The USC Trojan Men’s Waterpolo team completed an unprecedented fourth straight NCAA title with a 7-4 win over UCLA. Congratulations to the players, coaches, and everyone involved on such an amazing run.
Preseason Predictions Reviewed
Here were my projections pre-season. Notes in bold as to what really happened . . .
North: Well reverse WSU and OSU and I nailed this one the injury to Jeff Teul was the biggest factor here I think.
1. Oregon
2. Stanford
3. UW
4. Cal
5. WSU
6. OSU
South: Well I whiffed on UCLA I guess but as expected this division was a joke in 2011.
1. USC
2. Utah
3. ASU
4. UA
5. CU
6. UCLA
Champion in a blowout UO over Utah at Autzen Stadium. I am calling it a few hours early but like Oregon big tonight over UCLA.
Pac 12 Offensive POY: Andrew Luck Not that I went out on a limb here but got this one correct . . .
Pac 12 Defensive POY: Shayne Skov Skov was hurt in September on the bad grass of Tucson Mychal Kendricks from Cal ended up winning
Freshman of the Year: George Farmer USC Farmer didn’t play until mid-season and played RB – Marqise Lee and DeAnthony Thomas were both dominant and shared the award
Breakout Star: Markus Wheaton OSU – Wheaton had a good season but only scored 1 TD – If I were to pick again I take Curtis McNeal from USC or Keith Price from UW
Coach of the Year: Kyle Whittingham – The cupboard was pretty bare for Utah at the skill positions overall a disappointing year one in SLC. David Shaw won it but I think that Lane Kiffin should have.
Hot Trend for 2012: At least two new coaches in the South – Got this and well really should have said it would be 3
Trending Up: WSU – This may have come true had they been healthy at QB this year.
Trending Down: UA – UA was not in a bowl this year and fired their coach Mike Stoops mid-season
Bowling: UO, Stanford, UW, Cal, Utah, ASU – UCLA got a waiver and is eligible even though they will finish 6-7
Don’t be shocked if: Utah “wins” the South with 4 conference losses – Had they not crapped the bed against CU this would have happened instead UCLA pulled off the feat despite getting boat raced 50-0 in their final game versus USC
Team I could be very wrong on: OSU – Nope OSU was in the words of Dennis Greene “what we thought they are”
Call me crazy but : One of either Mike Stoops or Rick Neuheisal don’t survive October – Surprisingly Rick made it to late November I was wrong on this one but I was correct on Mike Stoops getting tossed.
Fairly certain: Only one Pac 12 team will play in a BCS bowl and it will be Oregon in the Rose Bowl – I hope this doesn’t happen, it will be a raw deal if Stanford doesn’t make the Fiesta Bowl.
You heard it here first: Stanford beats Oregon but loses two other games in league play – I was wrong on this one – Stanford could have lost to USC and Cal but Luck pulled those both off and well Oregon destroyed Stanford.
Say hello to the Palouse Pirate: Washington State hires Mike Leach
"That's Captain Jack Sparrow to you, sir"
Bill Moos promised us fireworks. He wanted asses in his Martin Stadium seats, and points on the scoreboard.
The old blue collar kinda guy? He wasn’t quite cutting it for the bottom line anymore. Let alone the whole lack of bowl eligible seasons and what not.
But thanks to our good pal Larry Scott bankrolling everybody in the conference with new television money, the Cougars made a splash.
Mike Leach will be the head coach of the Washington State Cougars in 2012 and beyond, and Cougar nation has had little other reaction than pure rejoice.
Why not? It’s a match made in heaven. The Cougars are desperate for a winner. They haven’t had so much as a winning record in eight years. Leach? He has a reputation to repair.
Bottom line is that all the man did in Lubbock was win football games. Ten bowl games in ten years. He won 11 games in 2008. In Lubbock-freaking-Texas. ”Controversy” aside, there is no reason the man should have been shut out of college football for as long as he was. It might have been by his own choice, but it was more likely because there were no jobs worth his while.
But, it’s also important to consider that Mike Leach isn’t quite a fit for just anywhere. Leach won’t go to a place where he will be muzzled, and where athletic departments will be far too afraid let this man even so much as slightly offend to irk the booster base. He wants freedom. Mike Leach will tell you whatever the hell is on his mind, whenever he damn well pleases.
He is also just down right weird – Such as how his infatuation with pirates is well documented. In a 2008 interview with University of Washington President Mark Emmert in regards to the at the time vacant Washington coaching job, Emmert recalled that he shied away from a second interview with Leach because of the quirkiness Leach presented and the worries of how he would rub the culture around the program the wrong way.
That won’t be a problem at Washington State. The Palouse Pirate is being embraced with open arms, quirkiness and all. Bill Moos doesn’t care if the students section decides to all come up dressed as Jack Sparrow. He isn’t dolling out over $2 Million a year in buried treasure for a yes man who instills “Cougar Values”. He wants wins, and he wants Washington State to be represented on a larger stage than the local one.
Paul Wulff accused Washington State of losing it’s “innocence” by letting him go, knowing full well the type of direction Moos was going to take the program instead. That is fair enough. Wulff gave his heart to the Washington State program as an alum. He took the program from ground zero and re-invigorated it with talent worthy of the Pac-12. Had he caught a few more lucky breaks, the Cougs are probably playing in the post-season this year.
But this is a new day and age of football in the Pac-12. Washington State is tired of being the little college on the Palouse. Bill Moos saw his shot and he took it.
Now only time will tell if Leach will lead the program into murky waters or if it will be smooth sailing from here. There is little reason to think it won’t be the latter.
Civil War Review and some Champ Game Thoughts . . .
The 2011 Civil War was certainly civil though not much of a way. Man I felt like I was watching a game between Oregon and a 1-AA team not our in state rival. The fans were not fired up, no one Duck nor Beaver who I talked to, figured the game would be competitive. There was way less tension than we have seen in this rivalry for quite some time both on the field and in the stands. Oregon, though it was playing for a P12 North title, seemed to treat this as more of a scrimmage and the Beavs were just undermanned. Had Oregon been crisper in the first half this game could have finished with a Ducks score in the 70’s. What has happened to Oregon State? This was a program that just two years was playing for Rose Bowl – now they’d be lucky to win the WAC. I think Riley has done about as well as possible for them but with both UW and WSU improving (not to mention the rise of Stanford) it is just that much harder for another team in the Pac 12 North to compete for titles. Oregon State is clearly losing the recruiting wars on the offensive and defensive lines and it is leading to a team that can’t run nor can stop the run. On to the P12 Championship game. Does anyone really care? Does anyone think that lame-duck Rick has any chance of winning this game? Ticket prices are at gouge level and the P12 is taking away much of the in game amenities that Oregon fans enjoy such as the fog horn and Duck Vision. I know they want more of a neutral atmosphere but in trying to find that goal they are turning off Duck fans. Let Autzen be Autzen and make it a reward for winning the North. Oregon 52 UCLA 6.
The Buffs End Season on a Positive Note!
The Colorado Buffaloes traveled to Salt Lake City this past Friday with nothing to lose. And when the 4th quarter was over the Buffs ended up leaving Salt Lake City with a 17-14 victory and posting their second Pac-12 victory of the season. Not to mention, they broke their 23 game road losing streak as well.
Tyler Hansen was 22-36 for 264 yards for a touchdown and also scored one on the ground as well. His third quarter touchdown pass to Evan Harrington gave the Buffs a 17-7 advantage in the third quarter. The Utes would close the gap to 17-14 in the third quarter with a 6 yard scoring strike to Shawn Asiata. However, it was the Buffs’ defense that would step up on this day and make the trip back to Boulder a happy one.
Colorado’s defense played exceptionally well. They sacked Utah QB Jon Hays 4 times and gave up only 89 rushing yards on the day to the Utes. They also allowed only 2.9 yards per carry which was well below their season average.
In a season that has definitely had more downs than ups, this was a great way to end the season. Plus, we will be seeing many more Colorado-Utah match-ups for years to come. A big thank you goes out to the Pac-12 for renewing this storied rivalry.
Helmet stickers for this game go out to Tyler Hansen, Tony Jones, Toney Clemons, and the entire Colorado Buffaloes defense. Great job Buffs!
UC-lueless
SHIT!
I was prepared for a crazy UCLA football season where any number of things could have happened. 7-5 was supposed to be over achieving. 4-8 was supposed to be expected.
But 6-6 and PAC 12 south champs going up to Oregon on a friday night is about the most ridiculous, painful event I could have ever imagined. This football team just suffered its 5th blowout loss of the season and yet they are in a position to not only play a 13th game, but possibly a 14th game! UCLa has such a great medical school, don’t they know how to cut cancer before it spreads? But no, they dont. When it comes to running a football PROGRAM, everybody in the UC system is clueless. Dont give me this shit about the economy when Rick Neuheisel and Jeff Tedford are in the top 10 highest paid state employee’s. Especially when Jim Harbaugh spent less time at Stanford and achieved more then UCLA and Cal combined in 3 times as much time.
Now to address the nation.
Look. It’s not UCLA’s fault that they are representing the PAC 12 South. Sorry. If you wanna blame somebody, blame Reggie Bush and Arizona St. Nobody shits the bed better then ASU and Dennis Erickson doesn’t deserve another year, let alone another chance to coach. How the hell; can you… never mind. Arizona St, you had this year, you beat USC, but now you end the season on a bad losing skid. Hell, CAL beat you AND put up 47 on your defense!
Now to address USC.
Yes you played 12 “bowl games” this season. Good for you! You beat Oregon, Notre Dame and UCLA. GREAT! Enjoy the off season and i’m sure your cute “PAC 12 champs” shirts will look great in the future as your players proudly display them around campus. Now you can sit at home, focus on school and watch 70 other teams play REAL bowl games. Trust me, I hope UCLA wont be one of them.
Now to address Oregon for the upcoming game.
I’m taking the spread. Nobody expects you guys to feel sorry for UCLA. Do what you do best and I’m sure the score will be around 77-14 and you guys will win the Rose Bowl against some over rated big 10 school.
Now to address Rick Neuheisel.
You piece of… YOU GOT OUT COACHED BY LANE KIFFIN! You have ZERO idea how to motivate and run a football team on game day! You do not know a damn thing about 2000′s football culture. I understand why you installed the Pistol. It was a desperate attempt to salvage a shit run game because you and your god father, Norm Chow FAILED to recruit even 1 pro style QB out of possibly HUNDREDS of them on the West Coast. Instead you got stuck losing out to every other school in the country on the recruiting trail for a passer and even the 3 star guys chose to not go here and waste their NFL prospects because you are a garbage coach who was going to over ride this offensive genius. Luckily for you he bailed for Utah and it only cost us $500,000 to go towards his salary. I want to see a Utah quarterback win the Heisman or at least get drafted in the first 2 rounds. That would be sweet and hopefully will leave an awful taste in your mouth! This job was your third and final chance to redeem yourself. After this season, you will never be allowed around a football field.
How in the hell did things get WORSE year after year? 4 wins last year doesn’t compare to 6 wins this year because every off season this team is in SHAMBLES! It’s always back to square 1 and there are more questions and doubts then there are solid points. How can you still sit there and work? Today, right now what the hell are you thinking? You really think losing to USC the way you did on saturday is going to escape your mind? Will the image of Lane Kiffin out coaching you be easily removed by focusing on Oregon this week? Just stop it man. You are killing your fan base now.
If it was a hot seat at the beginning of the season, now it’s an electric chair. And luckily your bosses aren;t competent enough fire you. Maybe they want to display your charred remains.
UCLA AD Dan Guerrero.
You are also responsible for this debacle of a situation YOU CREATED and MAINTAINED! White uniforms for the rivalry game? Arizona fired their Head Coach and the interim guy SPANKED our team on national television. Ohio St just lost a close game to their rival Michigan. Guess what, they are ponying up whatever it cost’s to bring in Urban Meyer to make sure it doesn’t happen again. Attendance is down, school spirit is down. National relevance is down. The basketball team has a losing record. UCLA hasn’t won a championship in anything in a while now. Pack your shit before Rick Neuheisel does. At least help him move his boxes to his car.
UCLA fans, students and alumni as well as haters.
Like I previously stated. This has been a nightmare season and I could not motivate myself to continue to write about this program. Can you understand that? After watching Texas bring more fans to our house and spank us, after watching Arizona and a interim coach spank us, after watching UCLA have a “fun game: versus Stanford in which they spanked us, after watching them lose in the snow to Utah and Norm Chow, after watching our rival put up 50 on us and celebrate like assholes and after not hearing that the Head Coach is fired yet, CAN YOU BLAME ME FOR NOT GIVING A SHIT?
This is supposed to be fun.
It’s not.
I am predicting a 77-14 loss at Oregon.
At 6-7 UCLA will petition the NCAA and probably get a bid to the Toilet Bowl, where ever that will be.
Worst Loss in Utah History?
I don’t want to beat a dead horse, but this loss may be one of the worst in Utah history. Its easily the worst since I started following Utah football back in 1994, yes even worse than UNLV in 2007. This isn’t so much about Colorado, they’re a gritty team that out-coached and out-played the Utes for 4 quarters of football, its about what was on the line. Had Utah taken care of business on Friday, I’d be booking my tickets to the Pac 12 champ game. This was the perfect storm of a season. USC, who shows no sign of slowing down, was out from the get go, ASU and UCLA tanked and opened the door wide open for Utah, who had the worst team in the conference at home. Three teams failed to give Utah a golden opportunity and all Utah had to do was beat an inferior opponent, and the FAILED. Counting the spread it was the worst home loss in 25 years. Amazing.
The repercussions of this meaningless Apple Cup
Jermaine Kearse ices the 2010 Apple Cup for Washington, clinching their first bowl berth in 8 years
The Crapple Cup. Battle of the irrelevants. Two girls – one cup.
Whatever you choose to refer to it as, at the end of the day it is still the Apple Cup – the Annual rivalry between Washington and Washington State. And needless to say the last seven editions of the Cup have certainly lacked flavor.
Pat Forde says as much in his “Forde-Yard Dash” this week. Ranked behind both Los Angeles’ cross town rivalry and Oregon’s civil war, the Apple Cup gets a 7 out of 15 on his grading scale. For those following at home, less than a fifty percent is usually a failing grade.
There isn’t much of an argument against this. Both the cross-town rivalry and Civil War have direct implications on the inaugural Pac-12 Championship game.
The Apple Cup will pretty much determine which mediocre Pac-12 bowl the Huskies get to go to.
But put this game under a microscope and it will reveal a much deeper meaning. One with significant consequences as a whole for both programs involved.
Both coaches involved, Paul Wulff of Washington State and Steve Sarkisian of Washington, are involved in intensive rebuilding efforts. Both fan bases hungry, starving even, for Rose Bowl-esque success that both programs had enjoyed in relatively recent years past.
The Cougars ( 4-7 [2-6]) have already kissed a bowl berth good bye, which was the baseline expectation for Wulff in year four. So why is the Apple Cup even significant for the Cougars? A victory in the Apple Cup and Wulff can enter his imminent meeting with AD Bill Moos with five wins, arguing that his Cougars were inches away, literally, from bowl eligibility. Without Jeff Tuel all year, none the less.
Marquess Wilson and the Cougars came up just short against Utah in OT - Or else the Apple Cup would mean bowl eligibility
It isn’t quite as black and white as “Win or get out” for Paul Wulff, who even with a victory could be on his way out. But it will certainly be a difficult decision for Moos none the less if the Cougars pull away Wulff’s second Apple Cup victory. The bottom line at Washington State is that five wins, and competitiveness in several losses, is a big improvement for a program that two years ago had their only win over an FBS opponent come in this very rivalry against winless Washington.
And, after all, this is Washington State’s bowl game.
For the Huskies(6-5 [4-4]) of Steve Sarkisian the Apple Cup situation is even less black and white. Regardless of the outcome the Huskies will go bowling. Regardless of the outcome, the year could still be considered a disappointment.
The Sarkisian regime at Washington has reached a cross road, and it meets at the corner of Expectations and Reality.
A 5-1 start had Washington and its fans thinking big. A 1-4 stretch since has had the Huskies humbled. A loss and the Huskies are exactly where they were last year – .500 and likely headed to the Holiday Bowl. A lateral move for a program that seemed destined for bigger and better things in year three of the Sarkisian improvement.
While the difference between 7-5 and 6-6 means little on the surface for Washington- Perhaps it gets UW in the Alamo Bowl – the symbolism of it could mean a whole hell of a lot for Sarkisian entering year four.
Put simply, Sarkisian’s honeymoon was all but permanently put to rest with the embarrassment in Corvallis last Saturday. He felt the full fury of Husky nation questioning his methods and play calling – such as not starting Keith Price if he was apparently healthy enough to play at all.
Continuing a free fall that includes losses in the Apple Cup and their subsequent bowl game will effectively put Sarkisian on the hot seat, there is little way around that. An Apple Cup victory and a second consecutive bowl victory in a row and ‘Bark for Sark’ will be once again in full effect.
So pay attention in the Pacific Northwest. The direction of collegiate football in the state of Washington will hang in the balance at Centurylink Field on Saturday evening.
Don't tell either of these coaches that this game doesn't mean anything.
Game Preview: Colorado at Utah
First of all, I would like to apologize for my lack of posts recently. Life has been busy for me lately. From here on out I promise to bring more posts concerning Colorado Buffaloes athletics from here on out. Now on to this week’s game.
Colorado travels once again this week to renew a rivalry with Utah. As we all know, Colorado has not fared too well on the road the past few seasons. 23 straight road losses to be exact. The last road victory was in 2007 in a 31-26 victory at Texas Tech. So far this season, the Buffs have been outscored by an average of close to 30 points on the road. However, one can be optimistic and hope that the Buffs can at least be competitive in this week’s road game in Salt Lake City.
The Buffs and Utes have faced each other 57 times in their history. With the Buffs holding a 30-24-3 advantage all-time in the series. Utah won the the last two meetings in 1961 and 1962. This week’s game features one of the best in the Pac-12 South against one of the worst in the Pac-12 South. Colorado, did manage to win their first Pac-12 game a couple of weeks ago against Arizona in convincing fashion. Only to once again managing to get blown out on the road last week against UCLA. What can the Buffs do this week to manage to get a victory, or just to be competitive?
First, the seniors need to step up this week. This will be the last game for seniors like Tyler Hansen, Rodney Stewart, Ryan Deehan, Toney Clemons, Ryan MIller, Ethan Adkins, Travis Sandersfeld, and Josh Hartigan. What better way for these guys to end their career with a win on the road against the Utes. Hansen has had a respectable season so far with 2,619 yards passing with 19 TDs and 10 INTs. Rodney Stewart needs a big game today in order to reach the 1,000 yard plateau in his senior season. 181 yards to be exact. The Utes have the 9th best rush defense in the nation and the 84th overall pass defense. So the best bet for Colorado to win this game would be for Hansen to have a career day passing the football.
On defense, the Buffs must find a way to at least try and contain Utes RB John White. This will be a hard task because White has rushed for 1,377 yards this season with 14 TDs. Plus, the Buffs are giving up an average of 5.4 yards per carry and rank 97th in the country in rush defense.
Final Outlook. The Buffs have nothing to lose today. A victory would be a great way for these seniors to end their career at Colorado. The Utes are playing for a chance to play in the Pac-12 title game next week. So obviously, the motivation is there for the Utes to win this game. I do sense at least some competitiveness out of the Buffs this week but Utah is just the better team at this point in time.
Prediction. Utah 30 – Colorado 17