Playing Ketchup

I've been really lazy busy the past week or so, which is why I haven't been posting as often. But here's just a quick catch up session before Monday's First Look:

1. The Nittany Line has been doing a very good, very smart retrospective of Penn State's 2007 squad. The best part about it is that he's doing it unit-by-unit. This week's focus is on my personal favorite, the defensive line. Is there any other unit that has so much of an impact on a team? I mean, really, if you can't stop the other team from running the ball, you're screwed (see: Penn State 2003). I highly recommend reading TNL's work on this.

2. Bob Flounders had to pump out something this week. The offensive line will be a strength? Really? Damn people.

3. Dennis Dodd is pissing off Big Ten fans, again. And everyone else, for that matter.

4. 2theLion pointed out this week that Kansas sued (and won) a small T-shirt shop for violating copyrights on the COLOR BLUE. Yeah, it's interesting, and a bit scary that no one gives a rats ass about the First Amendment anymore.

5. And finally, Penn State's recruiting class for 2009 is looking really good. Ok, so it's not USC, Ohio State or Miami good, but you can't say these guys won't be able to win some championships in the near future. Lineman Nate Cadogan (yes, he's Gerald's brother), and wide receiver Christian Kuntz both committed to Penn State this week*. That brings the class total to 16, and it's not even August!

*I linked to BSD on these stories because there's no point in linking to the big two (Scout and Rivals) since it's old news now.

**I'd also like to remind everyone to cast your vote in the poll below the posts. And check out last week's results, too!

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More on Steele's PSU ranking: 2008's No. 10 isn't anything like 2007's No. 10

Does anyone else realize that Phil Steele ranked Penn State No. 10 going into 2007? That's just something I'd like to point out. I understand that Penn State had all the makings of a top-10 team last year, but 2008 begs this question: Why are people so shocked that 2008 could be a much better season than 2007? Morelli, Connor, Kinlaw and Lee (for now) are gone, which adds up to two negatives and two positives. That's not a whole lot to lose, considering what Penn State brings back in 2008.

It was all about the "senior quarterback" last year. Morelli was coming off what was viewed as the stepping stone bowl performance, to lead his team to the BCS. We all got so caught up in the hype that it killed us to see the truth, that Morelli was hopelessly under-coached and the mistakes kept coming. He couldn't move in the pocket to save his life, resulting in a horrible campaign behind an excellent offensive line. Only Morelli could have pulled that one off.

This leads me to my next point about Phil Steele's rankings. Before 2007, Steele & Co. weren't that outrageous to put Penn State at No. 10. Shit, Beano-Freaking-Cook even picked Penn State as a national championship contender. But 2008 feels different. This year, it's not "expected" to go BCS-well. That might work out better than we could hope for.

So while I just seemed to go on a long-winded contradiction of myself, it's really not that backward to say all this. Penn State will retain the same exact pre-season ranking as Phil Steele's 2007 magazine, but these are two polar opposite No. 10 rankings. We'll discuss this more over the summer, but I just thought I'd mention it now.

Ok, four posts in one day. I'm done. See you Monday with the first official team preview: Coastal Carolina.

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If you want respect, schedule good teams, Part 2 of 4

2/4.

Everyone argues that strength of schedule should mean everything in college football, until someone calls their team out on scheduling Directional Community College...

As promised, here's the top five toughest schedules BCS bowl teams have played from 2003 through 2007. In case you're already thinking of your team's "really, really tough [insert year here] slate," here's my criteria for selection:

-I-AA schools! If a team played anyone outside I-A, they're automatically out. A team should never be rewarded for playing those games. Frankly, I'd rather the NCAA force teams to take a bye that week instead of paying a couple hundred grand for a win. I realize that Florida International might get beaten nine times out of ten versus Appalachian State, but it doesn't matter. ASU is in I-AA. If they want to be considered on the same level as I-AA, then apply for that level and move up. If you want proof of my convictions, I would have left off Penn State's 2006 schedule in a heart beat if they made the BCS. Why? Youngstown State. If Penn State makes it to the BCS in 2008, they're not making the list either. Why? Coastal Carolina. If you want respect, play teams from your own division.

-Opponent records, looking back. Was a team good at the beginning of the season, only to implode and prove to be a bad team? Look at Ohio State's win versus Washington in 2007. The Huskies were coming off a victory over Boise State, 2-0 and a star quarterback in Jake Locker. Ohio State beat them handily, and everyone was praising the Buckeyes. Washington turned out to be a bad team, at 4-8. And what about Boise State, which lost in week to to Washington? That loss didn't look so bad when Washington was 2-0, but now that's considered a real bad loss.

-Opponent conference affiliations. OK, I know I'm one of the first to argue that the SEC is not the juggernaught its fans want to think it is, but it's still one of the top conferences each season. That being said, if a team like Notre Dame in 2005 convincingly defeats Tennessee, even thought he Vols finished 5-6, it still counts more that beating a 5-6 ACC or Pac-10 team. (By the way, that Vols team beat LSU in Baton Rouge) Beating a mid-level Big Ten or SEC team is much better than beating the Sun Belt or MAC champions.

So here's what I came up with. Debate all you want, but you're not going to be able to convince me your team's schedule was harder in the last five years. THIS IS ALL IN NO PARTICULAR ORDER!

Just missed the cut. Close, but not tough enough...

West Virginia's 2007 schedule was tougher than most think. Mississippi State proved to be a worthy opponent to at least eight teams, and East Carolina came on strong. Oklahoma, regardless of what happened in the bowl, was still a powerfull team in 2007:

I think Texas' 2005 slate was bolstered mostly due to the night game at Ohio State. If the Longhorns had played one more tough road game, or at least one more top-15 team, this schedule would have made the top five:

Sure, Miami played a lot of really good teams in 2003, but it also played in the Big East and a game against a pathetic ECU team. There were tons of somewhat tough games, but none that particularly stood out:

Ohio State put on a good show in 2006 until getting pantsed in the championship game, but that didn't take away from the strength of their schedule that season. Playing a night game away versus the defending national champ will always gain you brownie points, but too many teams on this schedule turned out to be mediocre:

I know what you're thinking, "How did Notre Dame even get consideration in the first place?" Well, I hate to burst your bubble. The Irish's schedule in 2005 wasn't out of this world, but it definately wasn't as easy as you thought. Just having USC on there brought it out of the depths, and playing a bunch of bowl teams gave it the edge over many others:


Now for The Top Five Toughest Schedules Played by BCS Bowl Teams From 2003-2007...

I bet you looked down before finishing this, noticed Michigan, and though "Yeah, right." Hold on there cap'n. Playing in Autzen Stadium has been the death of many great teams, and matchups against Iowa, Minnesota, Ohio State and USC far outweigh the games against Indiana and Illinois. Add Purdue to that, and you have five ranked teams:

Why do you think it was such a big deal when West Virginia beat Georgia in the 2006 Sugar Bowl? This is why. The Bulldogs faced only six bowl teams in the regular season, but three other teams were one win away from bowl eligibility. LSU was probably one of the top two teams in the nation, but no one knew it. I hate to admit it, but getting throught teh SEC is really hard to do:

Scream all you want about Oklahoma's struggles in the Fiesta Bowl lately, but the 2006 schedule was much harder than most thought at the time. Eight bowl teams, and a Washington team one win from eligibility, sets this slate a notch higher than it could be. Plus, losing to Boise State that year wasn't all that bad, even if the Sooners should have won. The two BCS OOC games did it for me:

Here's my top underrated schedule on this list. Ohio State played two bowl-eligible BCS teams OOC, and a ranked, MAC champion Bowling Green squad. Going up against ten bowl eligible teams--five ranked--isn't something you run into every day. I wasn't totally convinced with this schedule, until realizing that the Buckeyes didn't really get a break outside of the Indiana game:

Remember, this is in no particular order. So you SEC fans don't go thinking that I put LSU here because I think they had the hardest schedule since 2003. But if you want to find a great schedule, look at LSU's 2006 docket. I really think that the 2006 Tigers were better than the rankings indicated. I'd like to see your team go through five ranked SEC teams in one year, including the eventual national champ, Florida. Tulane and Fresno St. turned out to be quite cakie, but the rest of the teams more than made up for it:

So that's it. Sorry it took so long to get this up, but hey, I'm not getting paid to do this. I don't know yet when I'll have Schedules, Part 3 up, but I'll keep you updated as to its progress.

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The new, new plan

Ok, so I've already called a timeout and changed the play once, now I'm changing the play again at the line of scrimmage. I'll have Schedule, Part 2 up soon, but not covering the top five worst schedules since 2003. Rather, it'll be the top five hardest from 2003-07.

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If you want respect, schedule good teams, Part 1 of 4

1/4.

Everyone argues that strength of schedule should mean everything in college football, until someone calls their team out on scheduling Directional Community College...

I don’t know the real reason Penn State pulled a U-ie by dropping Arkansas State from the 2008 schedule, replacing ASU with the Oregon State Beavers. But I know one thing; they didn’t do it for the jokes. Could it be that Tim Curley grew a set and went door to door, asking for any BCS school to come to Happy Valley? Even more surprising was that OSU didn’t demand a return game. But even if they did, it would allow PSU to really test the guts of the program. If the team can make a trip like that and pull off a win in a tough place to play—OSU ended USC’s 33-regular-season-game win streak in 2006 in Corvallis—it would pay enormous dividends in recruiting and national perception.

That aside, I’ve heard for years about PSU’s lack of interest in using the new 12-game schedule to renew the rivalry with Pittsburgh. Some have even said that if PSU doesn’t want to play Pitt any time soon, at least have an on-going rotation of former eastern rivals like Maryland, Rutgers, Syracuse and West Virginia. While I understand that PSU might not want to lock themselves into a long-term deal with one school—Lord knows, the Michigan/Notre Dame series has failed miserably and never gets good ratings—the atrocious scheduling policies used by PSU athletics is hurting the program. There’s no excuse for scheduling a I-AA school. I don’t care if Florida, Michigan (we know how that one worked out) or Texas does it. Penn State has gained a reputation for not being able to beat good BCS teams, and scheduling bottom-feeders won’t help.

The fight over whether or not a school should schedule I-AA’s will never end, so I’m just going to move past that. I’m just not buying PSU’s line that “We need the seventh home game.” It’s not so much that PSU wants to have seven home games; that’s perfectly fine. I don’t like that they’re using it as justification for not being more aggressive in their scheduling of BCS schools, and—dare I say—playing some away games.


In 2000, PSU and Pitt played their last games against one another, and if you subtract the Kickoff Classic, it was a pretty ordinary 11-game season—six home games, five away games. You didn’t hear PSU crying like a baby for that seventh game then. Now take a look at 2001. There were only three out-of-conference games that season, and all three slots were used for quality opponents. I’d say opening with Miami, taking on a good Southern Miss program and then traveling to Charlottesville is a damn good job of giving your team the upper hand when people look at strength-of-schedule.


I think 2002 was a fluke. No team should be allowed to play eight home games in one season. But it wasn’t even like that helped PSU, as it couldn’t even go through the home slate clean. That’s beside the point. 2002 and 2003 felt like a scheduling onslaught, with PSU traveling to Lincoln (remember Nebraska was still considered a power then) and taking on Boston College. At this time, Temple was still technically a BCS team, playing in the Big East. Penn State knew that 2002 and 2003 would have 12 games, and scheduled two very good BCS teams. It didn’t kill the program.

I almost have to give PSU a pass on 2004 and 2005, as Alabama was supposed to play a home-and-home series, but backed out like pussies. Just think of how strong PSU’s schedule would have been had it played Bama those two seasons. Would it have changed the landscape of 2005? We can only wonder. Overall though, I’d give PSU a failing grade for 2004, as I believe they could have found some better team than UCF to replace Bama. 2005 was a much better deal, since PSU sort of lucked out with CMU turning out to be one of the better MAC teams. Cincinnati and South Florida, looking back, had a lot of future stars in 2005.


Probably the most disappointing schedule in a long time was the 2006 docket. Youngstown State was the first I-AA team scheduled in, well, a really long time. That was sort of the final straw for me. There were dozens of better choices for that spot. I remember hearing that SMU was free that week. How cool would it have been for PSU to play SMU in a revenge game for 1982? Great story line for the ESPN guys to harp on. They should have put Craig James on the crew for that one. Buffalo in 2007 was a curious choice. It wasn’t horrible, but not good. Florida International was a worse team to play than YSU in 2006. There are 70 teams in I-A which could be considered “quality” opponents. Penn State basically told everyone that it was too lazy to go out and find one of them to play.

*Temple: Before I finish up, just a word on Temple. It’s a nice idea to have Temple back on the schedule again. It builds excitement in the eastern part of the state, and strengthens PSU’s ties to South Jersey. It’s also a great situation with the Owls getting better, and several former PSU standouts are leading them to respectability. Even if it’s just a farce, and PSU is in it only for the quick buck (which I’m sure they are) I’m relatively happy that Temple will be on the schedule in the future, as long as the Owls are the only OOC “cupcake” PSU plays each season.

I'll have Part 2 up by the end of the week. In that installment, I'll look at some of the worst BCS team schedules played all over college football since 2000. Next week, I'll have Part 3, a look at the best BCS team schedules since 2000. Then, in the final installment I'll list the matchups I'm looking forward to seeing, and the ones I would love to see.

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Article of the day - Adventures in jackassery

I generally try to feature an article each day from another site. Usually they're from Penn State or Big Ten blogs, sometimes from other sites. Please check out the author's Web site. I always supply the link in the introduction.

If you said you didn't believe Penn State was a lock for 10 wins in 2007, you're a liar. At least RUTS is a man about it, and lays it out there for all to see. It's an interesting look back to pre-season 2007. Enjoy.

Adventures in jackassery

I actually wrote this after two weeks of the 2007 season while trying to talk myself into the idea of Big Things for our Lions:

“Ohio State is a good defensive team with a bad offense. They’ll have a hell of a time trying to score points during a late night game in Beaver Stadium. In fact, their next game at Washington is shaping up to be one of those cross-continental trap games.”

And this:

“Michigan is already looking ahead to 2008 and their new head coach, who will likely be Les Miles or Greg Schiano.”

And this:

“Wisconsin may still be Penn State’s greatest threat in the conference.”

All in the same post! My God! I knew the RUTS 680 needed an upgrade, but damn.

The season had so many possibilities back then, though. The depth of Notre Dame’s sucking was hinted at, but not truly exposed. So that seemed like a pretty good win for Penn State. Michigan, our greatest nemesis, had just been blown out by Oregon and dropped to 0-2. Ohio State farted around with teams like Akron, or Kent, or one of those other random Ohio schools. Wisconsin was shaky, and nobody knew what Illinois was capable of yet (I mean, those douchebags lost to Missouri! For shame!).

We had potential. At one point, Ohio State flipped the switch. So did Michigan and Illinois. Whatever their respective problems, they figured it out quickly and practically ran the table. Penn State just kind of floated along, waiting for a spark that the quarterback just couldn’t provide.

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ZN's official ESPN's Bowl Mania picks

Here's my official entry for ESPN's Bowl Mania, in descending order starting with the highest confidence. Feel free to search for my entry, username ZombieNationPSU (really original, I know). I'm a member of BSD's group, Black Shoe Diaries. The password is joepa. BSD invites everyone to join. I offer a few comments below the picks.

32. Sheraton Hawai’i: No. 24 Boise St. over East Carolina
31. International: Rutgers over Ball State
30. Brut Sun: No. 21 South Florida over Oregon
29. Valero Alamo: Penn State over Texas A&M
28. Tostitos Fiesta: No. 4 Oklahoma over No. 9 West Virginia
27. Allstate Sugar: No. 5 Georgia over No. 10 Hawai’i
26. Papajohns.com: No. 22 Cincinnati over Southern Miss
25. Rose p.b. Citi: No. 13 Illinois over No. 7 USC
24. Motor City: Purdue over Central Michigan
23. Capital One: No. 12 Florida over Michigan
22. Gator: No. 20 Virginia over Texas Tech
21. AT&T Cotton: No. 6 Missouri over Arkansas
20. Outback: No. 18 Wisconsin over No. 16 Tennessee
19. Chick-fil-A: No. 23 Auburn over No. 15 Clemson
18. Insight: Indiana over Oklahoma State
17. FedEx Orange: No. 8 Kansas over No. 3 Virginia Tech
16. Gaylord Hotels Music City: Kentucky over Florida State
15. Texas: Houston over Texas Christian
14. Bell Helicopter Armed Forces: California over Air Force
13. GMAC: Tulsa over Bowling Green
12. Pioneer Las Vegas: No. 17 BYU over UCLA
11. PetroSun Independence: Colorado over Alabama
10. AutoZone Liberty: Mississippi St. over UCF
9. Meineke Car Care: Wake Forest over No. 25 UConn
8. Emerald: Oregon State over Maryland
7. Allstate BCS Championship: No. 1 Ohio State over No. 2 LSU
6. Champs Sports: Michigan State over No. 14 Boston College
5. San Diego County Credit Union: Utah over Navy
4. Pacific Life Holiday: No. 19 Texas over No. 11 Arizona State
3. New Mexico: New Mexico over Nevada
2. R+L Carriers New Orleans: Florida Atlantic over Memphis
1. Roady’s Humanitarian: Georgia Tech over Fresno State

--Of course I picked PSU with higher confidence.
--I really like Illinois to pull the upset. If Stanford can do it in LA, so can the Illini.
--Look, Ohio State has been hearing it for too long. Plus, Jimmy Tressel is too good of a coach to let this one get away.
--Even though Texas' defense is holier than Swiss cheese, I think they really show up for this one. Plus, ASU is still brooding that USC meltdown.

There you go. My picks for all the bowl games. Now let's see what happens.

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Valero Alamo Bowl Special: Penn State vs. Texas A&M, Preview

Stay tuned, coming 12/26...

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SI.com's Running Backs, more like 'Shmunning Backs'

I’ve taken serious issue with many things on ESPN.com, SI.com, CBSSportsLine.com and many others. But this one has got me going. Not that he’s the utmost authority on college football, but SI.com’s Cory McCartney felt he’d take another shot at ranking the top-10 running duos in 2007 college football. When you read his list, keep this in mind:

“Before we begin, let's remember the cardinal rules: this is about running backs only -- no running quarterbacks, fullbacks or all-purpose wide receivers that take the occasional handoff -- and it has to be a legit tandem, not just one guy with monster numbers.” – McCartney.

You’ll see he frequently breaks his own rules by selecting the players he did. Here’s his list, along with my own comments on each entry. I compiled the stats. I took only the names he provided, and they are his exact selections, nothing else. Enjoy.

Arkansas – Darren McFadden (305/1727/15), Felix Jones (122/1114/11) - I really can’t argue with the Razorbacks as No. 1. And if you want to take it a step further, Arkansas fullback Peyton Hillis (57/327/2) was one of the best blockers in college football, and had that highlight run against No. 1 LSU.
Georgia – Knowshon Moreno (239/1273/12), Thomas Brown (129/706/9) – I don’t really know about this one. Once Brown went down, this was only a one-horse show. But for a while, it was a lethal combo.
Kansas – Brandon McAnderson (175/1050/16), Jake Sharp (138/788/7) – This was more true to the traditional running back double-punch. Both had great YPC (6.0 and 5.7 respectively) and rarely lost yards. Neither was a true starter, or a true backup.
Michigan St. – Jehuu Caulcrick (207/813/21), Javon Ringer (224/1346/6) – Trust me, I know how dangerous these guys can be. Possibly one of the most productive touchdown machines in the nation, the Spartans’ backs plowed over and through the opposition all season.
Oklahoma – DeMarco Murray (127/764/13), Allen Patrick (159/927/8), Chris Brown (142/561/8) – Imagine if Murray didn’t get knocked out for the year? He would’ve been on pace for a Heisman invite the way Adrian Peterson was his freshman year. But all Patrick did was step in and nearly bread a grand. They could be No. 1 running back stable with little argument.
LSU – Jacob Hester (204/1019/11), Keiland Williams (68/459/6) – This is purely political. LSU is hardly an offensive juggernaut and this running back corps is not even close to the top-10. They’re only up here due to the media’s love affair with the Tigers.
USC – Chauncey Washington (183/894/9), Stafon Johnson (89/569/5), Joe McKnight (84/415/2) – I don’t know if this is just a bunch of good running backs, or an offense without a go-to guy. I think it’s the latter, actually. Out of three blue-chippers, USC can’t find one that can carry the load.
West Virginia – Pat White (177/1185/14), Steve Slaton (210/1053/17), Noel Devine (60/519/4) – This is probably the most comprehensive backfield in football, in terms of running the ball. The Mountaineers have a quarterback that can scoot, a feature back and a slasher. When healthy, no team in 2007 disrupted the production.
Clemson – James Davis (191/992/9), CJ Spiller (137/656/2) – Talk about a major underachievement for 2007; coming into the season these two were supposed to race each other to the Heisman ceremony, but neither could get it going. This should have been the ACC version of Arkansas, but wasn’t by a long shot.
UConn – Donald Brown (157/749/8), Andre Dixon (160/809/3) – If you like equality, look no further than the Huskies’ backfield. I think this is more of a “Hey! Here we are!” kind of thing this season, rather than how truly good they were.

Auburn – Brad Lester (111/473/3), Ben Tate (188/856/7) – What, because they’re in the SEC, they’re automatically moved up a few notches? I don’t think so.
Fresno St. – Ryan Mathews (145/866/14), Lonyae Miller (125/571/7) – I really don’t what the hubbub is about here. The only good part is that they combined for 21 touchdowns.
Maryland – Lance Ball (172/763/12), Keon Lattimore (206/789/13) – This was a nice running tandem out of College Park, but nothing to lose sleep over. Yeah, deserves to be in the top-20.
Navy – Reggie Campbell (64/464/5), Eric Kettani (140/755/9) – Doesn’t make sense when there are SEVEN rushers with more than 400 yards for 2007.
Southern Miss – Damion Fletcher (266/1431/15), Tory Harrison (93/386/5) – Fletcher could play with any team, even in the SEC. However, when the next rusher has less than 400, there’s no “duo” aspect.
Texas A&M – Mike Goodson (139/646/2), Jorvorskie Lane (159/746/16) – Throw in quarterback Stephen McGee and you’ve got yourself a power-version of West Virginia’s tri-fecta.
Western Michigan – Mark Bonds (157/690/8), Brandon West (183/848/4) – All things considered—they play in the MAC—this is a pretty good set of backs to work with in any mid-major league.

Now, it’s my turn to vent. So, he’s telling me that certain players from a team in central Pennsylvania wouldn’t qualify above any on this list? Or, should I ask, why isn’t Penn State’s duo of Rodney Kinlaw and Evan Royster on this list?

Here would be my entry:
Penn State – Rodney Kinlaw (222/1186/10), Evan Rosyter (73/448/4) – Not only were both backups to start 2007, Royster’s best games came against some of the better teams. Experienced veteran met raw talent and got along quite nicely for the Lions.

Now compare those numbers to the rest of McCartney’s list. See anything wrong? So do I.

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News and Notes: More Michigan, Is Schiano Next? and Volleyball Vindication

Michigan has stolen the spotlight this week. But that's not really difficult to do when you're wearing the Maize and Blue. If you didn't figure it out by now--or, didn't read my comments posted minutes after the UM hiring story broke--there could be some immediate problems stemming from installing Rich Rodriguez's spread-run system at Ann Arbor. CollegeFootballNews.com's Pete Fiutak really hit the nail on the head with his analysis of the situation.

Rutgers head man Greg Schiano might join the coaching carousel sooner than we think. Talk on him making a move to coach Penn State after Joe Paterno retires has been swirling around for years, especially since RU has become much improved. But going back to that CFN article on Rodriguez, I thought it was interesting how Fiutak found it necessary enough to mention Schiano's possible future with the Nittany Lions.

"Michigan made overtures to Rutgers' Schiano, but he'll probably end up in the NFL or at Penn State sometime in the next three years."

Now, I'm sort of biased towards Schiano, being from North Jersey and all. But I can't help but get excited at this very real possibility. Schiano has all the makings of the next Joe Paterno. You laugh, but who expected JoePa to be as wildly successful as he's been, when he was hired to replace the revered Rip Engle?

Finally, congratulations to the Penn State Women's Volleyball team. After posting a mere two losses, national coach of the year, and four All-America selections, Penn State took home the 2007 Women's Volleyball National Championship, defeating top-seeded Stanford 3-2. While everyone in the Nittany nation is ga-ga over football, Head Coach Russ Rose has turned Penn State into a powerhouse not unlike UCLA basketball under Gooden, Oklahoma football under Wilkinson, or the New Enlgand Patriots under Belichick. Good job. I've been to quite a few V-ball games in Rec Hall, and I can tell you, they're some of the best game environments you'll see. It's like a Beaver Stadium night game, but packed into a 5,000-seat gym.

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Ranking the bowl games, Part 2

Yes, this is completely my opinion. How I ranked the bowls were based completely on how much I will pay attention to each game. This has nothing to do with intriguing national story lines, talent match ups or whether or not Stewart Mandel thinks it's worth watching. (or any of the other "experts'" bowl rankings) Also, you can just assume PSU vs. TA&M is ranked No. 1 in my mind, just because I want to see the Lions play more than any other team. That ranking has nothing to do with ratings appeal and such. So, here's the other 31 bowls:

16. Gaylord Hotels Music City Bowl (Dec. 31, 4 p.m.) Kentucky vs. Florida State - This one should be called the Mediocre Bowl, but UK's offense vs. FSU's defense is compelling enough. Maybe Jenn Sterger will take time out of her busy schedule to show off her boobies. Off the cuff, no-research involved pick: UK 29, FSU 21.

15. Brut Sun Bowl (Dec. 31, 2 p.m.) South Florida vs. Oregon - The Shoulda-Woulda-Coulda Bowl is definately worth your time, given at one point, both were No. 2. Off the cuff, no-research involved pick: USF 20, Oregon 17.

14. Konica Minolta Gator Bowl (Jan. 1, 1 p.m.) Texas Tech vs. Virginia - My cousin went to UVA, so I sort of a fan. Plus Penn State played them when I was in school, and I don't like passing teams like TT. Off the cuff, no-research involved pick: UVA 23, TT 20.

13. Insight Bowl (Dec. 31, 6 p.m.) Indiana vs. Oklahoma State - I know I said no to feel-goods, but IU has overcome a lot to get here. Too bad not many people will see it on the NFL Network. Off the cuff, no-research involved pick: OSU 41, IU 35.

12. AT&T Cotton Bowl (Jan. 1, 11:30 a.m.) Missouri vs. Arkansas - This will be the Tigers' chance to shove it in everyone's faces that they should have been in the BCS. Off the cuff, no-research involved pick: Missou 45, Ark 28.

11. Outback Bowl (Jan. 1, 11 a.m.) Wisconsin vs. Tennessee - The first of the BigTen/SEC bowls. Remember, the Badgers have a two-game win streak against the SEC in bowls, and UT lost to PSU in the 2007 Outback. Off the cuff, no-research involved pick: UW 24, UT 20.

10. Pacific Life Holiday Bowl (Dec. 27, 8 p.m.) Arizona State vs. Texas - This will be an underrated game going in, but might turn into a classic, as long as both teams show up to play. Off the cuff, no-research involved pick: UT 30, ASU 20.

9. Champs Sports Bowl (Dec. 28, 5 p.m.) Boston College vs. Michigan State - The only reason to watch is to--hopefully--see that MSU really is a decent team, negating the "fluke" status of the PSU win. Off the cuff, no-research involved pick: BC 16, MSU 14.

8. Chick-fil-A Bowl (Dec. 31, 7:30 p.m.) Clemson vs. Auburn - The similarities between the two programs are just plain creepy. I like getting spooked, so this one's worth it. Off the cuff, no-research involved pick: AU 18, Clem 14.

7. Allstate Sugar Bowl (Jan. 1, 8:30 p.m.) Hawai'i vs. Georgia - Sure, everyone is curious about this one, but really, I'll only watch it because no other games are on. Off the cuff, no-research involved pick: UGA 31, Haw 27.

6. FedEx Orange Bowl (Jan. 3, 8 p.m.) Virginia Tech vs. Kansas - A lot of people will be screaming in the state of Missouri if KU loses big in this one, so it'll be fun. Off the cuff, no-research involved pick: KU 24, VT 21.

5. Tostitos Fiesta Bowl (Jan. 2, 8 p.m.) Oklahoma vs. West Virginia - Another one of those "if they both show up..." bowls. These two teams are pretty upset with themselves right now, as they both could have been playing in the Big Easy. Off the cuff, no-research involved pick: OU 35, WVU 28.

4. Capital One Bowl (Jan. 1, 1 p.m.) Michigan vs. Florida - This is beginning to sound scary for the Wolves, but with all this time to prepare, and the final game for so many players and their head coach, UM's best will come out. Off the cuff, no-research involved pick: UF 24, UM 23.

3. Rose Bowl presented by Citi (Jan. 1, 4:30 p.m.) Illinois vs. USC - How is it that the Illini--as four TD underdogs--can beat Ohio State in Columbus, but have no chance to beat the Trojans? Watch out. Off the cuff, no-research involved pick: Ill 34, USC 31.

2. Allstate BCS Championship (Jan. 7, 8 p.m.) Louisiana State vs. Ohio State - I'm convinced that this one will go awry for certain "favorites," as the Bucks have everything to lose, while the Tigers are just happy to be there. Would have rather seem Oklahoma in this one. Off the cuff, no-research involved pick: OSU 35, LSU 20.

So that's all folks, for my complete bowl rank--wait, I forgot...

1. Valero Alamo Bowl (Dec. 29, 8 p.m.) Penn State vs. Texas A&M - Of course I'm going to watch this. Duh. Off the cuff, no-research involved pick: OK, maybe I know a little bit more about these two teams than any of the others, but Penn State will win. PSU 38, A&M 14.

Comment on this story: What's your favorite match up this bowl season?

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But can Kermit coach?

You've seen his face on the sidelines and during pre-game warm ups. But you weren't sure exactly as to what he did. Well, now we know what he will be doing. Following the unexpected departure of former Penn State safeties coach Brian Norwood to head up Baylor's defense, Kermit Buggs has been promoted from Coordinator of Player Personnel. Buggs will inherit arguably some of the best safeties in college football as that unit's coach, effective immediately.

But the question is raised, "sure, but can he coach?"

"Prior to coming to Penn State, Buggs was a successful high school coach, leading Surry County High School in Dendron, Va. to a 34-14 record from 1999-2002. His 1999 squad was 14-0 and won the Division I state championship and Buggs was named the state's Division I Coach of he Year." -- Penn State Sports Information press release.

That record could be deceiving though. Take away that perfect season, and his overall record is 20-14. But don't underestimate his abilities. Going undefeated with any team is an impressive acheivement, especially after a coaching change.

Buggs' abilities should be tested right away, leading his new unit against a Texas A&M offense that put up 38 points in a season finale win over the Longhorns. In the 2007 Outback Bowl win over 9-3 Tennessee, current safeties Anthony Scirrotto and Tony Davis made the two biggest plays of the game. Scirrotto's violent hit on Vol star wide receiver Jaycen Swain, set the tone for Penn State that the mythical "SEC speed" couldn't match the Lions' determination. Tied at 10, Davis broke the game open late when the Vols were moving in for a go-ahead touchdown. He recovered a fumble forced by Sean Lee, returning it 88 yards for the score. Penn State never looked back.

So, Buggs, what do you have up your sleeve for the Aggies?

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Roysteritis

I'm getting more and more excited about Evan Royster. Remember the buzz around Austin Scott's arrival to Happy Valley in 2003? This kid should get more, much more than that kind of hype. But before we all take a collective heav-ho onto the band wagon, let's look at Royster's stats through his first 12 collegiate games.


It's no coincidence that Penn State got hot when Royster got the meaningful carries. This is no manipulation of the stats to suit my argument. Here's my breakdown of each of Royster's performances in 2007:

*FIU: This really was just mop-up duty, so it's not that insignificant that Royster ran against one of the worst teams in football.
*ND: PSU got rolling after a late wake-up call. Royster saw action, but didn't get any carries. Wouldn't affect the outcome anyway.
*Buff: Did not play, despite the fact that the PSU running backs were horrendous.
*Mich: Royster only got one carry for one freaking yard. PSU could have used that spark in this one, especially since no one could hold on to the ball.
*Illini: PSU moved the ball well in this one, thus negating Royster's possible affect on the game. Morelli was the difference maker, not the running backs.
*Iowa: Well, it's about freaking time! I'm sorry, I liked Austin Scott, but he was a detriment to this football team. Royster explodes on national TV, against a team PSU hadn't beaten in five tries.
*Wisc: Seeing the possibilities, and partly out of necessity, PSU starts playing Royster more. If there was one play in 2007 that exemplified Royster's season, it was the 25-yard touchdown run on 4th and 1.
*Ind: Now he was on a tear with three straight games with 68+ yards. He kept the chains moving in crutial situations.
*OSU: Just when you thought things were turning around, the door slams shut. Royster gets only four carries and never gets in a rhythm.
*PU: Royster fires back with vengance. His long touchdown jaunt in the fourth quarter essentially shuts the door on the Boilermakers. His first 100-yard day.
*TU: Hampered by injury, but luckily PSU didn't need him.
*MSU: This one hurt for everyone, but none more than Royster. Reaggrivated his injury.

Notice the pattern? When Royster rushed for more than 68 yards, PSU went 5-0. Again, let me reitterate that I'm not manipulating these stats just to pad my argument. Some of Royster's biggest games came against good opponents. In case you've forgotten, Wisconsin is currently ranked, Indiana is going to a bowl game, and Iowa's defense was pretty good up until late in the season.

I hope this doesn't turn out to be another Scott situation, where Royster fizzles. But I have a really good feeling about this one. Imagine Daryll Clark and Royster running the Texas-spread (or M-Rob-spread) in 2008...

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