To the Championship...

It's always fun watching a turnaround.

From an 0-4 start, just three conference wins and a 4-8 record in '08 to giving UConn and Tennessee close games, only one conference loss and a 9-3 record in '09.

The Bobcats took care of the semifinals of their mini-playoff Friday and did so quite commandingly.

Ohio never trailed in a 35-17 win over Temple that decided the MAC East.

Theo Scott continued a fabulous senior season. Today's stat line: 17/21, 324 yards, 3 TD, 0 INT. It doesn't get much better than that. And this is a from guy who wasn't even the starter at the beginning of this season. Boo Jackson's injury opened the door for Scott to take all of the snaps and boy has he taken advantage.

It's fun watching a team that creates turnovers. The Bobcats' 35 takeaways lead the nation. Yes, you read that right, Ohio leads the nation in takeaways.

It's fun watching a team that wins games when they matter most. In the final two weeks, against its two best MAC opponents, the Bobcats have played their best football. The defense made huge stops against NIU in the 4th quarter and almost completely stymied Temple in the second half. The offense completed a late game, TD scoring drive to take the lead against NIU and never let up today against the Owls. Scoring 38 and 35 points in two "playoff" games always bodes well for your chances.

And it will be fun watching the Bobcats in Detroit Friday. Central Michigan will be a tough challenge and the Bobcats need to get healthy. But remember this...last year, that 4-8 Ohio team only lost by three to the 8-4 Dan LeFevour-led Chippewas.

More to come on the MAC Championship game later this week...

The Sports Fan Debate- Iowa or Penn State?

In this feature, I’ll look at questions that get sports fans talking. They’re those debates that you have with friends, family, random sports fans at the sports bar, on the couch, just about anywhere. Sometimes they get heated, go on for weeks and have no real winner. They dominate dinner conversations or Facebook news feeds. They are sports fan debates.

In this first edition, I’ll look at a topic that will certainly come up again…the BCS. Ohio State has secured the Big Ten’s automatic spot but one of the conference’s other contenders can still have BCS dreams. The rest will be left out. We know only two teams from a conference can make the BCS (See two years ago: Oklahoma, Kansas in, Missouri out).

Today’s question comes from faithful reader CJ:

Who should get a BCS at-large spot…Penn State or Iowa?


Iowa
The 10-2 Hawkeyes started the season 9-0 but have lost two of their last three without injured quarterback Ricky Stanzi. However, they eeked out wins throughout the undefeated stretch. A 17-16 win over Northern Iowa, 24-21 over Arkansas State, 30-28 vs. Michigan and 15-13 to beat Michigan State. Yes that’s an FCS (I-AA) school, a 2-8 Sun Belt team, a 5-7 Big Ten team that has one conference win and a .500 Big Ten team. Those are teams you shouldn’t be squeaking out wins against. Needing to block two potential game-winning field goals against Northern Iowa or score on the last play of the game against Michigan State make you wonder about the strength of this team.

Nonetheless, Iowa came out winners in those close ones. It also has quality wins against 6-4 Arizona and 10-2 Penn State. That win over Penn State is a big one in this debate, as head-to-head the Hawkeyes were the victors.


Penn State
The Nittany Lions share the same 10-2 overall and 6-2 conference record with the Hawkeyes. Penn State has taken care of business against teams they should beat and done so handily. It has crushed opponents in just about all of its wins. The Nittany Lions’ average points per game are 29.7 to 11.8 for opponents. Nine of their 10 wins have been by two touchdowns or more.

However, one can question the strength of Penn State’s victories. Only two of their nine FBS (DI) victories came against teams over .500 (vs. Temple, @ Northwestern). The rest were at home against the bad Akron and Syracuse and the bottom half of the Big Ten, including the three worst (Illinois, Michigan, Indiana).

The Nittany Lions have lost to the only two top 25 teams they played this season, Ohio State and Iowa. Both were at home and both were double-digit losses.

The Verdict: Iowa and Penn State both have their strengths and faults. Iowa has looked good against better teams but worrisome against the mediocre. Penn State has crushed the majority of its schedule but come out ghostly against the good teams.

Ultimately, though, the BCS decision must come down to the head-to-head factor. A lot else is equal but Iowa beat Penn State on the field. That should put the Hawkeyes, and not the Nittany Lions, in line for a BCS bowl, most likely a trip to Glendale and the Fiesta Bowl.

MAC Football: Where a playoff happens

They say there is no playoff system in college football.

That is true...mostly.

The Ohio Bobcats are in the midst of a three-game playoff to determine the fate of their season.

Round 1 was today against Northern Illinois, with the Bobcats getting the win. The victory sets up round 2, a MAC East Championship game Friday between Temple (8-2, 5-0 MAC) and Ohio (7-3, 4-1 MAC).

A Bobcats win in that one would send them to Detroit and the MAC Championship against Central Michigan.

The win over NIU keeps the Bobcats' "playoff" chances alive (and enhances their bowl likelihood). There were still some headscratchers (playing conservatively with the score tied and timeouts before the half...just like in the Kent State loss) and the offense and defense both had its iffy moments. But they pulled it together when it mattered most.

It was the 12 play, 58 yard drive in the fourth quarter that was probably this team's drive of the year. Then it was the defense stopping the Huskies on 4th and 1 and Julian Posey's pick six when NIU got it back again. It has not always been pretty but the Bobcats have had a pension for pulling out close games.

So, it's not the BCS. But the MAC's 'Cats are in the midst of their own playoff run. Take notice to a little college town in Ohio, watch the MAC's mini-playoff unfold and imagine the fun of one for all college football.

MAC Basketball Preview

Check out my '09-'10 preview of MAC Basketball for VanDelay Sports.

MAC East

MAC West

So Long, Jauron

As a Jets fan, I am sad to see Bills coach Dick Jauron go.

There was a good feeling knowing that your team would automatically be at a coaching advantage. Sure, the Jets lost to the Jauron-led Bills last time they faced them but that was because both teams played putrid.

Jauron and his coaching staff almost single-handedly kept the Jets in the playoff race last year. Remember Week 15 of last season?

The Jets were on a two-game losing streak and on the brink of seeing their playoff hopes collapse. All the Bills had to do was run down the clock. They couldn't even do that. The Jets called a timeout right before the two-minute warning and the Bills inexplicably called a play-action rollout for J.P. Losman. Abram Elam knocks the ball away from Losman, Shaun Ellis picks it up and runs it 11 yards to the house. Jets take the lead, Jets win, Bills lose.



No one had a knack for giving away games like Jauron did with the Bills. And they did it under the brightest lights.

There was the Week 5 Monday night game in 2007. Bills up 24-13 with 3:46 left in the game. Yet they allow Dallas to kick a FG, score a TD, recover an onside kick and then lose on a Nick Folk game-winning field goal.

Then they did it again in a Week 1 Monday night game this season. Bills up (deja vu much) 24-13 with 5:38 to go. New England scores a TD. Buffalo's Roscoe Parrish fumbles the kickoff, New England recovers, scores a TD. Pats win, Bills lose.

Maybe it wasn't all Jauron's fault. He wasn't the one who fumbled the ball in the New England game. But Jauron's teams showed a propensity for failure when it came to closing out games, on multiple occasions. For that, I will miss you, Dick Jauron. May you eventually end up back in the AFC East. And may the Bills please hire Romeo Crennel.

Bobcats Basketball Bits- NC A&T

The opponents have not been too difficult yet but the Bobcats are taking care of business in the early going. Tuesday night it was a 93-82 win over NC A&T. My thoughts:

Positives
- Each game it is a different freshman stepping up. Sunday it was Ivo Baltic. Tuesday night he wasn't at his best but it was Jay Kinney who took over. Kinney scored a game-high 23 points. This kid is a scorer. Sometimes you watch a player and you can just see a look in his eyes that he wants to be the one to score. Kinney has that. He's also got a sweet touch from beyond the arc, where he was 5-9 in this one. It was only his second game and Kinney's performance gave Bobcats fans something to be excited about.

- Four Bobcats, including Kinney, scored in double-digits. They are not facing defensive juggernauts but the offense is looking good. Ohio can run the ball up the court and is putting up big point numbers.

- K.V.K. didn't particularly impress me in his 22 minutes on the floor but the big man ended up with a quiet 11 rebounds. If he can provide the Bobcats with something productive in his minutes in the floor, it will be a definite improvement.

- Free throw shooting. Once again, the Bobcats were very good from the line. They hit 80.8% of their free throws. Converting those opportunities at the line often set apart middle of the pack from contending teams.

Negatives
- While the Bobcats came out on fire and controlled the first half, the same cannot be said for the second. Ohio was outscored 52-45 but NC A&T and again got sloppy when faced with the press. Teams will see this on film and keep testing Ohio, so the young guards have to adjust.

On a basketball-related note, not to this particular game, John Groce appears to have brought in another stellar recruiting class. He inked four more to the Bobcats today.

Look at the rankings (from ESPN.com) for the 2010 and 2009 (this year's freshmen) classes:

2010
Ricardo Johnson, 6-4 SG, #46 SG, 90 RTG
Ethan Jacobs, 6-10 C, #55 C, 86 RTG
Nick Kellogg, 6-2 G, #62 PG, 87 RTG
T.J. Hall, 6-6 SF, #78 SF, 85 RTG

2009
Ivo Baltic, 6-7 PF, #59 PF, 88 RTG
D.J. Cooper, 6-0 PG, #39 PG, 87 RTG
Reggie Keely, 6-7 PF, #107 PF, 85 RTG
Jay Kinney, 6-1 SG, #97 SG, 85 RTG

Man, talk about building a talented young core in Athens. That's eight well-rated players in just two recruiting classes and we are already seeing the talent of this year's freshmen. Groce has been a great recruiter in other places and he's establishing that here too. Bobcat fans can only hope he doesn't get swooped away too soon, as women's coach Sylvia Crawley did.

24 Hours of College Basketball

Today is "Reading Day" for me. It's that special quarterly day that falls between the last day of classes and the first day of finals. It's a day to study or for many (and my purposes), sleep in. But this year it is also another very special day...ESPN's now annual 24-hour college hoops tip-off marathon.

And it is literally 24 hours...live. For the first time, the Worldwide Leader televised live college basketball games at 6 AM and 8 AM eastern. Both were played at locations in the eastern time zone, the first at St. Peter's in New Jersey and the latter at Niagara in New York.

Franky, I'm surprised the schools involved agreed to such early start times, despite the publicity they could possibly receive. I'm not sure how many people were up to watch those games; I know I was still well asleep. But then again, if Ohio were to play at 6 AM, I would be setting my alarm for 5 AM and heading right over to the Convo. And think about the fun promotion possibilities! Pajama party, coffee chugoff, bagel eating contest, etc.

So, no complaints on my side about the early starts. The more college basketball, the better. I got to watch Cal State Fullerton defeat UCLA in 2OT before I went to bed and then woke up to Siena playing Northeastern. Am I full yet from this all-day buffet of college basketball? Certainly not. Let the madness begin!

Commercial of the Week

I hate commercials. I usually don't even watch them. One of the prime functions of the remote is to allow my brain to avoid processing these thirty second pieces of advertising drivel.

But every once in awhile I'm too lazy to find the remote and a commercial catches my attention. So here comes an insightful new feature to look forward to...Commercial of the Week.



Is there anything really special about this HTC ad? No. Is it on every time I'm watching TV? Just about. So why does it even matter?

Well, because it features at its outset one of the most painful sounds in the human sound bank....the alarm. It's that miserable noise I hear every Monday and Wednesday morning at 7:15. And the alarm used in this commercial sounds just like mine (and surely many others). While I'm innocently watching Monday Night Football, I do not want to be brought back to the pain of rolling out of bed for class. It's almost bad as starting a commercial with fingernails scratching a chalkboard. Spare us this scare...it's hard enough watching the Browns offense!

Bobcats Basketball Bits- Middle Tennessee State

First DI opponent of the season, second win of the season for Ohio. It got a little precarious in the final minutes of the second half but the Bobcats pulled away for an 81-68 victory. A few thoughts:

Positives
- The return of Steven Coleman paid huge dividends. The offense looked completely different, as Coleman drove through the defense to the hoop. He scored 21 points for the night. Coleman is going to be someone I think takes a big step forward in year two . Watch for more games like the one he had against Miami at home last season.

- After hitting less than half of their free throws against Ohio Valley, the Bobcats were stellar from the stripe against the Blue Raiders. They shot 72.5% from the line.

Negatives
- Bad officiating. There were a bunch of questionable calls in the first half and for the game, the teams combined for a sum of 53 fouls.

- Trouble with the press. As in the Ashland game, the Bobcats looked bewildered when faced with the press late in the second half. They could not get the ball up court and did not execute well in these situations. Coach Groce needs to hammer home drills with this or it will be exploited. The Bobcats offense also slowed down when Middle Tennessee State went to a zone, so that is an area that could be improved.

Bobcats Basketball Bits

Ohio men's basketball played its first regular season game Friday night, a 101-72 win over DII Ohio Valley. Here are some of my thoughts:

- The Bobcats must continue to find a way to get Tommy Freeman open from downtown. He was the MAC's most accurate three-point shooter last season. Freeman sunk six of his 10 three-point attempts to net all 18 of his points.

- D.J. Cooper reminds me of Akron's Humpty Hitchens. The freshman PG Cooper scored 13 points, had 12 assists, seven rebounds and three steals. He only had three turnovers in this game but in the last against Ashland he gave the ball away eight times. Hitchens struggled with ball control early in 2008 but got better in that aspect as last season progressed. This season, he is on the preseason All-MAC team.

- The big men need to work on their stroke from the stripe. The team as a whole hit just 48.5% of their free throws. Of the bigs, DeVaughn Washington was 5-10, Reggie Keely was 3-6, Ivo Baltic was 4-9 and KVK 0-2. These guys are going to draw contact all year and Ohio is going to have problems if it can't make even half of its tries from the line.

- Ivo Baltic has a ton of potential. He is a long, agile forward and showed scoring ability with 20 points. Take it with a grain of salt, as Ohio Valley was a small team, but Baltic looked the best of all of Ohio's big guys, going strong to the hoop.

- Best of luck to freshman Marquis Horne, who has left the team due to personal reasons.

- Middle Tennessee State will be Ohio's first DI opponent tomorrow and a much greater litmus test of this team's ability. The Blue Raiders were picked to finish third in the Sun Belt's East Division in the conference preseason poll.

More to follow soon...

Mangini's indecision makes the matter worse

First, it was Eric Mangini declaring Brady Quinn his starting quarterback after a preseason battle.

Then, after two weeks, Mangini decided Derek Anderson was the guy.

Well, now Mangini has changed mind....again.

Per the course, nothing has been announced or made official because Mangini guards a secret like a teenage girl petrified of losing her best friend if she squeals.

But reports say that Brady Quinn will now start week 10's Monday night contest at Baltimore.



My words of wisdom for Coach Mangini: make up your mind already!

I know neither of the two are a particularly appealing option but Mangini with quarterbacks is like a confused kid waiting on line for food at the carnival. He can't make a choice.

Cotton candy or popcorn? Kellen Clemens or Chad Pennington? Brady Quinn or Derek Anderson? He was saved a quarterback dilemma last season when Brett Favre was brought to New York but this quarterback competition carousel has become an annual ritual.

The quarterback is the team's offensive (and many times the team) leader. If the coach doesn't know who that guy is, how are the players supposed to? What kind of message does that send?

But, for now, Quinn is back. Two weeks from now? It could be Derek Anderson. It could be third-stringer Brett Ratliff. It could be the ball boy. I don't know...and nor will anyone else 'til the last possible moment.

Bobcats on Blue Turf?

According to ESPN's Week 10 Bowl Projections, there's a chance of it.

The Roady's Humanatarian Bowl is played in Boise on the fabled blue 'smurf turf.' The tie-ins for the game are the WAC #1 vs. the MWC #5. However, right now, only four MWC teams are bowl-eligible.

If San Diego State, Wyoming and UNLV fail to reach the six-win plateau, the Humanitarian Bowl will be able to select an at-large. So, even though the MAC only has three guaranteed tie-ins (Little Caesars Pizza, GMAC and International Bowls), the Bobcats could go "bowling" (can that be a college football term, like dancing for the NCAA Basketball tourney?) in Boise.

And if not this year, there is a chance the MAC will be lining up a guaranteed spot out west for 2010 and beyond. The WAC has produced a national contender in Boise State and programs such as Nevada, Idaho and Fresno State are gaining respect, so this could be a nice tie-in for the MAC.

Money isn't everything

The Yankees won their 27th title Wednesday night.

Did you hear their payroll was $208 million?

Yeah, the Yankees spend a lot of money but that is given in baseball's current structure and frankly, I'm tired of hearing about.

There are some things you know will be consistent in sports each year. The Lions won't make the playoffs, Cleveland won't win a championship, Al Davis will say/do something crazy, and the Yankees will have a bloated payroll.

So, why is anyone acting like this is something new? The Yankees have spent the most money for years and years. They haven't won every World Series. Sure, they have won the lion's share but it's not just about the dollars and cents.



If it were, the Yankees would have the greatest dynasty in all of sports. After winning in '96 , '98, '99 and '00, they wouldn't have stopped. They would have beaten the Diamondbacks in 2001 and won all subsequent titles including their latest here in 2009.

Why didn't the Yankees win in 2007 when they spent a record $218.3 million? Why didn't they the next year in 2008 when they eclipsed their own record with a $222 million payroll?

It's because money alone isn't everything. It is the choices you make with that money that matter. When you give big bucks (and overpay) Kevin Brown, Kei Igawa, Carl Pavano and Jaret Wright, you don't win a World Series. When your big signings are C.C. Sabathia, A.J. Burnett and Mark Teixeira, you are propelled toward a championship.

But even still, it's about chemistry and having the right group of guys together. The 2009 Yankees had that. They had the huge contract of A-Rod but they also had Nick Swisher, who changed the clubhouse dynamic. And all they had to give up for him was Wilson Betemit and a couple of minor leaguers. They had Teixeira and his big money but they also had Brett Gardner and his speed and pension for stolen bases.

So, don't blame the Yankees for spending money; blame baseball's system. Yes, it's unfair. Yes, it does not encourage parity. But in the end, a good front office can do a lot with a little money (the Twins and A's) and a bad front office can do little with a lot of money (the Mets and Cubs).

World Series are not won by the sum of your players' contracts; they're won by cohesive teams. The 2009 Yankees were a team...and that's something that fans didn't see for eight years, $200 million or not.

Welcome!

So, with the ever-rising world of Internet journalism and blogging, I felt it was time to create a consistent blog. I mean everyone has one now, right?

In my thought process for creating this, I went through many a number of topics I could cover: the bickering between adult men and women on Capitol Hill (known as "politics"), baby puppies, the American Presidency, the nutritional value of bananas, mythical creatures and Harry Potter (to name a few).

But there was one topic that just sort of stuck out...sports. Yeah, it might be general but it's what I most like to talk about. In this very spot, I will cover my musings on the sports world (and occasional facets of other realms).

Now, you may ask, why musings? Isn't Muse a band? Well, yes it is. But in my context, musings can be thoughts; they can be abstractions; they can even be dreams. It's a pretty nice, encompassing word.

I'll hope to provide you some food for thought. Isn't that a weird phrase? Thought is not animate. What food would it eat? How would it eat? Who came up with that phrase?

Maybe you'll come away with a new insight or perspective. Or you may vehemently disagree with something I write or just think it's weird or boring. But I'm gonna give it a try. Hopefully I can give you a reason to keep on reading. So, stay tuned for more soon...