an easy neck to step on, if you allow that. Now granted, I am not giving Washington much of a chance to win either, but who thought Oregon State was gonna win that game (ok, some did…)

After that, Washington has two final home stands, against Arizona State and UCLA. A 2-4 team (at this time) could be the win you really need to pick the entire university up. See, by now the players at Washington have to realize that they play with the hopes of all those fellow students and fans in the stands. I don’t care about the rich alumni and how they so terribly make this sport into the “good ole boy network”, but I do believe that a college football team has to realize that their legacy is tied in what they do today, and whether they choose to give up, or play on.

UCLA is another team hurting (although my sentimental fav because I used to live in LA and my high school mascot name AND colors were that of the Bruins), and this is a chance for Washington to steal a win…or earn one. I know it might look hopeless now for the Huskies, but there ARE some chances for Washington to win a few games before this season ends. There IS hope.

And then there is the state rival…SURELY the Washington Huskies can get up for this one. We know that when it comes to state rivals, you throw records out the window. Neither Washington or Washington State have shown to be the top of the conference, so let’s call it even on this game, even though you are playing away. Can you “man up” and take this win?

Can you?

Finally, you end your season against currently ranked California. Make no mistake, this is a good team…but you beat them last year, didn’t you? If I remember, the score was 37-23, so you CAN do this. In the best case scenario, this could be your 7th win and a world-changing season…but in reality it may not be that way.

It is going to take everything Washington has to match the number of wins they got last year…but I think it can be done. There are some games they can win at home, and I am willing to bet there are teams that ASSUME that they can walk all over the Huskies.

It’s about pride Huskies, when you have lost any hope to the National Championship, and any hopes to the Pac-10 Championship, and the odds are heavy against you to even qualify for a bowl, can you at LEAST get that egg off the wins column?

It starts there. Then it continues with another win, and another until you can at least match your record from last year. If you can reach that goal, and if there is time, you shoot to pass it.

7 games remain for the Washington Huskies this year…almost no chance for an 8th game…but seven chances for those players to prove themselves.

We’ll see what the Washington Huskies are made of.

Texas Football and the BCS

Texas Football and the BCS

In light of the Texas Longhorns becoming the new number one team in the nation, it makes sense for us to kinda look at where this could go as far as the BCS is concerned.

As we all know, Texas recently knocked off then #1 Oklahoma and jumped four spots to take the top position in the NCAA Division I. And again, I know they got a new word for it, but the novice sports fan understands what I am talking about.

So, what are Texas’ chances of playing in the Orange Bowl…oops, the Fed-Ex National Championship…

To see where they may go, we have to jump back and see where they have been.

I think many saw this team as a strong Big 12 team this year, even before the season started. A 10-3 team from last year, with a pretty good quarterback and a great coach…and I’m not just saying that because Mack Brown used to be the head coach of the UNC Tarheels…he brought them great success even then.

Last year they lost 3 games, all coming from conference opponents, and two of those games were home games. They had a quarterback in Colt McCoy who threw ALMOST as many interceptions as touchdowns but was still pretty good. You’d think it would be something to build on as the season started.

Two easy wins with big numbers didn’t hurt Texas, but really didn’t make them stand out either. A 52-10 win over Florida Atlantic and 42-13 win over UTEP were ok because they showed that Texas could put points on the board. But they were not being mentioned in the top 5 elite…at that time.

Two wins with the exact same score gave Texas some ranking cred, crushing both Rice and Arkansas 51-10. Few were putting them in that top 5 still, but at the same time, some of the better teams were knocking each other around, which was moving Texas up that ladder. But we still had to see more from this team.

Things started to change when the went to Colorado and beat them 38-14, but the signature mark came last Saturday when they knocked off #1 Oklahoma 45-35. I think that because the game was played earlier (a noon kickoff) it may have persuaded east coast voters to see how good Texas really was. This COULD have influenced the idea of Texas jumping over Alabama, to which many argue. I still think it’s a moot point, because they would have been #1 and #2 anyway.

But now you’ve got to ask yourself, can Texas win the rest of their games? If they do, they are an easy shoe in for the National Title, but what if they lose one game? We know there are a lot of 1-loss teams ready to take that spot, and then you got teams like Penn State that have yet to lose. Texas is walking a thin line here.

So consider the next few games. Texas has two home games against 2 top 25 teams, the first being Missouri, currently ranked #11 on one poll. Then they play Oklahoma State, currently ranked #8. This Missouri game is going to be big because they got kicked out by Oklahoma State just last week, and all chances for a National Title rest on them winning the rest of their games…no more slipups or the BCS Championship is gone for Missouri. Can Texas bring it for this huge game, coming off the other huge game over Oklahoma?

And IF they can, then they’ve got to meet Oklahoma State, a team that beat Texas last year. It’s real hard to have 3 straight heavyweight fights, and you’d like to think Texas can get through this, but the Big 12 is really tough. You’d have to really believe that Texas is THE best team in the nation to get through these next two games. Can they?

And even after that, they’ve got to see #7 Texas Tech in their house? How can anybody possibly make it through these difficult games and NOT lose at least one? Now granted, the jury is still kinda out on Texas Tech, but we know they put a heck of a lot of points on the board. But then, who doesn’t in the Big 12?

After those tough games, they get Baylor, then they have to meet #16 Kansas before meeting Texas A&M. Another ranked team, and they finish the regular season against a team that beat them last year. Folks, this is gonna be really tough.

And IF they can get through all this, and win the division, they play in the SEC Championship against most likely Missouri, if not Kansas…again. Guys….this is tough!

I am one of those guys that think that nobody in the Big 12 or the SEC can possibly get through undefeated, both conferences are just that good. It’s just hard to imagine Texas going undefeated when they’re looking at playing in all likelihood 5 ranked teams and one team that beat them last year at the end of the season. And at this stage of the season, a loss now makes it harder to climb back in the top positions for the title game. If anything, Texas as the strength of schedule working for them, even if they get one loss.

But will a l-loss Texas team be able to play for a National Title? I think right now Penn State could be sitting in the driver’s seat because they don’t have a conference championship, so if either Alabama OR Texas lose one game, Penn State would have a nice seat for that Fed-Ex bowl game…barring they not lose ANY games.

Personally speaking, I think Alabama may lose 2 games, which may take them out of the National Title, but in doing that, I also have to believe that not even Texas can go undefeated. Does Oklahoma jump OVER Texas for that title game, even though they lost to Texas? I can see this IF Texas loses 2 games and Oklahoma runs the table to the Big 12 Championship. But what of other teams lurking in the background?

Florida and BYU are big threats to Texas, although I think strength of schedule might keep BYU out unless everybody else loses 2 games. But if Florida manages to finish off their remaining games and win the SEC Championship, would they deserve a trip to the National Championship? I gotta be honest, their remaining schedule compared to Texas is softer. If for example Penn State finished undefeated, they are in, but if I had to choose between Texas and Florida, I’d have to take Texas because they had a tougher schedule. No knock against Florida, mind you.

So the Texas Longhorns have to handle business the old fashioned way…just win. If they do that, they are guaranteed a National Title game. Lose just ONE game, and it falls on the fates…beware.

Greatest Running Back EVER is...

And now, the Greatest RB ever!

I think I have kinda toyed around with you guys enough, we might as well reveal who THE greatest running back in the NFL is.

Remember folks, this started out as the top 25 running backs in the history of the NFL as of 2008, and that is subject to change every season. As time goes on, there will be better players as some of the best begin to slip in the rankings.

Remember also, that my rankings are based on four basic elements: Team accomplishments, Individual Stats, Individual Awards and a penalty for Era adjustment. I went through 63 of the best known running backs in the history of the NFL and ran each through my formula of Team Accomplishment pts + Individual Stats pts + Individual Awards pts and then subtracted the Era Adjustment from the sub total. From this I got my final number and ranked the running backs according to that total.

My scores ranged from zero to over 78. Of course, if you read my last blog on the greatest running backs ever, you know that Jim Brown was listed at #1 with 78 points. When I started this countdown, I had Ladainain Tomlinson at #25 with 28 points. So you can see that there is a 50 point difference between Jim Brown and LT.

Throughout my series of the best running backs ever, I listed several others who didn’t make the list. Before I reveal the Greatest Running Back Ever, I’d like to share a few more that were good, even great, but didn’t make my list, and why:

Tiki Barber: 16 points

Obviously I am sure Tiki Barber wished he had stayed with the Giants just a little longer, if he had won the Superbowl last year it might have put him very close to being on the all time list. But Tiki didn’t score well in the Individual Awards category, with only 3 points. He wasn’t as well decorated as many of the other running backs. His yards per carry was very good, and he is on the top 20 all time in rushing yards. The individual stats element was his strongest point with only 8 points. He does get 5 points for playing in a past Superbowl, but collectively it just wasn’t enough to say he was on the great list. A very good player, yes, but greatest, no.

Bo Jackson: 12 points

Bo knew a lot of things, but sadly he didn’t know how long his career would last when he got that injury that ended not one, but two careers. I still have some of his baseball cards. He was a great player, and tack on that fact that he was playing for my Raiders was incentive enough for me to make him one of my favorite players. But Bo Jackson didn’t make the list simply because his longevity was cut short by his hip injury. He still ranks at the top with yards per carry, and is really his strongest point in this ranking. He gets 2 points for playing in a conference championship and only 1 point for individual awards, plus the 10 points for individual stats. He loses one point for era adjustment so only has 12 points. If I did a top 40 all time, he’d still not make the list.

Chuck Foreman: 27 points

Fans of the old school Minnesota Vikings know this name very well, and Chuck Foreman saw the Superbowl a few times, but just barely missed the cut for the top 25 all time. Why? Well, remember that my #25 was Ladainain Tomlinson with 28 points, so Chuck missed it by the slimmest of margins. Without the era adjustment of -2 points, he would have had 29 points instead of 27. But what also hurts Chuck Foreman is the fact that in the Individual Stats element, he gets no points at all. He’s not on the top 30 all time in rushing or yardage, and averages under 4.2 yards per carry. As I mentioned before, he has seen a lot of post season games and has been “to the top of the mountain”. He just never won a Superbowl. By a paper-thin margin, Chuck Foreman missed my cut.

Now, it’s time to reveal the GREATEST Running Back of our time…at least until someone else takes that spot.

THE GREATEST RUNNING BACK: Emmitt Smith: 88 points

It seems that every era produces a great back, and the 90’s produced the best running back the history of the NFL has ever seen in Emmitt Smith. I never got to see Jim Brown play, but I know he was great. I barely got to see Franco Harris play, and I know he was great. But I DID get to see Emmitt Smith play and I know he is the greatest running back the NFL has ever seen.

Emmitt Smith scored 10 points more than Jim Brown, and I realize that many are questioning the logic. Here’s why Emmitt Smith is the greatest ever:

He did not score the highest score in the Team Accomplishments element, in fact 7 other players on my list of 63 scored higher than he did. But he got 32 points in this element because he did go to, and win three Superbowls as well as going to a conference championship and losing that one. But no one is going to question his value to the team, in fact one year there was a contract dispute between Emmitt Smith and owner Jerry Jones. Emmitt sat out because he was not getting his fair share, and apparently Jerry Jones felt that the Dallas Cowboys could win without Emmitt. After losing the first couple of games, there was a report of a VERY angry Charles Haley, who supposedly smashed his helmet into the wall, demanding that SOMEBODY (hint, Jerry Jones) to get Emmitt Smith back on the team. It was reported that Jerry Jones was nearby when that tantrum happened, and was moved to pay Emmitt what he was worth…he was rewarded with a Superbowl that same year.

In the Individual Stats element, Emmitt Smith scored 21 out of 30 points. He is, at this moment THE all time leader in yardage AND touchdowns. He got 10 points each for those two categories and 1 point because his yards per carry was the very minimum to score, at 4.2. Only the great Jim Brown scores more in this element, and only by one point. Remember, a great player has to get his team to the promised land AND win, as well as making an individual mark as one of the greatest backs ever by his stats.

Finally, there is the Individual Awards element, which shows how much the league recognized his talents. Emmitt Smith scores 32 points in this element because Mr. Smith was clearly seen as the jewel of the NFL on “America’s Team”. But like the Team Accomplishments, Emmitt Smith was not the leader in this element either. Seven other running backs had more points in this element than Smith, including Marshall Faulk with 34 points, Earl Campbell with 37 points and again, Jim Brown with 41 points. But how many people can say they accumulated the NFL rushing crown, the NFL MVP, a Superbowl Trophy AND become the Superbowl MVP all in the same year….

Nobody.

So the argument would be, side by side, why is Emmitt Smith better than Franco Harris? Franco won more Superbowls, right? That is true, but Smith eclipses Harris in both Individual Stats and the Individual Awards element, and then there is that -2 for era adjustment.

So why is Emmitt Smith better than Jim Brown? Surely it might appear that I am penalizing Brown because he never played in a Superbowl. Not true, remember, I award 10 points to winners of the Superbowl AND I also award 10 points to running backs who won the NFL Championship before there was a Superbowl. Jim Brown and the Browns won the title twice…Emmitt Smith won it three times.

And as I mentioned, Jim Brown edges Emmitt Smith by one point in the Individual Stats category, but scores 9 points more in the Individual Awards element. But the era adjustment subtracts 4 points from Jim Brown, whereas Emmitt Smith suffers no penalty.

The difference between Jim Brown and Emmitt Smith is 10 points…the difference of Emmitt Smith’s third Superbowl victory. So the greatest running back of all time…for now, is Emmitt Smith.

I really hope you had some fun with this, remember folks, this is just my opinion based on some ideas, I understand that if 100 people did a similar ranking it would be different 100 times. But I wanted to do more than just SAY who the best were, I wanted to give a case for each, and why they were great. As I said before, this is not meant to disrespect those that have been our childhood favorites or current favorites. We all have players we tend to like more than others. My favorite NFL teams are the Raiders (ugh) and the Saints, so I had to keep my feelings in check on these rankings.

So there it is, the greatest running back of all time…for now. Who knows what the next 5 years will bring? Right now, I have one, maybe two players that are still active. Ladainain Tomlinson at #25 is still active, so he can move up with time, and IF Shaun Alexander has not retired, then he could possibly move up. That means that this may be set in stone for awhile. But for now, my pick for the Greatest Running Back EVER is Emmitt Smith.