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Is another 10-0 week in the cards?

Published: Friday, November 16, 2007 at 6:01 a.m.
Last Modified: Thursday, November 15, 2007 at 10:42 p.m.

Boy, do we need a commissioner.

Not because we need a playoff. I've given up on that. Not because the BCS is a mess. It is and it always will be.

We need a commissioner of college football because of some of the weird things that happened in another weird week of an amazingly weird season.

Last week, Mike Leach of Texas Tech criticized the officials after his game against Texas. Last week, Wyoming coach Joe Glenn gave the Utah sideline the finger for kicking an onside kick up 43-0. Last week, officials in the Oregon State-Washington game screwed up so badly the replay official was suspended and the officials were banned from bowl games this year.

Glenn received a letter of reprimand. Leach received a $10,000 fine.

College football needs a commissioner to address issues with some consistency. Seriously, coaches and officials have no idea what punishment they will receive for their transgressions and mistakes. The Pac-10 officials would have gotten off light if the Oregon State athletic director didn't push the issue.

We need a commish. I volunteer. Again.

If I was commissioner, there would be some officials reaching for their wallets and some coaches sitting out some games. And we'd have something better than Miami of Ohio vs. Akron televised on my birthday night (seven points, seven turnovers and, yes, I still watched it).

Maybe the lack of an overseer can explain why this season is so strange. Just in the last week:

*Nebraska, a team that has quit on a coach who is about to be fired, scored 73 points. And the Huskers still didn't have the highest point total in Div. 1-A for the weekend because Navy beat North Texas 74-62. The Midshipmen couldn't miss from three-point land.

*Miami played its last game in the Orange Bowl, brought in former players for moral support and lost 48-0 to Virginia. Think what the score might have been if the ’Canes weren't motivated.

*Herschel Walker challenged Steve Spurrier to a fight. This goes back to Spurrier jokingly saying he'd have sent a third-stringer out to wrestle with Georgia's celebrating players after the Bulldogs' first touchdown against Florida.

“If he’s got that much guts, why don’t he step in a ring against me?” Herschel-dog said. “How much guts do you have? Step in a ring with me, and then we’ll see.”

I'd have my money on Walker, but not if they gave Spurrier 10 minutes pre-bout to get into his head. It'd be like Hannibal Lecter and Miggs in "The Silence of the Lambs."

*And to make sure everyone understands how strange this season has been, the Picks couldn't buy a good week all season and last week?

How about 10 and 0?

Sweet. Let's try to make it two in a row.

Florida Atlantic (5-4) at Florida (7-3)

All of these rumors flying around about Percy Harvin. You have to give the guy credit, if he's really not sick the projectile vomiting and nights in the hospital make a great cover.

Florida, 48-21.

Kentucky (7-3) at Georgia (8-2)

Remember that old cheer?

Watermelon, watermelon, watermelon rind. Look at the scoreboard and see who's behind.

Unfortunately for the Gators, that would be you in the SEC East.

Georgia, 45-27.

Vanderbilt (5-5) at Tennessee (7-3)

Tennessee at home and Tennessee on the road are two different teams. We'll see how Tennessee in the Georgia Dome fares.

Tennessee, 31-23.

Ohio St. (10-1) at Michigan (8-3)

All of this talk about Illinois-Florida in the Capital One Bowl. How about a rematch of the national title game?

Anything but Florida-Michigan. Lloyd Carr shuts his players down to the media and is about as interesting as Channel 96 on digital cable.

Michigan, 23-21.

Florida A&M (3-7) vs. Bethune-Cookman (4-6)

This game has the potential for a lot of things — great bands, unbelievable tailgate food and colorful wardrobes. The quality of football, not so much.

B-CC, 25-10.

Miami (5-5) at Virginia Tech (8-2)

I mean, why even bother?

Virginia Tech, 31-0.

Northwestern (6-5) at Illinois (8-3)

OK, so I have this theory that not only did Jeremy Foley make Ron Zook a millionaire, he also gave him three years of on-the-job training to prepare for the Illinois job (this, Gator Nation, is where your teeth start to grind).

We'll see if this theory pans out because this is a perfect game for the Zooker to lose.

Illinois, 28-24.

Maryland (5-5) at Florida St. (6-4)

After all of those changes in the coaching staff, the Semis could end up with the same record and back in the Emerald Bowl again. For that, Bobby Bowden is in talks for a contract extension. Hmmm.

FSU, 24-21.

Mississippi St. (6-4) at Arkansas (6-4)

Who would have thought Sly Croom would be the one who would come into this game having saved his job?

Arkansas, 29-27.

Boston College (8-2) at Clemson (8-2)

The winner takes the ACC Atlantic Division and gets a trip to Jacksonville. Or so I'm told.

Clemson, 35-31.


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