Welcome and what I'm about

Hello, welcome to my blog, I hope you'll enjoy reading it and stop in on occasion.

I consider myself an appreciator of a large variety of sports and a wide-ranging fan in general. Some things to know:
- I generally am interested most in the game itself, and feel I have become pretty unbiased through the years. My major loyalties are to Oklahoma and Florida in college football... but I'm not afraid to admit it when they aren't the best. Other teams I generally support, amongst others (but not nearly so much as I did when younger): Orlando Magic, Tampa Bay Bucs, UCF Knights, Florida Marlins, Tampa Bay Devil Rays, Orlando Predators.
- I love rooting for two things: home teams and underdogs. There is nothing more awesome than the eruption of the home crowd when their team caps off the last minute drive to pull it out! And I have quite a penchant for underdogs as well. Now that isn't to say that I always want the underdog/home team to win... sports wouldn't be any fun if the best team always got upset and no one won on the road!
- I love chaos. I loved the NFL last year because something like 24 teams still had a shot at the playoffs with 2 weeks to go. I may like the run up to the playoffs... the unknown... the geeky-cool possibilities that could come true... more than the championships themselves. This year's NL playoff races are a great example of that (and my underdog fanaticism as well; go Rockies!). I love golf leaderboards with 30 people within 4 shots of the lead. I love when there are thousands of possibilities. It's what makes life fun!
- I can be impressed by, and become a short-term fan, of just about anyone, and this year was the ultimate year to prove it. I'm not a typical bandwagon fan, as to say that I don't root for the top team very often... and I especially hate when a team becomes a monopoly on winning championships. But this year has to have been the first year I have ever rooted for the Yankees outright, really impressed by their stellar 2nd half comeback when they seemed doomed. Generally I'm not a big fan of the "popular" teams (i.e. the Cowboys, Yankees, Bulls, Lakers, Irish, Tiger Woods, Redwings, etc)... but this year showed that I can even get in their corner given the right circumstances. I love when teams do special things.
- I am working on my Master's Degree in meteorology (at Florida State.... I should've been done ages ago :-(... and, no, I am nowhere near a fan of their football team... go Gators! Note, though that the rules above still apply, though, even to enemies such as they. But they'll never be rooted for against UF by this hombre!) and I got my undergraduate in met at the University of Oklahoma (that should explain some things!). I'm a teacher at a private Christian homeschool cooperative in Orlando (my hometown most of my life) currently. I am a scientist. And I have a giant passion for Jesus Christ, who has changed my life around in a way I could never imagine. When it comes to sports, I do things both ways: I like looking at the numbers, comparing schedules, calculating crazy stats... but I also will pick with my heart sometimes. Sometimes it is just time for a team to win! You'll get a lot of logic from me (I hope), but you'll also get some gut-trusting. Guess that's developed from forecasting weather and sports rather successfully for many years :-)
- As I just mentioned, I have been saved for 7 years. I am a full-blown, deeply devoted, and what some might class Neoconservative, over-the-top, Evangelical Christian. I believe in Creation, Biblical inerrancy, and dedicating your entire life to God. I am anti-abortion and homosexuality as a life choice. That said, this Blog won't have significant focus on God or any of those viewpoints. I am happy to talk about my views outside of the Blog, but this isn't the place. But it is good that you know who I am and what I care about, as it may crop in from time to time. I believe in loving all people, even when it's difficult to, and making the tough choices that glorify God. I hope you won't hold any of that against me, though I wouldn't be surprised if you do, I've seen it before. But what I really hope is that many will see great thought in this Blog and from my writing and may recognize that Christians aren't all "backwards" people as the stereotype seems to be, but many of the most genius of men believe what many people seem to seem think is illogical... that the God of the Bible is a real, living, breathing God.
- My writing style is different. That's for sure. I write... simply put... a lot. I generally fight to be very grammatically correct... but I love me some ellipses (...) and starting sentences with contractions. I am not very brief, and I get a little stale in my vocabulary once in a while (at least that's my own opinion). I hope neither of those turn people away. I will try my best to write my best!


I think that's a pretty good collection of the things to know when reading this blog.

And then we come to the most important thing of all, when it comes to this Blog, at least, and that's the subject.

First of all, it will focus on college football, especially during the season... but I already said I'm a fan of a huge array of sports. Firstly, I LOVE golf. I can tell you the difference between Bob May, Bob Tway, Notah Begay (the third), Carmel Bay, and Brian Gay. In the recesses of my heart I still hold the dream that some day I may tee it up on the PGA tour. I'm about a 15 handicap at the moment. But anyways. I have great interest in pro and college football and basketball, pro baseball, golf, major tennis, and indy racing (IRL mainly), among others. I also pay fair attention to soccer, hockey, arena league football, other racing formats, and other college sports, as well as special events like the Olympics, the Kentucky Derby, or even the LLWS. And I'm sure I'm forgetting some game I greatly enjoy even after all those!
I'm planning on posting probably once to twice a week, pretty much. It'll be predominantly college football when in season, but other stuff will be fair game always, too. A couple of years back, I teamed with Chad Ringley, one of the most knowledgeable sports guys I know, to write a Blog called CS-Sports. That kind of fell by the wayside as life got busy for both of us, but I've really wanted to jump back into this for a while. One of the reasons I really wanted to launch off on my own Blog was to get back involved in the MGOBLUE Blogpoll, which is a combined (college football) poll from Bloggers around the nation. So hopefully you'll see some of that. I do like to give my thoughts on what the poll should look like. I also like to make predictions, so you'll probably see quite a bit of that. I'll also probably try to get some argument/discussion topics going in the comments, as I like some vibrant discussion once in a while.


But the main flying banner under which I will write is in support of the Bowl Championship Series system.
And that probably makes most of you want to throw up your arms in protest... or just throw up.
People so badly want a playoff... but I HATE the idea of a playoff.
I am ADAMANT that the best way to determine the best team is by the "body of work". By looking at who the best team has been throughout the course of the season. Part of it is that I love the identity the bowl system gives college football. A giant tournament is fine for basketball, and don't get me wrong, it's extremely exciting.
But what makes college football so unique is how it determines the champion. I love Cinderellas and upsets in March Madness as much as the next guy. But there is NO WAY that more than about 2, 3, or 4 teams may really be the best by the time we get to the end of the season, when it comes to college football.

Let's just look back at last year:
There was such argument over who should get the shot at Ohio State... Florida or Michigan (by the way, I will go on record now and state that Michigan, despite my loyalty, was probably the more deserving team... and that is because UF got the same exact situation as the Wolverines back in 1996 and got to play again and win....... it's all outside the point now, and I would have been upset if UF hadn't gotten in... but I DO feel we kinda snuck one out we maybe shouldn't have!).
But should it have been UF or UM was a great question. And maybe Wisconsin, Boise State, and even Louisville deserved a bit more look too. But beyond that. Did USC, who lost games they shouldn't have, to Oregon State and UCLA, deserve a shot? Or LSU, whom lost two games... to great teams (Florida and Auburn)... but did they honestly deserve consideration as much as a UF or Michigan?
My point is: college football is unique in it's dedication to perfection. It's decided on the field week by week. A playoff would change the whole heart of college football. I love bowls, and the bowls would be rendered absolutely meaningless. Right now, if your team makes a bowl game, it's either a decent consolation prize... or the cap to a great season. They make a season for quite a few teams each year. These games give us a lot of matchups we typically would like to see (admittedly, yes, the sometimes the tie-ins grow a little boring, when you see matchups like Auburn and Purdue in the Capital One Bowl every year... and I maybe wouldn't be opposed to occasionally mixing it up some).
But even more-so, a playoff would zap the life from the regular season. Each game wouldn't have the importance it does right now. Not only does Florida have to come out and beat Tennessee, Georgia, FSU, and the major SEC West teams each year... but they've gotta get past the Vandy's, the Mississippi State's, and even the Western Kentucky's of the world. Most of the year (this may end up being a big exception), one loss means the end of your title hopes. Even if you can get in as a one loss team, you've got to have battled every game, won a lot of tough contests, and been right there in your lone loss. Each play means so much.
With playoffs we'd have teams resting their players the final weekend. Our focus in late November wouldn't be on who the best team is, but whether 3 loss Tennessee or 3 loss Arkansas should make the playoffs. Michigan-Ohio State would've meant basically nothing in the grand picture last year.
I agree, homefield would mean something. But not enough to me. A loss should decimate your chances.

People think a 4, 8, or 16 team playoff will solve everything. But let's look at some recent years where I think that would've been disgusting/missed the ball.

4 team:
2005 - Texas and USC were far-and-away the two teams everyone knew was the best. And we saw an epic championship game because of it. But if we had a 4 team playoff, now you throw Penn State and Ohio State into the mix. Does anyone remember them at all??? Penn State lost to Michigan on a last second (disputed) score. Ohio State lost to Penn State and Texas. But everyone knew Texas and USC were the best. Why bring in teams that aren't the best into the equation?
2006 - Who would have been last year's 4 teams? Undefeated Ohio State, 1 loss Michigan and Florida.... and 2 loss LSU?!? Yes, LSU was good. But Wisconsin only lost by 14 at Michigan, Louisville lost by 3 at Rutgers..... and you still have left out undefeated Boise State. Makes no sense at all.
2002 - Ohio State and Miami ran the table and set up the undisputed National Championship game (and, lo-and-behold, it too was a classic between two unbeatens). Georgia, who had lost to Florida, and USC who had lost to Washington State, were on the outside looking in, and justifiably so.
2000 - Oklahoma played Florida State... and much of the world was upset. Miami had beaten FSU, also had 1 loss (to Washington), and was overlooked. Washington, who had lost to Oregon would've been the 4th team. Not an awful team to have, but not a team people were thinking was the best.
2003 - Maybe the best year to prove a playoff of 4 teams doesn't always work right either. This was the year of the biggest outcry... as Oklahoma lost to Kansas State in the Big 12 title game, but still got into the National Title over similarly 1-lossed USC. But what we overlook here is that 2 loss Michigan would have been lumped in with the 1 loss teams if we had a playoff. Not right.

8 team:
2006! (almost) - Oops, even with 8 teams, you almost missed the whole boat. It took a West Virginia choke to South Florida to save things and slide the team with the most to complain about under the current system... Boise State... up to #8. Otherwise in your venture to have a fair playoff, you leave out one of only 2 undefeated teams in the country out of your 8 team playoff. And, remember, they were no joke.
2003 - Ok, so you have USC, Oklahoma, Auburn... and we'll put in 2 loss Michigan, I guess. But now you've added 2 loss Ohio State, 2 loss Texas, 2 loss Florida State, and 2 loss Tennessee into the thick of it. Do they deserve shots?

16 teams:
2003 is a fine example (I think any year would work). FOUR loss Florida (that's a team that's lost 1/3rd of its games!), ranked 24th and 25th in the AP/Coaches (losses to BCS #9 Miami, 8 Tennessee, 19 Mississippi, and 7 FSU) gets into the playoff. Purdue, who lost to 5-7 Wake Forest (plus Ohio State and Michigan) gets to play. Washington State, who was blown out badly by USC, and lost to 6-6 Washington and 5-7 Notre Dame, gets to play. Who came up with this idea!?!?! You can't seriously say that if those teams squeak together 4 wins, they are suddenly the best team!

The real point is, we're going to have just as much trouble drawing the line for 4 or 8 or 16 or 64 teams as we do 2. And I really don't want some 16th ranked team coming into the playoffs, winning 4 games (and maybe without even having to face more than one top opponent), and wind up crowned champ. The story does vary from year to year. Some years a certain format might work, and work well. But we're talking consistency. Every team knows what they have to work with, the system we play with. That's fair to me. I believe only 1 major conference team has gone undefeated since the advent of the BCS and not played for at least a split title (and I love me some split titles, by the way). That team was Auburn in 2004, when undefeated Oklahoma got trounced by undefeated USC in the title game. You know, I never did hear a lot of grumbling after-the-fact about Auburn... except mainly from their fans. Most people held the same opinion I did - that Auburn would have gotten trounced just as OU had.

My argument isn't that things are perfect here. But we live in a world that isn't perfect. Try to get it the best you can, sure. But, to me, this system is that. Football isn't a game of perfection, it's a game of war, of tipped passes, of inches, of battles in the pit of the line of scrimmage. And I love games that have identity. I LOVE the relegation/promotion system in English soccer! I greatly enjoy the 64 (65) team tournament in college basketball. I enjoy the 3 hole playoff at the British Open and PGA Championship, the sudden-death at the Masters, and the 18 hole playoff at the US Open. Each sport their own. I wasn't ecstatic about the BCS's creation in the late 90's. I was even more fine with the way things had been done before... but I think it has worked to the benefit of the game most fully. I therefore can't say my position on the BCS is perfectly correct, even. Maybe I'd end up liking a playoff. But I love the way it's done now. I love the huge discussion it incites every year, and how it takes into account both the minds of people and the objective computer numbers. You know, this is the perfect time for me to bring out my love for the BCS... because my teams - Oklahoma and Florida - would benefit GREATLY by a playoff; they'd be right in the thick of it right now. As it is, Florida is done when it comes to the NC after tonight's painful loss, and Oklahoma has a ton of work to do (more about that later). But I think if two teams, say LSU and Cal, do go undefeated, they should play for the title. I'd rather that (even if a third team like BC ran the table), than having the possibility of undefeated LSU, Cal, and BC being put in a playoff with a one loss or two loss team like Oklahoma or USC..... or the 16th ranked team, with 3 or 4 losses (lets say Tennessee or Georgia Tech as examples), having the same shot to win 4 games as those top teams.

You're telling me that, had their been a playoff in 2005 if ... a 13-2 Georgia team, having beaten USC in an OT game, followed by close wins over previously 10-2 Ohio State and, let's say, Penn State (12-1 prior)... would have been better than that 12-1 USC team? Georgia lost to #16 Florida and #15 Auburn (final rankings of 12 and 14) during the regular season. USC would've lost just the OT game to Georgia in the playoffs. This is just a typical example. They can be uglier!

I'm willing to listen, a playoff has some merits, and sometimes looks best. But I still like my BCS. And that's the real passion behind this Blog. Let's have every game matter. Let's do what statistical analysis tells us is best... base our champion on the greatest sample size possible. Heck, yes, if you want to take that all the way, maybe we should even eliminate the Championship Game. I'm not for that. I still enjoy some fun. But, hey, why don't we just have a 100+ team playoff, and let everyone try again. Do we want the regular season to matter at all!?! I'm the fan you wouldn't expect to champion this... a fan of a team like Florida from the SEC, which is undoubtedly the conference with the most year-to-year parity. The SEC could finally show it is the best conference, as it claims (which I do generally believe), under this format.
But I'd rather see us stop giving second chances... stop rolling out more opportunities for the #1 team to lose (if we had a 64 team playoff, the #1 team would have to win 6 more games to prove it is best... if it slips just once, suddenly they aren't the best, even if they went undefeated with a brutal schedule)... stop trying to make everything fit inside a nice little box.
I like the chaos of the BCS. I like that it has swayed teams to play better OOC opponents and motivated conferences to add title games. Never once has the BCS' champion been anything worst than in a tie for the best team in football. The time to win is now... every week... not in some playoff. You don't like that the BCS is a what-have-you-done-for-me-lately game? That the best team may be eliminated by having lost in the final week, even if the other teams deserve less of a shot? Well this will just exaggerate that. I like my Rose Bowl tradition (especially pre-BCS) and my second-tier, Christmas bowl games. I have taught athletes, and they really don't need to spend any more time traveling around the country. We don't need to draw out the season any longer. The BCS title game is already a giant show rather than a college football game... filled with snobby suits and corporate sponsors out the wazoo rather than crazed, devoted fans. Do we really want to drag that out? My answer isn't perfect, I don't proclaim it to be, but I proclaim that is a better system than you give it credit for, and the one I love!

Thanks for listening... I'll talk more about this down the line.
For now, enjoy the season, and God bless,
Shane