Posted January 22nd, 2012 by Ross
Filed under: Bowls, Football

As we have completed another college football season, some wonder if really the two best teams were represented in the BCS National Championship Game. Many college football fans would like to see a playoff to determine a champion on the field instead of the cocktail mixture of polls and computers. Fans would be able to deal with this elixir of data called the BCS formula if they felt that 4 teams would be chosen instead of just the top 2. I would like to see the college presidents adopt the PLUS ONE model to determine the championship. Here is how I would like to see the BCS Bowls take shape first.

  • Rose Bowl affiliation: Pac 12 & Big 10
  • Sugar Bowl affiliation: SEC
  • Orange Bowl affiliation: ACC
  • Cotton Bowl affiliation: Big XII
  • Fiesta Bowl affiliation: Big East / non AQ schools

We will give the Rose Bowl special treatment to maintain their tradition of having two BCS conference affiliations. The Sugar and Orange can maintain their regional BCS counterparts to help with travel and tradition. The Fiesta Bowl is the one that gets screwed because of past transgressions. They will associate themselves with the Big East or whatever comes of the non AQ schools. Most of the non AQ schools come from the Mountain or West region anyway. The new kid on the block would be the Cotton Bowl with its affiliation with the Big XII. The reason that the Cotton Bowl gets invited to the party is the money that this stadium can generate. No other BCS bowl site can boast the suites, access and marketing power that Jerry has created. The five BCS bowls will also end the doubling up that goes on when trying to host their affiliated conference and next week the BCS championship game. The playoff scenario below tries to take into consideration the geographic locations of the bowls to accommodate travel.

  • Cotton & Rose will host the playoffs & the Championship game will be at the Fiesta
  • Fiesta & Sugar will host the playoffs & the Championship game will be at the Rose
  • Orange & Cotton will host the playoffs & the Championship game will be at the Sugar
  • Rose & Sugar will host the playoffs & the Championship game will be at the Orange
  • Fiesta & Orange will host the playoffs & the Championship game will be at the Cotton

The use of five bowl sites allows 2 of the non-playoff venues to continue with their affiliations and a bowl site will participate in the PLUS ONE system 3 out of the 5 years. The championship game will be played on MLK Day which is a holiday for many people. One important factor is that the BCS can still keep their claim that states “every game matters.” Another proposal is to have the BCS computers come up with the two most deserving teams after the bowl season is over. Fans do not want to hear any more about BCS computers after the regular season. At least this solution has the debate between the 4th and 5th best team getting into a playoff and not getting wrapped up in what a computer spits out.

One thing needs to be said for those that get sick and tired of the SEC winning all of these BCS Championships. Moving to the PLUS ONE model will increase the likely hood that two of the playoff bound teams will come from the SEC. Three of the past six years the SEC has had two of its teams make the Final Four in the BCS rankings. Get ready fans for even more SEC money and bravado coming from this conference. Why do you think SEC commissioner Mike Slive is in favor of the PLUS ONE model?

I am hoping that we get to see this PLUS ONE model in college football soon. Let the play on the field determine the champion not the computers.

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Posted October 24th, 2009 by Brian
Filed under: Football

SI.com is predicting the second half of the 2009 season and they don’t foresee good things for the Texas Longhorns. Only one out of six of their experts thinks the Horns will end up in the BCS title game and even worse that would mean some awful “no win” matchups in the Fiesta Bowl. Texas better keep winning, because a bowl game against [tag]Boise State[/tag], [tag]Cincinnati[/tag], or [tag]TCU[/tag] does not sound fun.

Link: SI.com’s 2009 midseason Crystal Ball

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In the show's last season, Quan was replaced by the precocious Raven-Symoné

In the show's last season, Quan was replaced by the precocious Raven-Symoné

Texas wide receiver [tag]Quan Cosby[/tag] isn’t expected to be a first or second round pick in this weekend’s NFL Draft, but he might still be getting a lot of attention during ESPN’s coverage. Quan will be watching the draft coverage with the great Bill Cosby and ESPN will have their cameras in the room. Quan and Bill are not related but met and struck up a relationship earlier this year after the [tag]Fiesta Bowl[/tag].

The story from the Dallas Morning News is below:

It seems that UT wide receiver Quan Cosby will be watching the NFL draft with comedian Bill Cosby this weekend in suburban New York where Cosby (Bill) will be performing. And ESPN’s cameras will be there to capture the moments.

According to ESPN,the unrelated Cosbys struck up a friendship after Bill watched Quan play in the Fiesta Bowl. Bill’s people contacted Quan’s people and a relationship was begun. Quan introduced Bill when the comedian performed not too long ago in Austin. If Quan is drafted, it is expected to be on the second day of festivities, Sunday. If Quan is drafted when Bill is on stage, Bill promises to stop his show and bring Quan on stage.

I’m surprised ESPN even got the joke considering how ESPN/ABC’s announcers called him Quan Crosby half the time, but maybe now that they think Quan and Bill are related they’ll get his name right more often.

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Want to watch the entire [tag]Fiesta Bowl[/tag] in high resolution on your computer? Hulu.com has the game up in remarkably good quality. Enjoy…

I think I could watch Quan Cosby’s game winning touchdown over and over again, and now I can.

The Fiesta Bowl isn’t the only game up on Hulu, you can also watch stuff like the US Army All-American game and the other BCS games as well.

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Posted January 11th, 2009 by Brian
Filed under: Bowls, Football

Senior [tag]Quan Cosby[/tag] scored the Fiesta Bowl’s gamewinning touchdown but without question true freshman lineman [tag]Luke Poehlmann[/tag] was the star of the game. Or more exactly, his incredibly sweet mullet was the star:

Poehlmann is a class of 2008 3-star recruit out of Brenham that a lot of people have high expectations for, but I think he just earned himself a lot of fans with that haircut. It was also great to see how fired up he was throughout the game. Hopefully he keeps on rocking it next year, but he seems like a good kid and I know I’ll be rooting for him when he gets his shot to play.

(via EDSBS)

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Is Texas’ [tag]Fiesta Bowl[/tag] win enough to convince voters that the Longhorns deserve a share of the national title? Quarterback [tag]Colt McCoy[/tag] talks to ESPN about the big win, his performance (including 58 pass attempts), and of course abouth whether the Horns are the best team in the nation…

Can’t wait to see what Colt does in 2009.

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Posted January 7th, 2009 by Mike
Filed under: Bowls, Feature, Football

Senior WR Quan Cosby had the biggest game of his career in the Fiesta Bowl

Senior receiver Quan Cosby had the biggest game of his career in the Fiesta Bowl

Texas came up big in the [tag]Fiesta Bowl[/tag] to finish the season 12-1 and move to 3-0 in BCS bowl games. A good mixture of older guys and younger guys stepped up to give this Longhorn team a win that was fitting for this team and season. Nothing came easy for Texas against [tag]Ohio State[/tag], but the leadership of this team ended up being too much for the Buckeyes.

  1. [tag]Quan Cosby[/tag] – I know Colt McCoy won the Offensive MVP award and it easy to give the top spot to the quarterback with the big numbers, but when Texas needed plays on third down and at the end of the game it was Cosby who stepped up and won the game. Cosby played inside more than normal to avoid Thorpe award winner Malcolm Jenkins and it paid off. Cosby had a career night in his last game as a Longhorn finishing with a career best 14 catches for 171 yards and two touchdowns.
  2. [tag]Roy Miller[/tag] – The Defensive MVP came up huge in the second half of his last game at Texas. The Longhorn defense struggled to slow down the Ohio State run game and Beanie Wells in the first half but did a much better job in the last 30 minutes. Miller was dominant, he demanded double teams and plugged the inside holes allowing the Longhorn linebackers to run free. The big senior finished with three tackles, a sack, and a devastating block on fourth and short on a drive in the third quarter.
  3. [tag]Colt McCoy[/tag] – What can be said about Colt that hasn’t already been said? He should have won the Heisman, he should be playing for the National Championship, he has all the Texas passing records, he’s as clutch as you get, and he has a smoking hot girlfriend. Am I missing anything? In a game that appeared to be an inconsistent one for McCoy he still finished with a career best 414 yards on 41 of 58 including a pair of touchdowns. Ohio State bottled him up in the run game minus one 14 yard touchdown score.
  4. [tag]Brian Orakpo[/tag] – The best defensive player in college football was the focus of the Ohio State blocking scheme. The Buckeyes were able to keep him out of the stat book for the most part, but they weren’t able to keep him from making an impact on the game. All night Ohio State kept a tight end and sometimes even a running back in to help block Orakpo. When they didn’t he got pressure on the outside on both Buckeye quarterbacks, obliterating Todd Boeckman late in the game. It took until the second to last play for ‘Rak’ to get his sack, but the play iced the game.
  5. [tag]Earl Thomas[/tag] – Thomas has quietly become one of the better players on the Texas defense. The red-shirt freshman has been the most consistent player in the secondary this year for Will Muschamp’s group. Thomas flies around the field and appears to be around the ball at all times. He also brings an attitude and swagger to a young secondary that needs it. Thomas led the team with nine tackles and two pass breakups.
  6. [tag]Chris Ogbonnaya[/tag] – The Texas run game was nonexistent for most of the game, and it seemed to be more about play calling than anything else. On the first play for the Texas offense Ogbonnaya got the edge and picked up eight yards before fumbling out of bounds. For the rest of the half Texas abandoned the run. In the second half the senior running back was able to make an impact on the ground, and maybe even more so through the air. McCoy was able to check down to Ogbonnaya on many occasions to set up manageable downs and distance and to pick up first downs. He also caught the longest pass of the game, a 37 yarder. Chris ‘O’ has been the most consistent back all year for Texas and his leadership has been immeasurable.
  7. [tag]Roddrick Muckelroy[/tag] – I’m not for celebrating an injury, but the hit that Muckelroy delivered on Beanie Wells ended the game for one of the best backs in the nation. Wells had run for over 100 yards on only 16 carries when the two met in the hole early in the fourth quarter. Muckelroy has led the team in tackles all year and continued to be all over the field Monday night. The junior finished with six tackles on the night.
  8. [tag]Jordan Shipley[/tag] – The attention has gone to Cosby because of his performance, but Jordan Shipley played a great game as well. It was clear that Ohio State spent a lot of time attempting to take away Shipley’s plays over the middle of the field. Colt’s roommate, lifelong friend, and hunting buddy (in case you hadn’t heard) finished with 10 catches for 76 yards. It appeared that Cosby’s first touchdown reception was actually on a pass attended for Shipley. The NCAA granting the medical red-shirt for Shipley next year is huge for this offense.
  9. [tag]Henry Melton[/tag] – It is amazing how far Melton has come. The Fiesta Bowl was a great showcase of Melton’s talent. The former running back is not as good of a pass rusher as Orakpo and Sergio Kindle, but he may be as good as an overall defensive end than both of those. Melton has a future in the NFL and he proved it Monday night against the Buckeyes. Melton was the best end at the point of attack all night, and took a lot of snaps away from Kindle. The senior finished with three tackles including a team leading two for a loss.
  10. [tag]Chykie Brown[/tag] – Chykie has become Texas’ lockdown corner. Ohio State tried to go to his side early but quickly abandoned that strategy. Brown has come a long way from the times when coaches worried about his practice habits and focus. Coming into the season some were wondering if the sophomore would ever live up to his athletic ability, now heading into the offseason the program will look for Brown to be a shutdown corner like Ohio State’s Malcolm Williams. The Ohio State passing attack struggled all night, and a lot of it had to do with Brown occupying the entire right side of the field.
  11. [tag]James Kirkendoll[/tag] – Brandon Collins had more receptions and yards, but it was Kirkendoll that came up with the fourth down grab that kept the Longhorns alive. On the play Kirkendoll came in motion to the inside before running an arrow to the sideline. Texas caught the Buckeyes in man coverage and took advantage of the matchup. It says a lot about McCoy and the coaching staff that they trusted one of the younger receivers on such a crucial play. The sophomore from Round Rock just got the first down and a few plays later Texas was celebrating the winning score.
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Posted January 7th, 2009 by Brian
Filed under: Bowls, Feature, Football

ESPN analyst Rod Gilmore does a good job breaking down the [tag]Fiesta Bowl[/tag] and the gamewinning drive led by [tag]Colt McCoy[/tag] and [tag]Quan Cosby[/tag]. Watch Gilmore and Scott Van Pelt break down the game below:

The one thing I don’t get is how they take that game and make it a case that the [tag]Big 12[/tag] isn’t physical. Beanie Wells ran all over the Horns in the first half due to out of position linebackers and poor tackling by the secondary, not due to getting beat in the trenches. On the other side of the ball the offensive line didn’t play any worse than they had during conference play this season, it’s nothing new for Colt to be under constant pressure. It would be a thing of beauty to see what he could do in 2009 with better running game and blocking, hopefully we get to find out.

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Our live stream of consciousness posted from @40acressports on Twitter from during the Fiesta Bowl is posted below:

  • It was cool when they let blind guys sing the national anthem, but wasn’t letting a blind man design the Fiesta Bowl trophy enough? #UT 25 minutes ago
  • @springnet 77 is Luke Poehlmann, a very promising true freshman lineman. He deserves to start in 09 just due to his sweet mullet. 31 minutes ago
  • @HookEmSarah as Mack said this week, gatorade baths are for 7-5 coaches. 😉 plus I’m sure there nothing but whining on #UT msg boards. 37 minutes ago
  • What a game. Congrats Horns on the big tough win. Congrats to the seniors. #UT 40 minutes ago
  • I heart Quan and Brian Orakpo. Huge sack (and good job tackling QB too.) #UT 42 minutes ago
  • ANnouncers are acting like this thing is over. #UT 44 minutes ago
  • Unsportsmanlike could be huge. OSU kicker has big leg. Come on kickoff team. #UT 45 minutes ago
  • Tressel’s challenge gives #UT much needed timeout. Horns should actually gain yards with review. 49 minutes ago
  • That was a terrible initial spot. Clearly got first down. Replay will give it to #UT if spot doesn’t. 51 minutes ago
  • #UT needs to be in bigger hurry. 56 minutes ago
  • Not sure who #77 for #UT is but that mullet deserves playing time. 57 minutes ago
  • There’s no such thing as double pass interference, whoevere initiated contact deserves the flag. #UT 58 minutes ago
  • @joneke defense has been fantastic all game long. about an hour ago
  • Absolutely terrible pass interference call. Beasley has right to ball and ball was way short. F***! #UT about an hour ago
  • Well defended? Malcolm Williams was wide open and Colt just put it too wide. #UT about an hour ago
  • 4th quarter! Wrap this thing up boys. #UT about an hour ago
  • Attaboy Colt! You too Coach Davis. All three drives this half have been good ones (sans 20 yd sack.) #UT about an hour ago
  • Matt Hasselback is the NFL qb you reference? Weird. Is Tim announcing the game? #UT about an hour ago
  • When do you think we’ll see screen and go to Shipley? Looks set up well. #UT about an hour ago
  • 4th and 36 and we can’t even punt for first down yardage. Momentum squandered. #UT about an hour ago
  • Terrible play by Colt. Has to expect pressure on RB screen call. Drive killer. #UT about an hour ago
  • Dear Greg Davis, finally a designed run for Colt and you get a beauty of a TD run for #UT. Let’s go defense!! about 2 hours ago
  • #90 for Ohio St is dirty POS. 2nd time he clearly and intentionly went high with his hands on Colt. Hit was fine, hands to helmet isn’t. #UT about 2 hours ago
  • Very good effort by R Bobino to get first down when there wasn’t much room on fake punt. #UT about 2 hours ago
  • Fiesta Bowl trophy is one of the ugliest things on the planet. #UT about 2 hours ago
  • Crap. Holding call turns 2nd and inches into 2nd and long. #UT about 2 hours ago
  • Set your feet Colt. #UT about 2 hours ago
  • @kbohls you have to be able to trust you junior QB not to take bad risk. That one is on Colt. #UT about 2 hours ago
  • Bad underthrow by Colt costs #UT chance at at least tying FG. Huge mistake and momentum killer into halftime. about 2 hours ago
  • False starts on wide receivers drive me bats***. #UT about 3 hours ago
  • @kbohls blame out of position linebackers (due to play and blitzes) more than D-line for long runs. Agree about QB contain. #UT about 3 hours ago
  • Getting the awful feeling opposing fans felt when VY was at quarterback. Glad Pryor has no clue about watching for 1st down markers. #UT about 3 hours ago
  • 2nd and goal from 17 and we run a draw to Chris O? WTF? #UT about 3 hours ago
  • Speaking of running, where’s Fozzy? #UT about 3 hours ago
  • No attempts to get Colt McCoy running yet. Turn him loose Greg! #UT about 3 hours ago
  • Better drive by #UT offense but inability to get positive yards on 2nd & short is killing us. about 3 hours ago
  • Apparently that was a token holding call earlier, some pretty blatant ones on this series but we get pressure and S Kindle gets sack. #UT about 3 hours ago
  • 1st freshman mistake for Pryor. Good run but stepped out before first down with no one about to hit him. Melton rushing out of control. #UT about 4 hours ago
  • Woot!!!! Apparently holding still exists outside the Big 12! Good sign for Rak! #UT about 4 hours ago
  • Chris Hall is playing. Retweeting @suzhalliburton: @40acressports They used the depth chart from A&M about 4 hours ago
  • Chris Hall wasn’t on official depth chart for the game but #71 is in uniform at least for the Horns. Hope he’s 100% and starting. #UT about 4 hours ago
  • RT @CedGolden: Is it me or is Barry Switzer wearing a burnt orange tie with a matching hanky? #UT about 4 hours ago
  • Score predictions for #UT vs Ohio State: http://is.gd/eEb5 All three of us have the Horns winning a pretty close game. about 4 hours ago
  • RT @bevobeat: Blaine Irby up and about. Horns’ injured tight end was out tossing the ball around in pregame. http://twitpic.com/100fd about 4 hours ago
  • Ah oh: No Chris Hall on the 3 deep at center for Fiesta Bowl depth chart: http://is.gd/eDRj True frosh D Snow gets start. about 5 hours ago

Follow @40acressports on Twitter

(Side note: This is the site’s 2,500th post. Kind of cool.)

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Posted January 5th, 2009 by Brian
Filed under: Bowls, Feature, Football

Will McCoy be able to pick apart the Buckeyes' D?

Will McCoy be able to pick apart the Buckeyes' D?

The Texas Longhorns have a lot to prove tonight when they face the tenth ranked Ohio State Buckeyes in the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl. Texas fans have been screaming for months that they, not [tag]Oklahoma[/tag], deserved the chance to play for a national title and if they need to win tonight to help their case. The Buckeyes are the best defense the Horns have faced all season and if they can win and put big points on the scoreboard there’s still an outside shot of a split national title.

Check out our predictions for the game below…

Brian Texas hasn’t faced a defense as tough as Ohio State’s all year long but there aren’t any Big 10 offenses in the same league as the high-powered [tag]Colt McCoy[/tag] led Longhorns. OSU’s young quarterback Terrelle Pryor will make a few plays but the Texas pass rush should also force some huge mistakes. I think [tag]Brian Orakpo[/tag] is headed for a huge performance in his last game in the burnt orange. If the Horns slow down running back Beanie Wells than they win, it’s that simple. Texas 34 – Ohio State 21.

Matt The rubber match between these two teams looks like it could be another instant classic. If you look at the major factors here, Texas clearly has the advantage. You have Colt McCoy versus a freshman, an offensive line that should dominate, and a defensive line that puts serious pressure with just their front four. Pryor looks like he will be a good qb, but he just doesn’t have the experience right now. I think [tag]Will Muschamp[/tag] will have a field day with him and Texas will control this game. Look for a close game early and then Texas will pull away late. Texas 38 – Ohio State 20.

Mike Texas isn’t where they want to be. The team has to feel like they should be playing [tag]Florida[/tag] in Miami for the BCS championship. In years past the possibility of playing flat would be on everybody’s mind. The combination of the makeup of this team and the coaching staff has most believing the Longhorns will come to play Monday night. The game won’t be as easy as some are making it out to be because of Ohio State’s power running game and their defense which will be the best UT faces all year. Texas has too much speed and Will Muschamp will do everything he can to keep the Buckeyes true freshman quarterback off balance. It will be tight early, but expect the Longhorns to pull away late. Texas 31 – Ohio State 17

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