College Football 2013 forecast that will probably go very wrong around Week 2.

College Football 2013 forecast that will probably go very wrong around Week 2. 

August... that time of year when (if you are in the South) the Sun scorches the Earth and in the distance you hear the beat of the drums, your school's fight song...and maybe, just maybe an imaginary chill in the air. Oh who am I kidding? In Texas our chill doesn't come until at least week 7 or 8. But its almost here, folks! The 2013 College Football season!!!! 

2013 will be the final year of the controversial BCS and I predict it will not go out without a super controversial bang. 

We all know that the time of year coaches and fans fear the most is the off season. Players can make or break a team due to one (or many) idiot decisions when left to their own devices. Just see: Johnny Manziel, Jeremy Hill, Carlos Hyde, and many other knuckleheads whose off field shenanigans could potentially hurt their team. Ah, but that is not the controversy I am predicting. No, I am predicting a full fledged Phoenix on fire type swan song for the BCS and in 2014 a newer and better (yet still flawed) playoff system will rise from the ashes. But, in 2013 there will be much joy and happiness and in an instant, weeping and gnashing of teeth, and they will cry out for the rocks to fall on them but they will not...Ooops, wrong direction. 

I predict 2013 to have a great many things happen that people will not expect. Here are a few:

-Whatever happens to Johnny "Football" Manziel, Texas A&M will not be as good as in 2012. If he is ruled ineligible, they obviously fall to the 3rd or 4th best team in the SEC West. If he plays I think the Aggies still lose 2 or 3 games. I think the kids head is really messed up and the media firestorm that follows him really does get to him. I am not knocking his amazing talent but, I think Texas A&M and their fans may be tiring of Johnny...and we aren't even in September. What happens when his act get tiresome for his teammates and coaches? And, yes the whole boneheaded move to have "We Control the Tide" T-Shirts made up... Sorry Aggies but, Alabama is going to come into College Station and beat you like you haven't been beat in a long time. Don't think the Tide haven't had that game circled on their calendar since you beat them last year. Not to mention, Alabama gets to get battle tested early by facing Virginia Tech in their opener. Then they have a week off before playing the Aggies. Texas A&M will be rolling Rice and Sam Houston St. Huge Advantage Bama.

-The SEC will again play for the BCS title, and win again but, this will be the stiffest test yet. See below for my picks. 

-The Heisman Trophy will be won by a defensive player. You guessed it too. Jadeveon Clowney is the best player in college football and his hardware haul will be monumental.

- This will be Mack Brown's last year at Texas no matter the outcome. If the Horns overachieve, he will retire and move up into the Athletic Department under Deloss Dodds. If he does not improve he will be forced out and moved up in the Athletic Department under Deloss Dodds.

- Stanford will be the best SEC team not playing in the SEC. They play smashmouth football and will be a force.

- The SEC Champion will not play for the BCS title...but, an SEC team will.

And here is my BCS Doomsday forcast:

Louisville will go undefeated and win the Big East with a more than formidable team that can play with anybody (see last year's Sugar Bowl when they thumped Florida) Louisville will not play for the BCS title even after a shocking upset in the SEC Championship game keeps a 1 loss SEC team over a deserving Louisville team.

South Carolina will win the SEC East with 2 losses and shock an undefeated Alabama in the SEC Championship game. Clowney will harass AJ McCarron all game and the Tide will have too many turnovers to overcome the Gamecocks. Spurrier will upset Saban but the Gamecock's 2 losses will not be enough to put them in the BCS title game. Alabama who was #1 all year will still be voted #2 in the final BCS polls and Stanford will then be the #1 team in the country. The undefeated Louisville Cardinals will not have the strength of schedule to overcome the SEC. A 1 loss SEC team that did not win it's conference will win the BCS title while an undefeated Louisville team gets nothing, no matter how good they were. At that moment, the BCS trophy will transform into a giant vampire bat, swoop down and take it's henchmen, Lou Holtz and Lee Corso back to the dark place it came from. 

Then in 2014...The playoff era begins...  

Predictions: 

SEC Champ: South Carolina 11-2 (see above) 

Big 10 Champ: Ohio State 11-2

Pac 12 Champ: Stanford 12-1

Big 12 Champ: (Flip a coin) Oklahoma State 10-3

Big East Champ: Louisville 13-0 

ACC Champ: Clemson 11-2

BCS Title Game: Alabama over Stanford
Rose Bowl: Ohio State over Oregon
Fiesta Bowl Oklahoma State over Florida State
Sugar Bowl: South Carolina over Oklahoma
Orange Bowl: Louisville over Clemson

Cotton Bowl: Texas A&M over Texas (If Manziel plays in '13) 

Outback Bowl: LSU over Michigan.

Most improved team of 2013: Auburn
Team that doesn't live up to the hype: Notre Dame

Heisman winner: Jadeveon Clowney.

Is Gary Patterson's criticism of Les Miles handling of Jeremy Hill the pot calling the kettle black?

Is Gary Patterson's criticism of Les Miles handling of Jeremy Hill the pot calling the kettle black?  

In 23 days, LSU and TCU will sqaure off in a Top 20 college football match-up at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. The pre-game fireworks have already begun. Last week LSU coach Les Miles reinstated troubled Sophomore running back Jeremy Hill after pleading guilty to simple aggravated battery which violated his probation from a 2012 misdemeanor from a sexual relationship with a then 14 year old student at Redemptorist  High School. Jeremy Hill cowardly sucker punched a man outside of a nightclub, knocking him unconscious and then "high-fived" his friends. The man suffered a concussion.

 "Hill plead guilty to misdemeanor simple battery for the bar fight charge in July. Monday's hearing was on whether to revoke his probation on the 2012 charge based on the violation of that probation.

Instead, state district judge Bonnie Jackson chose to extend his probation and add more community service, opening the door for his return to the team." -ESPN

The aftermath of this has sparked much debate and disgust throughout the college football media website and blogosphere. The real issue became when LSU coach Les Miles allowed his team to vote on whether Hill should be allowed to return to the team. They of course voted yes, and Miles has said that further punishment of Hill will be coming internally. 

"He owes this team, this school, this community his best behavior," Miles said. "He will have further punishment. It will be internal. It will be comprehensive. We will see the whole person." - Les Miles. 

Let me state right away that I am an LSU fan. Born in Louisiana, living in the Dallas-Ft. Worth Metroplex. I am indeed disgusted by the cowardly act of Jeremy Hill and agree with many that he should be suspended for a lengthy time. I also acknowledge that Miles may or may suspend him. I don't like it but, that is the world of college football and how many high profile College Football powerhouses operate now. Will I be self righteous and say that I will not support LSU because they allow criminals on their team? Of course not...if I took that stance I would not have a team to root for. And I also acknowledge the existence of sports hypocrisy and bias. It is a fans right to look the other way while supporting their team. Right? But, in all seriousness I think Jeremy Hill has some real work ahead of him as a human being and football should not be his crutch.

Which leads me to Gary Patterson of TCU who made news today with his little jab at his August 31st opponent, Les Miles and his LSU Tigers.

On the subject of Les Miles handling of Jeremy Hill, Patterson went on to say:  "I'm sure if it was some opponent they'd beat by 100 points, [the players] wouldn't have a vote," Patterson said, according to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. "It's not my worry. I've got to play whoever they put on the field." 

"My whole team would vote Devonte to be back on the team because they all want to win," Patterson said. "That doesn't teach life lessons."

You see, Patterson suspended his superstar defensive end, Devonte Fields for a "violation of team rules" earlier this year. So his barb at Miles seems deserved since he suspended one of his best players. It would only be right that Miles follows suit and does the same, right?

Well...lets tap the brakes just a little on the self righteousness of Gary Patterson. Anybody remember the name Casey Pachall? Of course you do, he is the current Horned Frogs starting QB who has hopefully turned his life around and beaten the drug and alcohol demons. You see, Pachall was suspended indefinitely last Oct. 4th after he was arrested for a DWI.  And before you say, well he was suspended, what's your point, let me add a little nugget. Pachall had already failed a previous drug test earlier that year (February) and he was not suspended at all. In fact at the time of Pachall's DWI, he was 4 games into the season. Pachall was also a roommate of Tanner Brock, one of 4 TCU players who were arrested in a huge drug ring bust on campus at TCU. I am not implicating Pachall was a part of that because he was obviously not arrested. But, a week after the bust he failed a drug test and Patterson chose not to suspend him for the season opener or any games in 2012 until Pachall was arrested on October 4th for a DWI.

This was Patterson's quote:  "I've got a young football team and a person who obviously needs help," Patterson told The Associated Press. "Until I can come up with some answers, it's not about one season, it's about a lot of seasons."

Seems fair...Oh but, how quickly Patterson forgets. A year later he is chastising Les Miles for doing exactly what he did a year before. In fact Pachall is thankfully out of rehab and he is set to start against LSU. But, a year later maybe Patterson wised up and realized that "Life Lessons" should be taught to players like Devote Fields who break team rules because can you imagine the firestorm if Pachall had killed somebody while drunk before his DWI arrest? Patterson would have been BBQ'd for not suspending the QB and allowing him to play in 2012. So he makes good with Fields and steps up on a pedestal and looks down on Les Miles and LSU for doing something he did a year before. Sorry Gary, it doesn't work like that.

Let us not forget that Les a year earlier suspended his best player and Heisman candidate Tyrann Mathieu aka The Honey Badger for drug use. In fact, Miles ended up kicking Mathieu off of the team and LSU obviously missed him throughout the year. People love to criticize Miles, and the SEC for running thug programs and looking the other way.  I will admit right now that it concerns me as a fan to see that happen. But, to say Miles doesn't suspend players is wrong because he has done that and suffered for it. He suspended Starting QB Ryan Perrilloux back in 2008 for breaking team rules and kicked him off of the team. He suspended Jordan Jefferson and other players after a 2011 bar fight. That same season he suspended 4 starters mid season in the middle of a SEC Championship run due to the use of "SPICE" The fact is, Miles has suspended players in the past and has suffered the consequences. Does that mean that Miles should not suspend Hill for his involvement in the "sucker punch" incident? Absolutely not. And he has said that he still could be suspended and I hope he is. But, do not paint Miles as a "Do nothing" coach. He runs a program that obviously has many warts. The SEC has many warts, the Big Ten has many warts, so does the Big 12 and on and on. The problem is nearly epidemic. I am not absolving LSU or anybody of that. 

That is why when I see Gary Patterson make these statements when he did the same thing a year prior, it raises red flags. Hopefully Casey Pachall turned his life around. Hopefully TCU not kicking him to the curb allowed that. Hopefully Jeremy Hill somehow does the same. Hopefully he does have further punishment coming. But, Gary, your statements were indeed the pot calling the kettle, black.

LSU VS. TCU
August 31st, 2013. 

2013 NFL Mock Draft

The 2013 NFL Draft. 

   As soon as the Lombardi Trophy is handed to the Superbowl victors I am shifting my sports focus to the upcoming NFL Draft and eagerly awaiting the first Mock draft from ESPN, Sports Illustrated, you name it. I love the buildup to the NFL Draft. The anticipation, the hope, the reward of a franchise player to be...or the disgust of the can't miss player who eventually does just that...misses. Having lived in Louisiana for the first 24 years of my life and the in Dallas, TX. the following 11, I have witnessed some major draft steals, busts, and head scratching moments from the New Orleans Saints and the Dallas Cowboys. Thankfully the people of Dallas and Cowboys fans everywhere are treated to Draft day drama every year due to the unimaginable yet irresistible Jerry Jones. 

   The Dallas Cowboys have had serious highs under Jones, from his teaming with Jimmy Johnson and the drafting of the eventual Cowboys Superbowl dynasty of the 90's, to the years of ash and dust in the 00's, most notably 2009 where all 12 draft picks are no longer on the Cowboys roster.  2013 is no different for the Cowboys in terms of importance. Every draft year in Dallas is do or die because Dallas fans and media know all too well how Jones can knock the wind out of everyone's collective sails with a critical trade up or trade down...and trading up or down is what Jerry is known for (for better or worse). Well, that and trading precious #1 picks for worthless wide receivers but that is for another time. In Dallas, we hold our breath as we wait for GM Jerry to either sit tight with the 18th pick (not likely) trade down for an extra pick  while building much needed depth (the sensible thing to do) or betting the farm and trading up for that "Can't miss" prospect (if this happens, Jerry is officially Al Davis) It should be as maddening as always on Draft Thursday...and all through the weekend. 

   Enough about the Cowboys, lets talk about the draft. 

   The 2013 NFL Draft has been criticized for lacking "Star Power" Translation- No franchise Quarterbacks, Wide Receivers, or Running Backs. What this draft does have though is depth. Serious team building depth. If your team has and makes the right picks. There are some quality offensive and defensive linemen to be had as well as solid safeties. In my opinion, after the top 5 in the 1st round, there is not much of a talent drop off all the way through the 2nd round. If my team was a team that had multiple picks in either round I would be an excited fan. Fans of offensive firepower, do not fret. 2014 will be loaded with future stud QB's and skill players.

   The consensus #1 pick in most Mock Drafts is Luke Joeckel, the talented offensive tackle out of Texas A&M. There is a chance that Eric Fisher out of Central Michigan could sneak into the top spot but my money is still on Joeckel. Just those two names alone signify that offensive line will be the big position in the 1st round. The top 5 picks this year could very well have 3 offensive tackles taken. It is also not out of the realm of possibility that Chance Warmack the guard out of Alabama sneaks into the top 5 as well... but, I doubt it. Another position of great depth in this year's draft is defensive tackle. That will get tricky though as teams will draft according to the defensive schemes they run, as many of the defensive tackles in this draft may project better as nose tackles in a 3-4 defense. But, there is talent and depth to be had. 

   Below you will see my 1st Round Mock Draft. With any Mock Draft, take it with a grain of salt and expect much of this to be blown up after teams start trading up and down.  

#1 Kansas City - OT Luke Joeckel, Texas A&M

#2 Jacksonville- QB Geno Smith, West Virginia 

#3 Oakland- DT Sharrif Floyd, Florida

#4 Philadelphia- DE Dion Jordan, Oregon

#5 Detroit- OT Eric Fisher, Central Michigan 

#6 Cleveland- CB Dee Milliner, Alabama

#7 Arizona- OT Lane Johnson, Oklahoma 

#8 Buffalo- WR Cordarrelle Patterson, Tennessee  

#9 New York Jets- G Chance Warmack, Alabama

#10 Tennessee- S Kenny Vaccarro, Texas

#11 San Diego- G Jonathan Cooper, North Carolina 

#12 Miami- DL Ezekiel Ansah, BYU

#13 New York Jets- DE/LB Barkevious Mingo, LSU

#14 Carolina- DT Star Lotulelei, Utah

#15 New Orleans- LB Arthur Brown, Kansas State

#16 St. Louis- LB Jarvis Jones, Georgia 

#17 Pittsburgh- WR Deandre Hopkins, Clemson

#18 Dallas- OT/G DJ Fluker, Alabama

#19 New York Giants- DE Bjoern Werner, Florida State

#20 Chicago- LB Alec Ogletree, Georgia

#21 Cincinnati- RB Eddie Lacy, Alabama 

#22 St. Louis- WR Keenan Allen, California 

#23 Minnesota- DT Sheldon Richardson, Missouri

#24 Indianapolis- OL Larry Warford, Kentucky

#25 Minnesota- CB Xavier Rhodes, Florida State

#26 Green Bay- LB Kevin Minter, LSU

#27 Houston- WR Tavon Austin, West Virginia 

#28 Denver- DE Demontre Moore, Texas A&M

#29 New England- DT Jesse Williams, Alabama 

#30 Atlanta- DE/LB Alex Okafor, Texas 

#31 San Francisco- S Eric Reid, LSU

#32 Baltimore- LB Manti Te'o, Notre Dame 

Quick Hits- 

16 of my #1 picks are from the SEC. 5 from Alabama, 3 from LSU, 2 from Georgia, 2 from Texas A&M, and 1 each from Florida, Tennessee, Missouri, and Kentucky. The Big 12 is 2nd with six 1st round picks. Texas and West Virginia have 2 each.  

10 Years ago the #1 pick in the 03 NFL Draft was QB Carson Palmer out of USC who was picked by the Bengals. 

20 Years ago the #1 pick in the 93 NFL Draft was QB Drew Bledsoe out of Washington State who was picked by the New England Patriots. 

30 Years ago the #1 pick in the 83 NFL Draft was none other than Hall of Famer QB John Elway out of Stanford who was selected by the Indianapolis Colts and later traded to the Denver Broncos. 

And last but not least... 40 years ago the #1 pick in the 73 NFL Draft was Sloth from the Goonies! Yes you read that right. John Matuszak out of Tampa College was selected #1 overall by the Houston Oilers. He would become a Superbowl Champion and staple with the Oakland Raiders. He died in 1989 from a prescription drug overdose.

   Get ready to boo Roger Goodell and have a great time watching the 2013 NFL Draft. 

Spring football report. 

As many spring football camps wind down and the doldrums of Summer knock at the door, we college football fans still have a few things to look forward to before the 2013 season kicks off. (1) The NFL Draft which begins Thursday. (2) The release of the always much anticipated pre-season magazines that will attempt to predict everything from the next BCS Champ to the coach who sits on the hottest seat. Below I will attempt to look into my somewhat cloudy crystal ball and predict how everything will shake out. From the BCS title game, to the upcoming early big college games. Here we go.... 

2013 will begin with the possibility of history being made. The Alabama Crimson Tide could make it 3 straight BCS titles and 4 in the past 5 years. Make no bones about it Nick Saban has created a dynasty down in Tuscaloosa. The Tide will be tested very early on though as they travel down to College Station to face Johnny Football and the Aggie team that nearly derailed the Crimson Tide's BCS hopes last November. 

My early prediction: 

Alabama goes into College Station and gets revenge on Johnny Heisman while exposing the very weak A&M defense. Alabama 31 Texas A&M 20

The Clemson Tigers will get a shot at proving they are ready for the BCS stage when they go to Georgia to square off against a Bulldogs team that has suffered heavy defensive losses like Texas A&M and like the Aggies the Bulldogs return their superstar Quarterback in Aaron Murray. A win by Clemson goes a long way to being a worthy BCS title game contender. A loss assures the Tigers of more noses turned up at the thought of the ACC sending a BCS title game representative. 

Prediction: 

Clemson rides it's Chick fil-A Bowl momentum to an incredible early classic in 2013. 

Clemson 24 Georgia 21

The 2013 Cowboys Classic gives us an SEC/Big 12 match-up between two teams that could both either contend for a BCS bowl berth this season or get a lower tier bowl invite. LSU and TCU will feature two traditional strong defensive teams that like to play smash mouth football. TCU will return a good amount of players from a 2012 team that was inconsistent at best. LSU was also an inconsistent team in 2012 with an offense that never got it going. After losing 10 Jr's to the NFL draft, the Tigers will have a tall task ahead in trying to rebuild the defense. But, like all major college football powerhouses, LSU doesn't rebuild, they reload. New offensive coordinator Cam Cameron hopes to bring some imagination...any imagination to the Tiger's offense. 

Prediction: 

Both teams will be hyped to play in Cowboys Stadium and trade points early on. In the end LSU's depth and speed pull away from TCU shortly after halftime and force the Horned Frogs to make more mistakes than a Gary Patterson team is used to. 

LSU 38 TCU 17  

Alabama also plays a big opening weekend game against Virginia Tech. As much as I would like to say it will be a good game... it won't. 

Prediction: 

Alabama comes out and hits Va. Tech early and often. 

Alabama 30 Virginia Tech 10 

The 2013 college football season will be the return of the Big 10. Well...Ohio State anyway. The Buckeyes went undefeated in 2012 and look to carry on with a chip on their shoulder in 2013. Going undefeated and not getting to play in a bowl game due to sanctions really hurts and don't think the 2013 Buckeyes won't use that as motivation. Urban Myer is building a very strong program in Columbus that looks to stand on even ground with the SEC in a few years. Sorry Buckeye fans it won't be in 2013. I fully expect the Buckeyes to win the Big 10 and go undefeated in 2013. But, it ends there. 

My Early BCS Title Game Prediction for 2013: 

Alabama 37 Ohio St. 13

Yes...Bama will threepeat. 

My early top 5: 

1- Alabama

2-Ohio St. 

3- Texas A&M

4- Oregon

5-Clemson

But....there are about 4 months between now and the start of the college football season. Many things can and probably will change between now and then. 

Updated BCS Bowl Game Projections

Updated 2012 BCS Bowl Game Projections (and other Major Bowls) 

BCS Title Game:

Kansas State (Big 12 Champ) vs. Oregon (Pac-12 Champ)

Fiesta Bowl:

Oklahoma (BCS at large) vs. Georgia (BCS at large)

Rose Bowl: 

Nebraska (Big 10 Champ)  vs. Stanford (BCS at large) 

Sugar Bowl: 

Alabama (SEC Champ) vs. Notre Dame (BCS at-large)

Orange Bowl: 

Florida State (ACC Champ)  vs. Louisville (Big East Champ)


Non BCS Bowl Games: 

Capital One Bowl: 

South Carolina (SEC selection) vs. Michigan (Big 10 selection)

Outback Bowl: 

Florida (SEC Selection) vs. Wisconsin (Big 10 selection)

Cotton Bowl:

Texas A&M (SEC selection)  vs. Texas (Big 12 selection)

Chick fil-A Bowl: 

LSU vs. Clemson

College Football Picks Week 11

Season Record: 103- 31
Last Week: 10-5

Where I was wrong: LSU over Alabama, and USC over Oregon.

Week 11:

Alabama 38 Texas A&M 13 (Texas A&M has been more than impressive in their first year in he SEC. They have not been blown out by any team and had a few more bounces gone the Aggies way we could be looking an undefeated match-up between the Ags and the Tide for a right to play in the SEC title game and possibly the BCS Title Game. The Aggies have seen a great LSU defense that shut superstar QB Johnny Manziel down, and a Florida defense that shut the Aggies down in the 2nd half. So they have seen defenses that are on par with the Crimson Tide. They have not however seen an offense that is so efficient at just not making mistakes. I look for the Tide to clamp down on Manziel in Tuscaloosa and wear down the Aggies defense with a balanced attack that leans heavily on the run in the 2nd half.)

Notre Dame 24 Boston College 14 (The Irish had a scare last week. I do not think it will happen two weeks in a row.)

Oregon 56 Cal 34 (Did a Cal player really "Dare" Oregon to score on the Cal defense? Silly man.)

LSU 28 Mississippi State 14 The Tigers get a Bulldog team that is licking its wounds. Close early but, the Tigers pull away.

Stanford 27 Oregon State 20

Texas 34 Iowa State 17

Oklahoma 45 Baylor 17

USC 34 Arizona State 27

Nebraska 28 Penn St. 14

Georgia 42 Auburn 13

Texas Tech 34 Kansas 7

South Carolina 38 Arkansas 13

Michigan 23 Northwestern 17

Minnesota 20 Illinois 17

West Virginia 56 Oklahoma State 49

UPSET OF THE WEEK: 

TCU 20 Kansas State 19

(The Frogs get a beaten up Kansas St. team that I picked to play in the BCS title game. While QB Collin Klein will play, I suspect that the Frogs D clamps down at home and pulls a major upset. TCU plays in yet another nail biter of a game and comes away with a statement win) 


Current BCS Bowl Game Match-up Forecast: 

BCS Title Game: 
Alabama vs. Notre Dame

Sugar Bowl: 
LSU vs Oklahoma 

Fiesta Bowl: 
Kansas State vs USC 

Rose Bowl: 
Oregon vs Nebraska 

Orange Bowl: 
Florida State vs. Louisville

And yes, I am again saying that the Cotton Bowl will be Texas vs. Texas A&M. 

HAPPY WEEK 11!!!

Alabama LSU dust has settled. Bama in line for #15?

Alabama LSU dust has settled. Bama in line for #15?

After a thrilling 21-17 win over LSU in Death Valley, Alabama is now firmly attached to a spot in the BCS Title game. The only question remains is who will they face? 

Oregon, who I have openly questioned the toughness of is mowing everyone down in their path. I did not question whether or not Oregon was good, only if their schedule was comparable to an SEC champion or a Big 12 champion. I still do not believe in the Pac-12. The pre-season darling #1 USC has fallen and fallen hard. Oregon'e only other quality wins are against Washington and Arizona. But, in the end you can only play who is on your schedule and that is what Oregon is doing...in a very dominate fashion. 

Kansas State has very little left on their schedule to be upset worthy. Obviously TCU and Texas could give the Wildcats a run for their money. I still expect Kansas State to finish undefeated as well. 

Then there is Notre Dame who survived a major upset from Pitt. Notre Dame took out a good Oklahoma team at Norman. If they can do the same to USC you will hear their names in the BCS title discussion. If they should indeed knock off USC it will be hard to keep the Fighting Irish out of the Title game. 

So there you have it. A very good chance at having 4 undefeated teams at season's end, and only 2 spots in the BCS title game. 

Understand right now that if Alabama goes undefeated that they are in. the SEC 6 year BCS title streak will be given a chance to defend. So who plays the Tide? If I had to guess it would be Notre Dame because of the fact they took down two top programs at home. They also took down a very scrappy Stanford team in overtime. The fact that USC now has 3 losses may hurt Notre Dame though. USC could possibly get another shot at Oregon in the Pac-12 Title game. Honestly I do not see that happening. Kansas State could lose to either Texas or TCU but, I don't think that will happen. If Oregon gets to the Pac-12 Title game unbeaten I don't look for them to lose either. So there you have it. Alabama would play...(Flip a coin) 

We could very well be looking at 3 teams who finish the season undefeated. Actually 4 if you think about Louisville. Could there be a 3-way split for the Title? If Alabama plays Notre Dame in the BCS title game and beats them but, Oregon beats their Rose Bowl opponent and Kansas State wins the Fiesta Bowl, do you split the title 3 ways? Can they? 

I think you would more than likely have 2 teams split the BCS title and one poor team finishing number 2. Sorry Louisville but, you would not be in the discussion. Can we start that 4 team play-off this year instead of 2014??? 

Of course look for all hell to break loose if all of these teams should drop a game between now and selection Sunday. You just have to love College Football don't you? 

Current BCS Forecast: 

BCS Title Game: Alabama vs. Notre Dame

Sugar Bowl: Georgia vs. Oklahoma 

Fiesta Bowl: Kansas State vs. Clemson 

Orange Bowl: Florida State vs. Louisville

Rose Bowl: Oregon vs. Nebraska 

Non BCS Bowl Games: 

Capital One Bowl: Texas A&M vs. Michigan

Outback Bowl: Florida vs. Wisconsin

Cotton Bowl: Texas vs. LSU

Week 10 BCS Predictions. Is Alabama invincible? Are the Irish BCS bound?

What we know going into Week 10-

-Alabama is the best team in the country until someone beats them. Is that team LSU? If not LSU, then who? After Alabama was compared to an NFL team this week by Steve Spurrier I think Nick Saban's head almost exploded. He hates his teams being "over-praised" Sorry Nick, that is what happens when you are so good. But, there is an LSU team ready to put the January 9th BCS title game loss behind them and test your team like they have not been tested this year.

-Oregon like Alabama has steamrolled everyone in their path. They get a USC team that is licking it's wounds this weekend. Don't expect Oregon to be winning 49-0 at halftime. USC will hit Oregon in the mouth this week and Oregon may not recover.

-Notre Dame rocked Oklahoma in Norman last week and now has its sights set on a BCS title game berth. Can they avoid the letdown game that has always plagued them in the past? Maybe this week but, I see the Fighting Irish dropping out of the BCS title game picture before the season is over. That doesn't mean that they do not go to a BCS bowl though.

-Ohio State is undefeated and will not sniff a bowl game this year do to sanctions. As bad as their defense has been, Urban Myer has to be shocked that the Buckeyes are still undefeated. I think that is an indictment on the B1G...

-Texas A&M is ahead of schedule in the SEC and they may be more than anyone is willing to admit that they can handle in the coming years. If they can avoid the letdown year in 2013 I think that they will evolve into an SEC power for the long haul.

-Kansas State will play for the BCS title. There I said it.


BCS Bowl Game forecast as currently ranked:

BCS Title Game:  Alabama vs. Kansas State.

Rose Bowl:  Oregon vs. Nebraska

Sugar Bowl:  Georgia vs. Notre Dame

Fiesta Bowl:  Oklahoma vs. USC

Orange Bowl:  Florida State vs. Louisville

If the 4-Team Play-off were happening this year:

Round 1- Alabama vs. Oregon and Kansas State vs. Notre Dame

Title Game- Alabama vs. Kansas State.


Week 10 Picks:

Season Record (93-26) Week 9 Record: 11-4

I picked the Upset of the Week game again this season with Arizona upsetting USC.


Notre Dame 24 Pittsburgh 13 (Pittsburgh hangs around a lot longer than the Irish like in this one)

Kansas State 35 Oklahoma State 17

Texas A&M 27 Mississippi State 17

Texas Tech 37 Texas 20

West Virginia 28 TCU 27

Oklahoma 35 Iowa State 14 (Sooners bounce back in a big way)

Nebraska 34 Michigan State 24

Florida 31 Missouri 14

Georgia 27 Ole Miss 14

Stanford 42 Colorado 3

Ohio State 34 Illinois 23

Boise State 35 San Diego State 13

Oregon State 30 Arizona State 21

USC 31 Oregon 28

UPSET OF THE WEEK:

(You can throw all of my projections above out of the window. I have no business picking this upset from what we have seen from both teams. But, this game is in Death Valley on a Saturday Night! January 9th fresh on players and coaches and fans minds. Not to mention the Tigers are playing against the invincible team that has been compared to an NFL team. So yes I will call this with every bit of the realization that it could backfire...badly. But, it won't)

LSU 17 Alabama 16

HAPPY WEEK 10!!!

College Football Week 9 Picks and BCS projections

After 8 weeks of college football the BCS picture is still cloudy but, it is beginning to shape up. I think it can be assumed that the winner of the SEC (even with 1 loss) will face either the winner of the Pac-12 or Big 12.

By Pac-12 or Big-12 I mean Oregon, USC (if the Trojans win out) Kansas St, or Oklahoma. Oregon will likely have to play USC twice this season which could actually eliminate both teams from the title game picture. If Oregon beats USC next weekend and loses late in the Pac-12 title game against USC, the Ducks could be leapfrogged by a 1 loss Big-12 Champ...or possibly a dark horse like Louisville. But, I highly doubt that.

The Big-12 seems to have come down to a 2 team race. Kansas St and Oklahoma. If Kansas St. wins out they win the Big-12 by virtue of beating Oklahoma back in September.

The SEC comes down to Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi State, and LSU. Georgia and Mississippi State could both be knocked out of the discussion later today though. Next week LSU could be knocked out by Alabama which would likely set up a SEC title game between an undefeated Alabama vs an undefeated Florida. Gee, where have we seen that match-up before? But, it is the SEC...nothing comes easy or happens the way it is supposed to.

Current BCS bowl game forecast:

BCS Title Game:
Alabama vs Oregon

Rose Bowl:
USC vs Wisconsin

Sugar Bowl:
Florida vs Oklahoma

Fiesta Bowl:
Notre Dame vs Kansas St.

Orange Bowl:
Louisville vs Florida St.


Week 9 College Football Picks:

(Last Week: 12-3)

(Season: 82-22)

Alabama 34 Mississippi St. 13

Florida 27 Georgia 17

Kansas St. 23 Texas Tech 14

Oklahoma 24 Notre Dame 12

Oregon St. 20 Washington 17

Florida St. 37 Duke 14

South Carolina 31 Tennessee 20

Texas A&M 30 Auburn 17

Nebraska 29 Michigan 24

Texas 48 Kansas 20

Wisconsin 24 Michigan St. 20

Ole Miss 31 Arkansas 21

Ohio St. 35 Penn St. 31

Oklahoma St. 35 TCU 24


UPSET of the WEEK:

Arizona 28 USC 25

Happy Week 9!!!

College Football Week 8 picks

Last Week I was 10-5 and missed out on my upset of the week when Kansas St. beat Iowa St.

I am 70-19 on the season.

Week 8 Picks:

Alabama 35 Tennessee 14

South Carolina 17 Florida 14

Kansas St. 34 West Virginia 24

LSU 24 Texas A&M 17

Notre Dame 27 BYU 17

Oklahoma 35 Kansas 14

Oregon St. 27 Utah 20

USC 56 Colorado 17

Florida St. 35 Miami 17

TCU 28 Texas Tech 24

Texas 30 Baylor 27

Auburn 22 Vanderbilt 14

Georgia 38 Kentucky 13

Clemson 24 Virginia Tech 21

Boise State 38 UNLV 13.

(No Upset Pick this week)

Blog soon to follow picks.

Happy Week 8!!!

Should the Texas Longhorns part ways with Mack Brown as Head Football coach in the very near future?

Texas Longhorns fans... it is time you ask yourself a question. It is time you take all emotion out of your would be answer and ask a question that no successful college football program likes to ask when times get a little tougher than they used to be. 

Should Texas fire Mack Brown? Or at the very least should Texas remove Brown from his head coaching position and give him a nice cushy administrative job while some new blood is injected into the Texas Longhorns football program? 

I say take all emotion out of it. That is not solely directed at those who would by default oppose removing Brown. It is also directed at those fans who just watched Texas go down in flames (63-21) for a 3rd consecutive year to the Oklahoma Sooners in the Red River Shootout. 

Let me preface this with the old adage of "be careful what you wish for." It took Nebraska years after firing Frank Solich, the heir apparent to the the great Tom Osborne to get the program back on track. Solich wasn't awful. He was winning 10 games a year. In fact Solich won 58 games in his first 6 seasons at Nebraska. More than any Nebraska head coach before him (Including Osborne) But, things went sour in his last couple of seasons and he was gone. It took years for Nebraska to somewhat recover. 

Texas A&M fired RC Slocum after averaging 10 wins a year. He could not beat the Longhorns enough and he was gone after 13 years. The Aggies looked to greener pastures and hired Dennis Franchione from TCU. That hire set their program back for nearly 8 years. 

There are many more examples of teams firing coaches for not being able to get them over the hump or not winning the "big one"  That is why I want to cautiously explore the question of firing a head football coach who has been one of the most successful coaches ever at the University of Texas. 

So after saying all of that, let me say this. Do you, the fans of Texas, want Mack Brown to become Bobby Bowden? Do you want to hang onto a coach who is known for what he did in the past while the program slips into mediocrity...or worse? 

If you are any kind of Texas fan I can see your thoughts right now. You are saying there is no way Texas ever slips into mediocrity. "We have the highest grossing football program in the nation in terms of dollars and profit." "We are the flagship university of Texas, there is no way we stay down for long" "DeLoss Dodds will not allow us to fail" "We recruit too well" I agree with all of those perceived thoughts. But, the trend at UT right now is troubling. Ever since the BCS title game against Alabama in January of 2010, the Horns are 17-14 overall, 7-13 in the Big 12 and 1-10 against Top 25 opponents. These are hardly results of a team that is on the rebound from a couple of sub par years. Not to mention From 2010 to now the Horns have started 3-0, 4-0, and 4-0 only to finish for a combined 6-13 for the rest of the way. Another troubling stat is that Mack Brown and Texas are 0-9 versus the last 9 Top 25 opponents and 1-11 against Top 25 opponents since Jan. 1st, 2010. 

Other factors (Both good and bad) that should be explored when questioning the possibility of replacing Mack Brown are: 

-Mack Brown has a coaching record at Texas of 141-39. That is unbelievably solid. The man has taken Texas from the doldrums of John Mackovic to one of the top 5 premier football programs year in and year out. 

-His bowl record is 12-7 with a BCS National Title, and a BCS Title Runner-up. 

-He has 2 Big-12 Championships. 

-9 straight 10+ win seasons at Texas from 01-09

-He won the Bear Bryant Coaching award in 2005 and Big-12 Coach of the Year in 2005 and 2009. 

After looking at those credentials I feel foolish even questioning this man's employment. But, when I dig a little deeper and do some comparing I find out a few things that raise red flags. Texas will always be compared to the best of the best in college football. The same goes for the Big-12. Now that Texas A&M is gone, Texas has one main rival in the Big-12 and that is Oklahoma. The Mack Brown/Bob Stoops rivalry has been going strong since Stoops first walked onto OU's campus a year after Brown was hired by UT. Texas and Oklahoma recruit the same kids, play the same opponents and are each other's worst enemy on the gridiron. So it is only natural I compare Mack to Stoops. 

-Since 1999 Mack Brown is 5-8 in the Red River Shootout against Bob Stoops. Not terrible. But, you look at the streaks Stoops has against Mack and it is sobering. Stoops beat the Mack led Horns 5 straight times and now 3 straight times. Mack's longest streak against Stoops is 2. 

-Bob Stoops has been the head coach at OU since 1999 and his record is 143-35 at OU. Very similar to Mack's at UT. Mack has coached 1 year longer. 

-Stoops has 1 BCS National Championship, and 3 BCS Title Runner-ups. 

-Stoops has 7 Big-12 Titles in his time at Oklahoma compared to Mack Brown's 2. 

So is it unfair to compare Mack Brown to Bob Stoops? I don't think so. These two programs are the measuring sticks for the Big-12 and it is clear that Stoops has the better track record than Brown by virtue of BCS title game appearances and Big 12 Championships alone. 

But even if you throw out the comparisons to Stoops, I am sure 95% of the programs out there would love to say they are in Texas' shoes right now. Again, I think Mack Brown has done a tremendous job at Texas. I am just looking at the latest trend of the past 2 1/2 years versus his overall body of work and it is troubling. 

One of the most troubling things is that Texas still recruits with the best of them. The talent is at Texas, there is no question about that. But, shouldn't a coach that is the caliber of Brown be able to do more than 1 BCS title and only 2 Big-12 Titles in his tenure as head coach while the guy up North in Norman is doubling Brown up in terms of title prestige over the past 13 years? 

Texas also pays Mack $5.2 million a year (one of the highest salaries among college coaches) The Longhorn network has also raised the stakes of making the Horns a consistent BCS title contender. From 2010 until now they are not even in the conversation. 

Mack Brown has already completely retooled his staff after the debacle of 2010. All new coordinators gave some hope to the 2012 version of the Horns but, after 2 straight losses and giving up a combined 147 points in the last 3 weeks I am sure there will be rumbling about the Defensive Coordinator. When does that start to fall on Mack Brown?

So please excuse me Horns fans while I simply ask the question: Has the game started to pass Mack by? Is it time for new blood to be injected to the program? Does a new message need to be preached at UT? Many will say Mack has earned many more years with his BCS title in 2005 and his many other successes on and off the field. It is hard to argue that. But, again I will bring up Bobby Bowden the at one time All-time college football wins leader. Florida State lived off of his past successes for a decade until they finally came to the realization that Coach Bowden was no longer helping the program move forward. Instead they were clinging to past achievements while desperately hoping to rekindle some of that old magic one last time to see old Bobby ride off into the sunset with a BCS title in tow. Sadly that never happened. Jimbo Fisher was hired as Offensive Coordinator and Bobby was in his own words "Forced out" of the program he put on the map. 

Does Texas need to make that same mistake? Or should they be proactive and get Mack's replacement on the staff right now? Or better yet, at the end of the season tell Mack "Job well done!" Have a parade, celebrate that 2005 BCS title one more time and move Mack into the administrative wing of the Athletic Dept. where he can be the heir apparent to DeLoss Dodds. There is no easy way to approach this but, Longhorns fans have to face reality. The man who did so much for the program now needs a little nudge out of the door. The current trend does not seem to bode well for the program. Brown has big plans and the talent is there. But, again I can't help but wonder if the game that Mack once knew so well, might be passing him by like it does so many great old ball coaches. 

So Texas fans, I ask you...should he stay or should he go. His lofty achievements seem light years away and holding out hope for one more BCS title ride may be futile. Then again Mack may prove me and many naysayers wrong. But, with what Texas is...are you the fans willing to take a chance on finding out with the risk of Texas sliding further under Mack's watch. And yes I agree it is a tricky proposal. "Be careful what you ask for" There is no guarantee the next guy will take the torch and take the Longhorns to the heights the want to go. The next guy could be another Mackovich. But, that is the chance you take. Do you want to live in the past...or progress towards the future? Can Mack rekindle that old magic? I sometimes wonder if he even believes he can any more. 

The Longhorns are at a crossroads. I do not believe it is just a mere bump in the road but, a very important time. The stakes are too high and the money is too big for this program to be mediocre. That is why I think a change may very well need to be made. 

And, before I wrap this up I am sure the question will be asked "Who do you replace him with?" I think I have a few candidates that would fit the description of the guy who can take the torch from Mack and make Longhorns fans proud. 

-Gary Patterson. Head Coach TCU. 
He knows Texas and is one of the best pure "coaches" in the nation. He loves TCU but, I am sure the allure of Texas would get his attention. 

-Will Muschamp. Head Coach Florida. 
We all know Will was already Mack's heir apparent before he became head coach for the Gators. Will knows Texas football. He knows the personnel and he is loved by the fan base for what he did as defensive coordinator for the Horns in his time in Austin. Will was thrilled to become the head coach of the Gators and moving to Austin would sort of be like trading a blue corvette for a burnt orange corvette. Austin is more than likely a better place to be but, would Will do it? 

-Kirby Smart. Defensive Coordinator Alabama. 
Smart is the right hand man to Nick Saban and Texas is trying to mold itself into an Alabama type program that plays smash mouth football. Defense would be Smart's number one priority and I think he would fit nicely in Austin while being very successful. 

-Art Briles. Head Coach Baylor. 
I like Briles as a coach but, I just don't think he would work in Austin. 

-Dan Mullen. Head Coach Mississippi State. 
If you have been paying attention to Miss. St. then you know how good of a coach Mullen is. He has made them a Top 25 program after they were the laughing stock of college football. He was the offensive coordinator for Florida under Urban Myer during their dynasty years of the 2000's. Mullen would be a solid hire for the Longhorns. 

-Charlie Strong. Head Coach Louisville. 
A stout defensive minded coach who has made Louisville into a nice program again. He is more than likely going to be the next head coach of Arkansas though. 

-Chris Peterson. Head Coach Boise State. 
No doubt a great track record. I believe he would soar to new heights in Austin but, I doubt he ever leaves Boise. 

-Mike Riley. Head Coach Oregon State. 
Very well respected among coaches. Just not the splash the Horns need. 

-Chip Kelly. Head Coach Oregon.
Nobody but the NFL will pry him away from Nike Land.

Coaches that would be mentioned but I believe have no shot or Texas has no shot:

-Bobby Petrino. Texas won't touch his baggage. 
-Nick Saban. Don't even try to think about it. He will die in Alabama or in the NFL. 
-Kevin Sumlin. Aggies have him for good.
-Major Applewhite. Just don't. 
Mike Leach. Haha. I just had to throw that in there in hopes that somebody just spit their drink out. Sorry. 

And before anybody says that Texas has to hire a guy that can recruit... Mack was and is a great recruiter. Almost unparalleled. But, while good recruiting head coaches are nice, in today's modern era,  Texas recruits with its name alone. 

All of this that I have just written is solely based on observations and opinion. Mack Brown may be the head coach at Texas for the next 10 years and they may win 5 BCS titles. If so, hoo-ray! He proved me wrong. But, before you vehemently disagree with me just look at the trend of the past 2 1/2 seasons, then look at other great head coaches last few years after they held on a little too long. I think I have a point. 

Week 7 Picks. Red River Rivalry (Shootout) SEC East and more.

It blows my mind that we are already staring into the eyes of week 7 in the 2012 college football season.

Last week there were 3 major upsets in the Top 10. LSU lost to the Gators at Florida. Georgia was blown out of the water at South Carolina. And, Florida St. was shocked by North Carolina St.

Week 7 has some pretty good Top 25 match-ups and it would not shock me to see another string of upsets.

It is also a big weekend for college football here in the Dallas-Ft. Worth Metroplex. I am of course talking about the Red River Rivalry. Please excuse me but, I will call it the Red River Shootout from now on. Sorry PC police but, taking that great name away from this game was a joke. Actually I am not sorry. The people who made this decision because they felt "Shootout" was too aggressive are jokes to their own being.

The Red River Shootout gives us another Top 15 match-up between the Oklahoma Sooners and the Texas Longhorns. Oklahoma's only loss this year came against a superior Kansas St. team and the Longhorns dropped a heart breaker of a game by way of "shootout" last week to the high scoring NBA offense of West Virginia. I never felt Oklahoma was superior to Kansas St. when they were playing. I did however feel like the Longhorns were a better team than West Virginia and had they played later in the season I think the Horns would have stopped the WVU offense long enough to win the game. But, you have to play who is on your schedule when they are on your schedule and last week, West Virginia was a tad bit better when the final whistle was blown. In this year's edition of the Red River Shootout we will get a Longhorns team fresh off of a loss desperately not wanting to drop a 2nd game in a row. Meanwhile Oklahoma also cannot afford another loss or their preseason BCS title aspirations will be dust in the wind. As far as I can tell this year will not be a blowout win for Oklahoma. I do not see any blow out happening at all. I think this game stays very close until the final minutes. This sounds cliche but, whoever wins the turnover battle, wins the game. I like the Longhorns to do that this year.

The SEC East seems to be the strongest division in the conference this year. South Carolina and Florida might have just become the 2011 version of Alabama and LSU. Things get tricky from here on out for the East heavy weights.

LSU is a team that is not living up to its lofty preseason expectations. The Tigers looked pathetic on offense last week in the Swamp against a resurgent Gators team. The hype surrounding JC transfer Zach Mettenberger has so far turned out to be just that. Hype. I do not think the problems with the Tiger's offense can all be laid at Mettenberger's feet though. This LSU offense has been out of sorts pretty much all season long with the exception of the Washington game. LSU also has serious injury issues on the offensive line, and the Wide Receivers have a case of the drops, not to mention the whole offense having serious turnover issues. With South Carolina coming up the Tigers have to be very careful that a losing streak is not in their future. With South Carolina Texas A&M Alabama and Mississippi St. coming up on the schedule I think we can agree that the Tigers' hopeful return trip back to the BCS title game is in serious jeopardy.

Can anybody in the Pac-12 stop Oregon this year? I think the only team that can defeat them are the USC Trojans. But, even if USC defeats Oregon there is the chance they have to defeat Oregon twice with the second time being in the Pac-12 Championship game. Right now I like Oregon to win the Pac-12 and finish the regular season undefeated. They will more than likely match-up against the SEC Champion. But, imagine if you will the remote possibility of an Oregon and West Virginia BCS Title Game. There would be a record amount of total points scored in a way that would melt everybody's television sets at home.

Speaking of the BCS, Two years from now we will be talking about the 1st year of the 4 team play-off. For me that scenario cannot come soon enough. Imagine if it were in 2012. If the season ended today you would have Alabama playing West Virginia and South Carolina playing Oregon. (Coaches Poll)

At the halfway point of the season I still see Alabama as the team that wins it all over Oregon in the title game. I don't see South Carolina making it because I believe they will still lose 2 games this season. LSU has too inconsistent of an offense and that will not fly this season. Florida is a dark horse in the SEC but, I still like Bama. Oregon as I said is my pick for the Pac-12. In the Big 12 I can see either the winner of Texas/OU tomorrow, Kansas St. or West Virginia. My money would still be on K-State. After Florida State's loss I just do not trust the ACC to field a team in the BCS title game. Notre Dame could of course be a BCS buster if they go undefeated but, with trips to Oklahoma to play the Sooners and at USC I just don't see it. An undefeated Louisville would play the ACC Champ in the Orange Bowl but get no more consideration than a number 2 or 3 finish if they finish unbeaten due to them playing in the Big East. I am not forgetting the Big Ten but they are not in the conversation for BCS title talk.

PICKS:

Last Week I went 11-4 but I again hit on the Upset of the Week. (Iowa State over TCU...and I did pick it before TCU suspended their QB)

 I am 60-14 on the year.


Alabama 38 Missouri 13

LSU 17 South Carolina 14 (I have no business picking this with any conviction except that Les Miles is 17-1 after a loss while at LSU. SC will be sky high after beating Georgia and LSU is being questioned every which way. Plus I feel good about it)

West Virginia 56 Texas Tech 48

USC 22 Washington 20

Texas 20 Oklahoma 17

Texas A&M 30 La. Tech 17

Ole Miss 24 Auburn 14 (Where oh where have you gone Auburn?)

Miami 27 North Carolina 23

Mississippi State 27 Tennessee 20

Michigan 24 Illinois 13

Florida 17 Vanderbilt 10 (Classic trap game after a big win)

Louisville 29 Pittsburgh 10

Florida State 38 Boston College 13

Baylor 31 TCU 17

UPSET OF THE WEEK:

Iowa State 21 Kansas State 17



Happy Week 7!!!

Fire Ron Washington? Are you crazy?!?!

I am just going to throw this out there right now. People in Texas that are calling for Ron Washington to be fired are complete knee jerk idiots and you deserve to go blind and never be able to watch baseball again. There, I got that off of my chest and I feel better.

 People say Ron Washington is a choke artist manager because of the last two World Series' and this season. I didn't know that in 2010 he was responsible for the great pitching performances by the Giants. Who by the way are one of the best pitching staffs in the majors. I didn’t know Ron Washington was responsible for Cliff Lee having a subpar World Series in 2010 either. Or for Josh going AWOL. The Rangers were beaten by a better team in 2010. Wash was runner up for AL Manager of the year. 

In the 2011 World Series I guess Wash was responsible for Neftali Feliz giving up that triple to Freese in the bottom of the 9th. Or was he responsible for Neli Cruz misplaying that same Freese triple when it could have been a running catch?

I guess in 2012 when the Rangers rotation was riddled with injuries for the first time in two years and Wash had to hold together a team that was struggling at the plate and not to mention their star player (Hamilton) was AWOL for two months, I guess that was all because of Wash and the 93 wins had nothing to do with him.   

I always hear that the Rangers win in spite of Washington. Sorry folks but, no team gets that far year after year in spite of the manager. That is utter foolishness. Yet, if the Rangers win it is because of Nolan Ryan, or Jon Daniels, or Mike Maddux. It is never Ron Washington. But, if they lose...FIRE HIM! He makes too many bad decisions! He is awful! 

Let me enlighten you on how "awful" Ron Washington really is, ok?

Before Washington got to the Rangers they had one winning season in the 2000's. That was 2004 with Showalter (He was fired in 06). They had only made the playoffs 3 times and had never won a playoff series. They were known as a homerun hitting team that had to out hit a team to beat them because the pitching was nonexistent. The Texas Rangers had a culture of losing before Ron Washington arrived. Do you know what he has done since he came to Texas?

Washington is already the 2^nd in managerial wins in Texas Rangers history with 520. He will become 1^st next year when he passes Bobby Valentine who has 581.

Washington is 68 games over .500 for his career as Rangers manger. 30 more wins than the next guy (Billy Hunter) who only managed 2 seasons.

Washington’s teams have gotten better in wins every season he has managed with the exception of this season. But, this year he has his second highest wins total (93). 3 games below his record high in 2011 with (96).

The Ranger’s 96 wins in 2011 were the most in team history.

Managerial Stats

 Glossary  · SHARE  · Embed  · CSV  · PRE  · LINK  · ?

Rk	Year	Age	Tm	Lg		G	W	L	W-L%	Finish
1	2007	55	Texas Rangers	AL		162	75	87	.463	4
2	2008	56	Texas Rangers	AL		162	79	83	.488	2
3	2009	57	Texas Rangers	AL		162	87	75	.537	2
4	2010	58	Texas Rangers	AL		162	90	72	.556	1	AL Pennant
5	2011	59	Texas Rangers	AL		162	96	66	.593	1	AL Pennant
6	2012	60	Texas Rangers	AL		162	93	69	.574	2
					6 years	972	520	452	.535	2.0	2 Pennants

Washington has 2 American League pennants and 4 playoff series victories. Before Wash, the Rangers had 0.

Washington’s Rangers teams have also played better fundamental baseball since he took charge.

You also cannot say that Washington inherited a good team in a good situation. The Rangers were still saddled by the bad front office decisions to sign high price free agents like A-Rod and Chan Ho Park. Though these players were long gone, then owner Tom Hicks was in a payroll cutting mode and there was nearly no chance at the time to acquire any free agents of value. Thankfully Jon Daniels arrived and hired Wash and the Rangers received some help by trading away veteran players and stocking the farm system with talented young players such as: Elvis Andrus, Neftali Feliz, Matt Harrison, David Murphy, and others who would be the corner stone for the future success of the club. And, before you say that was all Jon Daniels work, I will agree with you. But, it is the manager’s job to cultivate that talent. And I think Ron did a great job at that. The results speak for themselves.

There is also the team filing bankruptcy in 2009 and being sold in 2010. The Rangers never should have been as good as they were in 2010. Especially during such organizational turmoil but, again Ron amazingly held them together.  

And yes I will also mention Ron’s dark time with the team. His cocaine abuse. I think it speaks volumes for the players, the coaches, and the front office to rally around Ron during this time and support him rather than fire him. He should have been fired. I will admit that. But, Nolan Ryan felt it was important to keep Ron. To support him. And, it paid off.

So here we are, Oct 5^th, 2012. The Rangers have just been beaten 5-1 by the Orioles in the Wild Card game and their season is now over. People who wanted relief from the heartbreak of Game 6 are not going to get it this year. The Rangers had an epic collapse. They lost the AL West to the Oakland A’s on the last game of the season. They lost a 4 game lead with 6 games to go. It hurts. It hurts bad. But, take a breath, cool down and realize that though he may talk funny, He may drive you crazy with some unorthodox managerial decisions, Heck, you may not even like his dugout dance. Know this though. Ron Washington is a special manager who has this team under control. 

He has not delivered a World Series title to the DFW Metroplex but he has gotten so much closer than anyone before him. Just remember how bad Rangers baseball used to be and how good it is now. Take a step back, and breathe. The Rangers are one of the best teams in MLB. Not in spite of the manager but, because of him. Do you remember the 1991 Atlanta Braves? They lost the 91 World Series to the Twins in 7 games. They got back to the World Series the next year only to lose to the Blue Jays. The year after that? They didn’t get to the World Series in 1993. The season was canceled in 1994 due to the baseball strike. But, in 1995 the Atlanta Braves won the World Series. 4 years after the heartbreak of 91. 3 years after the misery of 92. Their manager was a guy named Bobby Cox. I bet you have heard of him. He is the best manager the Atlanta Braves have ever had. He took a last place team in 1990 and turned them into a World Series team the next year. They did not win a World Series until 4 years later. Imagine if the Braves had fired Bobby Cox for being a “Choke Artist” back in 1993 after failing to get to a World Series for a 3^rd straight year. Now imagine the Rangers doing that with Ron Washington.

Have patience people. The Rangers are in a good place for a long time to come. Even with pending free agent departures. It stings now but, a knee jerk firing will solve nothing.

…Until next year.