Showing posts with label non-bcs. Show all posts
Showing posts with label non-bcs. Show all posts

Tuesday, December 15, 2009

The day Graham Watson drops knowledge on me will be the day that Peter Gammons changes his name to Graham Watson

If you don't know who Graham Watson is, consider yourself lucky. Or, at least you were until I decided to write a Graham Watson blog, which, thanks to it containing her name, now has an unfortunate side effect similar to the one you get when reading her blogs.

Watson -- unbeknownst to many of the people that actually do read what she writes out of boredom -- is in fact a female and non-BCS blogger for espn.com. That wasn't meant as an insult, but actually a real did-you-know, as more than a few message board-ers have dropped a "he" when referencing Graham. Don't worry though, plenty of insults still to come.

Graham Watson's job is to know non-BCS football (unless she has a second job, in which case only one of her jobs is to know non-BCS football). She is paid to watch them, write about them, read about them and even go to some of the games and cover them in person.

Needless to say, I don't find Graham Watson to be a particularly entertaining writer, or to generally have an informed opinion about non-BCS teams. Count me in as one out of nine Americans who agree with that statement (fine print: who knows if that's true, but I'd like to think it is). Sure, it's hard to mess up links to local newspaper Web sites and a list of players who have won awards (although it's happened). That stuff is generally tolerable. I've got no beef there, plus, beggars can't be choosers.

Rather, it is the lack of pure knowledge of teams, the head-shaking predictions, the perceived arrogance, etc., that make her a villain for college football fans. Her opinion-including blogs are daily evidence of that. She's consistent at least, I'll give her that.

So why do a blog now? Well, for one, I had the time. And then there's, well ... read on.

What if I told you that today, as I half-heartedly browsed through the BulldogBounce twitter feed, I ran across a Graham Watson tweet that provided me great entertainment and a lengthy laugh?

See the evidence below:


As you may have figured out, the "allow me to drop some knowledge" portion of the tweet was the part that did it for me. At this point, I was willing to be suckered, hoping to continue my streak of Graham-provided hilarity's. So I suckered myself into clicking the provided link, only to become utterly disappointed (but not surprised) with the vagueness, cluelessness and general ineptitude that followed.

BUT, for at least a brief segment in time, albeit unintentionally, Graham Watson brought a smile to my face, and now, to yours. That has to mean something. Could it be, that after we've grown apart from her for so long, that we've now learned to love each other. I only thought it fair to capture this event with its due diligence -- a sentimental Graham Watson tribute blog (which you've been reading) and a letter to her (which you will now read).

So to you, Graham, on behalf of the readers and myself, I say this:

Graham, I know we've had our ups and downs in the past, and we readers realize that it was unreasonable for us to expect us to see eye-to-eye on everything, but it became impossible for us grow together once you showed us your wealth of a lack of knowledge on college football. In the beginning, we showed an undying commitment to you, only to feel turned away by your insulting lack of knowledge of our programs.

I'll never forget the time I saw you remind about/request an interview on Facebook for Fresno State running backs Lonyae Miller and Ryan "Matthews." But that's OK, spelling isn't important for a paid non-BCS blogger, nor is knowing how to spell the name of arguably the best running back in the country, who just so happens to play for a non-BCS team.

Still, regardless of our rocky start, stars aligned and brought us back together, for what could only be described as us having a moment that we shall never forget.

Actually, on second thought, you got lucky this one time. Continue to take espn's money and "drop knowledge" on those suckers who can't get their cheek off the hook, and we'll all go our way and continue to know libraries of information more than you about non-BCS and BCS football alike.

Man, what a moment though ...

The end.

Thursday, November 27, 2008

I have a hard time with Bozo State fans...

They're just so cocky. And I don't respect cocky. In fact, I dislike cocky.

Now granted, Boise State has accomplished an amazing thing -- going through its first seven-plus seasons in the WAC undefeated at home on the Smurf turf. That's impressive. Heck, it's almost unbelievable. And they've beaten Fresno State a handful of times while they were winning a handful of WAC titles. So head to head, there's no room for Fresno State to talk. As a college student back in 2001 I didn't have a lot of money, but I would have gone all in betting Boise State would never accomplish anything close to that record. I mean, it's Boise State -- the team we were all so angry was being added to the WAC, a patsy like Utah State, Idaho and New Mexico State.

Only Boise State turned out not to be such a patsy (although it consistently schedules like one). The Broncos enter Friday's 3 p.m. game against visiting Fresno State undefeated at 11-0 and ranked ninth in the nation. That was supposed to be Fresno State's record right now.

The strange thing about Boise State, the conundrum, that I just can't quite figure out, is how it is so darn successful against the WAC but just barely won on the road against a BCS-conference school (Oregon) for the first time in history this year...?

Even more annoying, is when we have to sit back leading up to this week's game and listen to such garbage bravado from Boiseans about how Fresno State hasn't beat anyone good all year. Hello -- Oregon is no better than Rutgers. Rutgers is one game in the loss column from heading to a BCS bowl. Oregon is nowhere near that. And the Pac-10 is down, perhaps, more than ever before.

In actuality, Fresno State has won TWO BCS-conference road games THIS SEASON -- twice as many as Boise State has won in its history. How's that for a fact? Heck, even La Tech matched Boise State's success this year against BCS-conference opponents. I mean, welcome back to planet Earth Boise State. Stop whining about getting shafted from a BCS bowl game.

If you want in, play a respectable schedule, beat highly regarded programs outside of conference, and earn the right. Stop trying to backdoor your way in to the limelight.

Heck, I know your university spawned from what started as a women's college, but it's time to man up.

Monday, September 22, 2008

Boise State is finally potty trained

Mommy wow, these Broncos are big kids now!

OK, OK, Boise State has already been to -- and won -- a BCS bowl game. And Fresno State still hasn't. But Boise State backed in that year with a wussified schedule while Fresno State was sticking to its "anyone, anywhere, anytime" mantra it has never wavered from.

But this past Saturday, Boise State made history by beating a BCS-conference team on the road (Oregon) for the first time ever. Winning at Autzen Stadium isn't easy...even if Oregon was using it's fifth-string quarterback. So the Broncos should be congratulated.

But come on...what's up with this sudden Boise State lovefest in the national media? They jump from unranked to No. 19 and No. 20 in the two major polls, leapfroging Fresno State? Why, because they beat an Oregon team that is notorious for crumbling when its starting QB gets injured (the Ducks blew BCS bowl hopes at Arizona last year for cryin' out loud...Arizona!).

Suddenly, Fresno State is an afterthought after losing by 3 points to the now No. 8/No. 9 Wisconsin Badgers. People, it seems, just expect the 'Dogs to win every big-time non-conference game nowadays while Boise State hides behind its Smurf turf playing the Idaho States of the world.

If -- and this is a huge if right now -- Fresno State wins the rest of its games, and Boise State the rest of its games up to the finale, then can anyone with a conscience honestly rank the Broncos ahead of the Bulldogs when one played three BCS-conf. teams and the other just one?

Apparently, ESPN's Graham Watson and Mark Schizzlegizzlebah (better check that spelling) are already officially off the Fresno State bandwagon and aboard Boise State's. Here's what Schlabach most recently wrote:

4. Don't forget about Boise State.
If a Mountain West team doesn't finish unbeaten, the Broncos might be the team from a non-BCS conference that crashes the BCS party. Boise State is the class of the WAC after upsetting Oregon 37-32 on the road Saturday. Quarterback Kellen Moore is playing well, and tailback Ian Johnson is still running on the blue artificial turf. The Broncos might be 11-0 heading into a Nov. 28 home game against No. 25 Fresno State.
So let's see here, Boise State beat one BCS-conf. team on the road (for the first time ever might I reiterate) and Fresno State has also beaten one (and will go for No. 2 at UCLA on Saturday). Sounds like the 'Dogs have just as good a case right now to me. And that Ian Johnson character he's hyping up...well he hasn't rushed for 100 yards yet this year and averaged a measley 2.1 yards per carry against Oregon.

Oh, and Watson...you really think there are SEVEN non-BCS-conference teams better than Fresno State? Really? Talk about a dip in credibility...