College Football 2007: Postseason Action (Before, During, and After)

[JohnBM01]

On this day in 2003, Ohio State and Miami had a triple-overtime thriller in which Ohio State won. I remembered watching that game, and I wanted Miami to win. The Iowa Caucus for the 2008 Election is going on. The penultimate (next to last) BCS Bowl matchup begins tonight in South Beach. I know you love college football, so let me let you in on who got her done in Miami.

The FedEx Orange Bowl
Dolphin Stadium - Miami, Florida, USA​

Virginia Tech {Hokies}
vs.
Kansas {Jayhawks}​

Beautiful Miami About to Get Ugly on the Field​

​

This is Miami's Dolphin Stadium. The Miami Dolphins didn't have "WIN SOME DAMN GAMES!!!" as a New Year's resolution last year, so Miami's going to see what winning football is like. Miami is home to the Orange Bowl. Florida is known for their oranges. I usually start my days with two chewable Vitamin C tablets and a glass of orange juice. I've done this as I followed a news tidbit on local news here in Houston a few years ago (KRIV FOX 26). Vitamin C can really help here in colder temperatures as this can help you not get sick with the cold or whatever. Oranges are amazing fruits. I once had some jumbo shrimp at a place called Baytown Seafood in Pearland, Texas. The orange squeezes made it taste better. Even with some cold weather problems that have impacted Florida oranges yesterday or so, the oranges are always in great condition when college football is on the horizon. As for Miami, it's a city I'd love to visit. Here's my thing. I'm usually afraid to go to California (though I love San Francisco) because I fear I'd end up in some unfortunate earthquake. I'd fear Miami for a bad weather day. Miami is popularly known in media for the "Miami Vice" series. I even play "Grand Theft Auto: Vice City" as well as "Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories." Just to let you know... I HATE, loathe, get sick of, damn it to hell... keep it out of my ears and brain... hate the '80s. Love the 80s so much? Find a time machine and REMAIN in the 1980s. Now let's talk football. The game is usually held at the Orange Bowl. However, we're going to lose the Orange Bowl, so we're playing at Dolphin Stadium. There was a line from ESPN on ABC Saturday Night Football that really stuck with me. Brent Musburger said, "...that we'd come into mid-November, and the only unbeatens would be Kansas and Hawaii, right?" It was on the match as Kansas went to Oklahoma State for a Saturday Night match. Only Missouri beat Kansas. I admit that I've been skeptical and didn't give the Jayhawks much credit. I never liked Kansas in football as they've been cupcakes almost every season for a long time... until this season. Or maybe I hated KU since they beat up my hometown Houston Cougars in the (then) Fort Worth Bowl a few years ago really bad. Now for Virginia Tech. April 2007 wasn't a very happy time. Thirty-two people, including the assailant himself, were killed in a massacre. Virginia Tech's story in 2007 is like the Tulane's story in 2005. All about bouncing back and bouncing back hard. Hokie Nation couldn't have had a better season in terms of bouncing back from a horrific moment. They win a whole lot of games and play in a BCS Bowl. Miami, get ready. You're in for a hell of a game!

{1} VT started off with an amazing kickoff return. What have they done since? Abysmal. They had great field position until some sacks were dealt. Virginia Tech had to punt because of all the yardage they lost. It's 6:46 left in the First Quarter, Kansas is used to three-pointers in hoops, but Kansas did not hit a three-pointer in football. So we're scoreless. They redeemed themselves (albeit with an Unsportsmanlike Conduct penalty) as Talib picked off Virginia Tech and ran her back to the house with 5:15 left in the first quarter. Slap an extra point onto that joker, and Kansas leads 7-0. That score would hold through 15 minutes of game time. {2} First play in the Second Quarter, and Virginia Tech gets picked off again. NOT the way to mount any sort of comeback. Kansas cashes in on a field goal after missing their previous field goal. So it's 10-0 as the Jayhawks rule the skies over the VT's birdies- the Hokies. Exactly 12:00 left in the first half. Kansas showing how "for real" they are. VT can't seem to get anything going. Almost seems like the Georgia/Hawaii game, only VT can do something on the field (no disrespect to Hawaii). It's the FedEx Orange Bowl, and Kansas delivered a touchdown through air mail. Jayhawk Nation is alive while Hokie Nation is having a heart attack. It's now 17-love (0 for non-tennis types) after the extra point. Only 7:02 in the Second Quarter. Virginia Tech's having more questions than answers. Virginia Tech's scoring futility came to a screeching halt when VT won themselves a game of power football. Touchdown for the Hokies plus one. It's 1:24 left in the half as Kansas leads 17-7. The birdies from Blacksburg have finally answered the birds from Kansas. Two quarters end as Kansas leads Virginia Polytechnic Institute 17-7. I forgot to add that these two teams have NEVER met in football before. {3} Kansas stalled in their first series, punts the ball, and VT returned her home. Put six points on VT's side of the scoreboard on a killer 84-yard punt for a touchdown. It's 11:35 left in the Third Quarter as it's now 17-14 in favor of the Jayhawks. VT wants to tie the game with a field goal around 6:45 left in the game... but Kansas prevents a tie from happening by blocking the easy field goal kick. So Kansas keeps it at 17-14. Player #8 for the Kansas defense riled up Frank Beamer (VT coach). At 39 seconds left, a flag was called as Virginia Tech picked off the ball. What happened was that VT was called for a Personal Foul. VT has the ball as the third quarter ends. {4} It's money time for Virginia Tech losing by three. Around 11:36 left in the game, Kansas picked up their fifth sack over Virginia Tech. Reesing for Kansas tried to do a Michael Vick-style scramble to get some yards, but gets whacked by Grimm of the Hokies. After a commercial break, the announcing crew accidentally called Kansas as Kansas State. At 11:07, Virginia Tech passed the ball... to a Jayhawk. Outstanding field position for the Jayhawks while VT's thinking, "what the hell did I just do?" Hokie Nation was reeling again as Kansas ran into the endzone to make it 23-14. Extra point means that it's 24-14 as Virginia Tech has 10:57 left to make a stretch run to get back on top. Virginia Tech has NEVER led this game to my knowledge. The score held even with about 5:57 left in the game. It was the same score at this point. Virginia Tech will get the ball back as Mangino's 4th and 2 gamble to blow this one open didn't work. VT has hope. Can they get it down the field and make a game out of it? VT's down by 10 at this point. Not anymore. Virginia Tech gets a touchdown at exactly 3:00 left in the game. The extra point makes it 24-21. Here's a three-minute warning for you! Onside kick time. Only one second goes off, and Kansas snatches the ball out of the air. Now VT needs to play solid defense if they want the ball back with a chance to win or force Overtime. Kansas finishes their first 1-loss season since 1947. Kansas has been lethargic for years... until this season. I've doubted them, I've shown some disbelief of them, but they did everything they needed to do to make this a magical season. As for Virginia Tech, this was still a great season. Finishing seasons with multiple wins is nothing new to Virginia Tech. I'm just afraid to say that they lost to a better team. And unless you've been under a rock for the whole of this season, that better team was Kansas.

FINAL SCORE:
#? Virginia Tech - 21
#? Kansas - 24





--- John's Student Lounge ---



Seen "Ugly Betty" for the First Time
I've seen the popular "Ugly Betty" series on ABC during the FedEx Orange Bowl. America Ferrera is Betty Suarez in this funny series. For those who don't know how she looks in the series, she's more like a geeky-looking girl probably from your grade school days. Lord knows I've seen some rather dorky girls whom I've been classmates with. She's got big plastic glasses, some rather big hair, a not-very-smooth jaw outline, and braces in her mouth. I've been wanting to see what this "Ugly Betty" thing was about. Now that I have, it's pretty cool. Another ABC show I've been wanting to see one day is "Desperate Housewives." I believe a Spanish variant of "Ugly Betty" was on Univison known as "La Fella Mas Bella." I forgot the name of the Spanish variant of "Desperate Housewives." I know the last of four words is [/I]Despierdas[/I].



On Second Thought...
I got to see "Desperate Housewives" for the first time. I guess I've known about this series as far as the sexy fashion style of the divas who make this show possible. Really a shame that Eva Longoria won't hang around much longer in the Desperate Housewives series. The episode featured tonight was about a tornado that ripped through the city. Action even taking place during the tornado. I usually follow women's fashion, and there's been a good showing of style in this show. I just don't think that running out into a tornado wearing high heel pumps is a good idea when walking around or running in a tornado.





I belive we will have a break from Bowl action until Saturday. Or if all you care about are big teams, then we don't get a break until Monday. That's the Thursday report. You may come into this thread and share your thoughts about the Ohio State/LSU matchup on Monday. Remember, DO NOT wait on my report to post anything. Don't let it be just me making posts. Come in at any time and post a comment or question about the Bowl Season.​

 

[JohnBM01]

For the first time, I get to cover some Canadian action proper. I'll be showing and telling the International Bowl. This will be the second year of this Bowl game. You all ready to get this?

The International Bowl
Rogers Center - Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Rutgers {Scarlet Knights} vs. Ball State {Cardinals}

Canada Gets to See How Americans do Gridiron Football​

Before I begin, I don't want ANYONE to think that I'm belittling Canadian football or trying to be pro-American. I'm almost never pro-American or pro-patriotic. What we got here is college football courtesy of America. One is the birthplace of college football while another is usually a pathetic team. I never truly realized just how far Toronto is from Detroit, Michigan. I think if you cross the bridge into Canada, you get to the city of Windsor, Ontario, Canada. So where in Maple Leaf country are we? Oh, I just gave a hint- Toronto- Maple Leaf (NHL) country. The city of Toronto is a city I wouldn't mind visiting. Pro sports teams in Toronto include the Toronto Maple Leafs of the NHL, the Toronto Blue Jays in Major League Baseball, the Toronto Raptors in the NBA, and the Tornoto Argonauts of the CFL. This city has the world's tallest tower- the CN Tower. This is part of the overall beauty of Toronto. The indoor stadium for the Bowl game is usually home to the Toronto Argonauts and especially the Toronto Blue Jays of the MLB's American League. This stadium will see two American colleges go at it in Canada. Canada is no stranger to collegiate gridiron football. We call it college football here in America. But in Canada, it's known as university football. So why don't we meet the two American football teams? Both schools have the same colors as Canada's flag- red and white. Rutgers is the State University of New Jersey. It's also one of the first college football teams in NCAA football. The Scarlet Knights rode high on their horses as they were invited to Toronto. Now for the other team. This has been a weird season of college football. Ball State has VERY quietly won enough games to go to a Bowl Game. Nobody (generalization) cares about Ball State. The Muncie, Indiana school is used to falling on their faces

Rutgers needs no second half adjustments as the Rutgers D held Ball State to field goals. Three of them, in fact. The score is 24-9 in favor of the Scarlet Knights. At about 11:03 left in the Third Quarter, Rutgers tackled the crap out of the Ball State QB! Funny enough, there was a review to see if it was a fumble. So you get to see Ball State's QB get whacked time and time again. Gotta love football! Ray Rice lit up Toronto with his amazing running ability for a 90-yard touchdown run. Extra point made it 30-9 with 1?:?? left in the Third. The score at around 9:55 left in the game was 45-23 in favor of Rutgers. The score at about 2:23 left was 52-23. Same team leading, same team crying their eyes out. That is, until they basically GAVE Ball State a touchdown at 2:03 left in the game. If this had been basketball, Ball State would have had to get a quick score, then foul right away. ray Rice of Rutgers nabbed himself 280 yards in this game. Only P.J. Danielson in 2004 for Georgia Tech has more rushing yards in a Bowl game. Rutgers was just too much. The pathetic Ball State Cardinals quietly won more than six games... then LOUDLY got beat by Rutgers in Toronto.

FINAL SCORE:
Rutgers - 52
Ball State - 30





EXTRA: "NFL, Here I Come!"
I'm showing you some of the folks looking to head to the NFL Draft.

Going Pro...
Rashard Mendendhall (Illinois)
James Hardy (Indiana)
Devin Thomas (Michigan State (?))

Mario Manningham (Michigan - pursuing degree)





I had two extras lined up for this report, but decided to forego them. Sunday is NFL playoff action, but the GMAC Bowl will take place between Tulsa and Western Michigan. Hope you all have an amazing weekend! Remember that Ohio State and LSU will square off on Monday for all the marbles! Also, I'll formulate my Winners and Losers once all Bowl action is done. I already have my UPSET OF THE POSTSEASON lined up. Who will get the other three titles? Find out after the Ohio State/LSU match.

Remember again... do NOT wait for me to post stuff on the National Championship match. Do NOT wait for me to post my preview of Ohio State and LSU. Come into this thread and send me a reply regarding this match or any other match that's been played already. Get involved, people!​

 

[JohnBM01]

The National Championship game will be tomorrow. Let's go far east of New Orleans to Mobile, Alabama. We got Tulsa and Bowling Green State ready to clash. Some birds try to outlive a natural disaster. Who wins? Read on!

The GMAC Bowl
Ladd-Peebles Stadium - Mobile, AL, USA

Bowling Green State {Falcons} vs. Tulsa {Golden Hurricane}

Alabama Slamma Coming Your Way from Mobile​

Sick of "don't mean anything" bowl games? This is the last of them. We got Conference USA matching up against the MAC here. We are at Ladd-Peebles Stadium in Mobile, Alabama. The city of Mobile is a city that's on the rise. Mobile is on the move. Ladd-Peebles Stadium truly looks like a stadium worthy of hosting some FBS football. College sports fans who are in Mobile are more likely part of the University of South Alabama. USA is going ahead with a plan to bring football to South Alabama. They still have to make negotiations and such to bring football to USA. While the University of South Alabama's sorting out their mess to finally bring college football to USA after years of debate, we got a game. The Tulsa Golden Hurricane have been golden in a lot of their games. The blue and gold will meet some birds from Ohio. The Atlanta Falcons have been a further shipwreck in the NFL with Michael Vick going to prison and Bobby Petrino jumpshifting from the Atlanta Falcons to the Arkansas Razorbacks. Here are some Falcons you can be proud of- Bowling Green State's Falcons know that birds don't do very well in natural disasters. Maybe these birds can make some noise against Tulsa. Brace yourselves for some football!

Let's pick things up at 11:40 left in the first half. Tulsa were pounding Bowling Green State's asses 28-0. At about 11:21 left, BGSU fumbled the ball for the fourth time at about the 1-yard line. Bowling Green State were ready to get on the scoreboard until Tulsa picked their pockets. A sure-fire touchdown at 7:57 for Tulsa was scored, but the referee said he was out of bounds when he had clearly one foot in bounds. I'm hoping "bad call-itis" hasn't been caught by the refs. I still remember the Alamo Bowl match a few years ago when a Sun Belt crew officiated Nebraska's upset of Michigan in a terribly-officiated game. Tulsa had to throw the challenge flag to get the play reviewed. It was poor officiating, and I wouldn't be surprised if the head coach of Tulsa didn't take a few shots at the refs for a play that shouldn't have been reviewed at all. Probably thought this was an NFL Playoff Game and not a college bowl game. At 4:32 left in the half, BGSU tried to go for it on 4th and 2 on the 3-yard line, and fail to connect on a pass play into the endzone. The score at 12:24 left in the Third Quarter was 42-7 in favor of Tulsa. BGSU gets on the board, but Tulsa's pulling away. Kind of like lifting up the anchors out of the water and just go set sail. Bowling Green State took the punt at about 10:47 left in the Third Quarter. Tulsa tackled the crap out of the BGSU punt returner. So much so that his helmet popped off of his head. Ouch! The Tulsa QB has four more touchdowns than Tim Tebow of Florida. Smith for Tulsa has only 12 rushing touchdowns compared to the 20+ rushing for Tebow. Smith has 54 touchdowns compared to Tebow's 51. The commentors even noted that these were just for the record. So no angry mail, Florida fans! The quarter ended with a 49-7 beating of Bowling Green State. Tulsa on a roll. Can the Golden Hurricane maintain their winds in their whirlwind (no pun intended) rout of Bowling Green State? Paul Smith has thrown for over 300+ yards in all 13 games this season. This even includes another Tulsa touchdown. The boys from northeastern Oklahoma pounding away at Bowling Green State. That was the score with about 14:12 left in the game. Tulsa's going to have to screw up really bad and Bowling Green State has to be really good really quick if they expect to win. Paul Smith has set the new record for most conesecutive 300+ yard games with this game, breaking Ty Detmer's record of 13-straight games of 300+ yards passing. At 3:22 left in the game, Tulsa is up 63-7. Tulsa is completely mobile while Bowling Green State is firmly rooted in mud with engine failure. The blue and gold are just rolling. Bowling Green State just found out how awesome Tulsa was as they had very little answers to the Tulsa offense. Call this the Beatdown Bowl.

FINAL SCORE
Bowling Green State - 7
Tulsa - 63

*** ownage ***​

John's Allstate BCS National Championship Game Preview
* Ohio State vs. LSU
The previews people been giving to this game say that Ohio State is too slow. Both teams have 11 wins. No two-loss team has ever won the BCS National Championship. The issue I've looked at is this kind "can't win the big one." Part of this for me is that LSU's been #1 twice in the polls and lost both times. They lost at Kentucky in triple overtime and at home against Arkansas. Again, triple overtime. A funny strategy for LSU would be to make sure to not let this game go into Overtime. For Ohio State, they've been a top-rated team for the longest even with a loss vs. Illinois. There are a lot of variables for me in terms of personal opinion and some other non-statistic stuff. This is essentially a glorified home game for LSU. The Louisiana Superdome is going to support their Tigers through thick and thin. Ohio State has been multiple-time champs before and after the BCS era. I'm going to assume that LSU is #2 in the ranks. Oh! That's another thing. Nobody wants to be #2 because several #2 teams have lost. It's been the story of the whole season. Be #1 in the nation even if you have to be tied for #1.





--- John's Student Lounge ---
Relax. It's the student lounge. Chill with me for a moment.

American Gladiators is Back
NBC had on the new American Gladiators. I remember watching the original American Gladiators when I was younger. Not a true fanatic of the show, but I did get to watch a lot of American Gladiators back in 1990 or so. This is just to show I know the show a bit... one of the commentators was Larry Czonka. You had Gladiators like Storm, Venus, Tower, and people like that. This new rendition had commentators like Hulk Hogan and Leila Ali. The thing to remember in bringing back old shows and stuff is to make sure not to make the recent rendition being too flashy and less fun. Only spice things up if the original version was crap. An example of making a classic show worse with a rendition: the transition from "Press Your Luck" to "Whammy!" An example of making a modern show be just as good as the classic show: I guess you could say the classic Tom and Jerry cartoons compared to the more recent "Tom and Jerry Tales." My only real gripe with this newer American Gladiators is that they go to commercial break before the action is complete. Kind of like the first two seasons of "Pinks" before the hit Speed Channel show shown all the action in its entirety. The show featured a new event called "Hit and Run" in which four gladiators command some wrecking balls as the contender needs to cross this suspension bridge. So it's nice to see the show stick to the classic roots of the game while making it a nice 21st Century leap. Only thing that could have been done was play the classic American Gladiators theme. The prize for the overall winner was $100,000, a 200? Toyota S... SUV, and the chance to become one of the American Gladiators.

Aqib Talib Will Enter the NFL Draft
Did you see Kansas take out Virginia Tech in the Orange Bowl? Talib has been a beast on defense for Kansas. Now Kansas will be without the services of Talib as he's heading to the NFL Draft. I wonder where Mel Kiper Jr. would have him in the NFL.





Tomorrow night is Fight Night! We got ourselves a heavyweight bout between Ohio State and Louisiana State. Who's taking home the BCS National Championship? It will be on FOX, I'll have my report... okay, guys. Tell me you you think is going to win and why.

 

[Kylehnat]

College football is still going? Well, I just flipped a coin and it came up LSU. Ohio State, what is a Buckeye, anyway? You know, while they're in the neighborhood, one of these teams should play the Saints .

 

[FoolKiller]

Ohio State, what is a Buckeye, anyway?

Please, come to the midwest and learn the language.

They are also called horse chestnuts by some. It is a kind of chestnut. They are fairly common in Ohio.



I'm pulling for LSU as well, for obvious reasons.

 

[Kylehnat]

Please, come to the midwest and learn the language.

Midwestern dialect scares me.

 

[FoolKiller]

Midwestern dialect scares me.

I am sure there are some northwest nicknames for things that I don't know.


It's OK though, I am still trying to figure out what a Hoosier is.

 

[Danoff]

They are also called horse chestnuts by some. It is a kind of chestnut. They are fairly common in Ohio.

It's also a tree right? And... I think there's another definition for it. A bird? A flower? Maybe all of the above. Pretty crappy mascot if you ask me.

 

[FoolKiller]

It's also a tree right?

Yes, just like a walnut has a walnut tree a buckeye has a buckeye tree.

And... I think there's another definition for it. A bird? A flower? Maybe all of the above. Pretty crappy mascot if you ask me.

Yes, there is also a buckeye flower and bird. Oh, and if you take peanut butter balls (1 cup peanut butter, 1 stick of melted butter, 1 pound of powdered sugar) and dip them in chocolate, leaving a small peanut butter circle still showing these are known as buckeye candy. I make them myself at Christmas.

But the Ohio State Buckeyes are named for the nut, which the state tree is also the buckeye tree.

Their mascot, Brutus Buckeye:

 

[JohnBM01]

We'll see who gets it done tonight. It's fight night in New Orleans. Ohio State's ready to show they are still the best team in the nation while LSU is trying to win another National Championship after losing twice as a #1 team and currently #2. This game can go either way. I may even play "NCAA Football 08" and make about three demo games of Ohio State and LSU.

Alright, folks... get your favorite drinks, your favorite snacks, and get ready to enjoy the final game for this season of NCAA football! I'll have my honors and dishonors when I complete my full report. I'll even go ahead with my Season-in-Review thread once I get that complete. So enjoy the game!

 

[Joey D]

Oh how I hate Ohio State. I hope LSU just comes out and rolls over them because I do not believe OSU should be in the bowl game. But they are and there is nothing I can do about it so I just hope they lose quite badly.

 

[JohnBM01]

ESPN's "Pardon the Interruption" usually has either Michael Wilbon or Tony Kornheiser on the road in a big event. Wilbon was in San Francisco calling the game between the San Antonio Spurs at the Golden State Warriors. Tony Kornheiser "reminded" Wilbon that the big game was in New Orleans with Ohio State and LSU. It seemed like this National Championship match didn't seem to matter too much. Wilbon still wanted Ohio State to win to maintain solidarity among the Big Ten. So it's time to finally see who takes home that beautiful crystal football. The BCS National Championship game is tonight as someone's taking home that lovely trophy.

*+x The Allstate BCS National Championship Game x+*
Louisiana Superdome - New Orleans, Louisiana, USA

Louisiana State {Tigers}
vs.
Ohio State {Buckeyes}​

And Your National Champion Is...[/I]​

I've dubbed this game as Fight Night in New Orleans. The Heisman thing was a long time ago. The FCS champions are Appalachian State. The Division 2 champions are Valdosta State. The Division 3 champions are Wisconsin-Whitewater. Now it's time to settle a dispute that's been brewing for a month and change. It's the purple and gold of Louisiana State University vs. the scarlet and gray of Ohio State University. Two premier universities outside of sports, and two premier univerisities in sports. So let's see who's taking home that crystal football.

The city in which this final game will be held is in New Orleans, Louisiana. I've never been outside the state of Texas in my life. So I've never been to New Orleans, obviously. Hurricanes have ravaged the Gulf Coast states of Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama. A lot has been done to restore New Orleans to its former glory. Sports have usually provided a medium of relief. I didn't really get to see all of the game when LSU played Arizona State and won in come-from-behind fashion. I remember watching LSU play Tennessee in 2005 after my home lost power here in Houston. Tennessee came back to win in Overtime. The New Orleans Saints, Tulane Green Wave, and non-football school- the University of New Orleans have had to go elsewhere to call home as the Superdome was still used to house hurricane victims. Countless renovations were done to repair the Louisiana Superdome. A lot of the streets and stuff at this time were still covered in water. Countless devastation. The Sugar Bowl had to played at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta. Then in 2006 when the New Orleans Saints returned to their humble abode, they pounded the crap out of the Atlanta Falcons on Monday Night Football. The Superdome has now never been better. Away from sports, New Orleans is where you can enjoy some Mardi Gras fun as well as hearing "When the Saints Go Marching In." I'm not really big on zydeco music, but I'm familiar with stuff like Step Rideaux and the Zydeco Outlaws and stuff like that. Come enjoy some Cajun cooking while you get ready for some college football. Ohio State first. The Ohio capital of Columbus is where the Buckeyes hail. Ohio State is usually one of the toughest teams to beat. Don't believe them? Schedule to play a game at Buckeye Stadium and their 110,000+ fans. They'll let you know who you're dealing with. Now for the Louisiana boys. Louisiana State University is usually one of the toughest teams in all of the SEC. They play in the ultra-competitive SEC. LSU can win the National Championship and make it the second successive series crown for the SEC. New Orleans is about 68 miles away from Baton Rouge. It's still considered to be a huge home field advantage for LSU because the Tigers will be roaring loudly when Ohio State heads into SEC territory. Who knows? Some of these players could end up playing on Sundays at the Louisiana Superdome for the New Orleans Saints in the NFL Draft. We waited a long while for this game to finally come. So let's see who won this one. Touch gloves and fight clean. We got a heavyweight bout coming right up! Let's get it on one last time!

{1} At 11:34 left in the First Quarter, Chris Wells cashed in a money 65-yard touchdown run to give the Ohio State Buckeyes the first body shot against LSU. The point after made this 7-0 early. A bad LSU snap led to LSU having to punt the ball to Ohio State as the opening drive for the Tigers stalled. A beautiful pass down field led to an amazing gain on Ohio State's next drive. Ohio State has over 133 yards so far compared to LSU's 14. Ohio State's Pretorious (native of South Africa) came in and hit a field goal. I'll be 25 next Tuesday, and he hit this kick from 25 yards out on the left hash. The score was 10-0 in favor of Ohio State with 9:12 left in the First Quarter. LSU sustained a nice drive led by Tyler, TX native Matt Flynn (LSU QB). The purple and gold called a timeout with 2:31 left in the First Quarter. LSU's on the board with a field goal at 2:21. The new score is 10-3 with Ohio State still leading. A fumble ensued as LSU returned a punt at seven seconds left, and LSU recovered the fumble. The quarter ended 10-3 in favor of Ohio State.

{2} LSU pulled a nice option run after getting a first down. Looks like Flynn was going to lose yardage until a late option pitch With exactly 13 minutes left in the First Half, LSU nets themselves a passing touchdown punctuated on two Personal Fouls on Ohio State. Extra point makes this a 10-10 deadlock. Ten to ten, 13 minutes left in the half. Chris Wells passed Archie Griffin for most all-time yards by a Sophomore. At 11:17 left in the half, one of the Tigers on defense shown some pain in his wrist. This is obviously something to capitalize on if you're the Ohio State offense. At exactly 11 minutes left in the half, LSU blocked the field goal. Beckwith blocked the field goal by Ohio State as momentum shifted to LSU. LSU's throwing some jabs right now. LSU took their first lead at 7:25 left in the First Half. A 10-yard touchdown strike plus the extra point gave LSU the lead over the boys from Columbus. Some jaw-jacking ensued as this game was getting a bit personal. The first interception of the game happened as LSU made a difficult pick on Ohio State. The pick was returned near the 24-yard line with 6:18 left in the half. LSU's #21 was the one that blew up the Ohio State QB with a wicked hit. I wonder if that guy had "Dynamite" on his jersey because he put a big hit on Ohio State. Then his boy on defense picked Ohio State. LSU has a guy with the last name of Hester, but not that Hester who plays for the NFL's Chicago Bears. Austin 3:16 said "I just whipped your ass!" Hester 4:16 said "I just scored a TD over Ohio State's asses!" Extra point good, so it's 24-10 in favor of the Bayou Bengals with 4:16 left in the First Half. Ohio State got the ball back with about 49 seconds left and all three timeouts. However, they decide to just run the ball and run down the clock. So it's 24-10 in favor of the Tigers. It's intermission time as the two college football heavyweights headed to their corners to get some rest and talk over how to win the game or how to keep the lead going.

--- intermission ---
Ohio State won the $100,000 Alumni Kicker Challenge while LSU got $25,000. I was watching Intermission to see who won the Pontiac Game Changing Performance of the Season and thought I wanted to share the kicking deal.

{3} Matt Flynn wasn't out of the tackle box and called for an Intentional Grounding foul with 10:50 left in the Third Quarter. This was LSU's first penalty of the game. With 10:35 left in the game, Ohio State was called for Roughing the Kicker, making LSU's drive stay alive. Still a 24-10 game if you're keeping score. Ohio State's fourth Personal Foul. LSU's drive continues with OhSU's FIFTH Personal Foul thanks to a late hit by Heyward for the Buckeyes. Ohio State may well be 0-9 all-time in Bowl Games if this keeps up. LSU scores again making Ohio State shell out the dollar bills because they are paying for their miscues. The touchdown and extra point resulted in a wicked uppercut to Ohio State's winning chances. Now Ohio State is just throwing any kind of punches to hopefully tame the Tigers. At 3:49 left in the game, Louisiana State throws a bad pass to Ohio State. Ohio State may have the shot they need to make this a game again rather than an LSU clinic. At 1:38 left in the game, Jim Tressel wanted his men to go for it on the 5-yard line. Character was restored for the Buckeyes. The score after three is 31-17. Can Ohio State claw back and win this bad boy? It's money time for Ohio State.

{4} Ohio State's trying to take the ball down the field. A touchdown plus the extra point means Ohio State would be down seven. Ohio State is nobody's cupcake even if Florida pounded the holy hell out of Ohio State. At 10:37 left in the game, Ohio State tried to throw for the first down on another Fourth Down. Ohio State briefly recovered, LSU briefly recovered, then LSU got it back for sure with 10:37 left on the clock. A Buckeye comeback effort was averted by those doggone Tigers. It's Geaux Tigers now. Too bad the intensity of this game wasn't like that classic match in 2003 for the National Championship between Ohio State and Miami when Ohio State won in a Triple Overtime thriller. Ohio State isn't doing the hurry-up offense down around 5:50 left in the game. At 5:43 left in the game, another bad decision by Ohio State left them. Ohio State's probably heading down towards being 0-9 all time in Bowl Games. So I guess Ohio State would lose to Mississippi State if Miss. State was in the championship game along with Ohio State. Or if it was Alabama. Or hell, if it was Kentucky they went up against. So LSU's trying to run the ball and the clock. They ran down the clock, but not without stopping it a bit because of another LSU touchdown. Looks like the blowout will be complete unless a Buckeye Comeback happens. It's 38-17 in favor of LSU with 1:50 left. A great run by Ohio State on the kickoff shown some life down three touchdowns. The crowd was cheering "SEC! SEC! SEC!" Talk about Southern hospitality. Looks like the Big Ten's down the tubes as the SEC couldn't be any happier. Credit Ohio State for not giving up. Their touchdown with 1:13 left in the game gave Ohio State faint life. New score is 38-24 on a Hartline TD catch for Ohio State. The onside kick by Ohio State was caught by LSU. The start of the Golden Age of LSU football? It might as well be as LSU finally and truly turns the corner. They've won a share of the National Championship when USCal salughtered Oklahoma. This is a pure outright National Championship for LSU as 79,600 packed the Superdome for a record. It's the first time in the BCS era in which a two-loss team and a repeat champion has won the top crown. Baton Rouge will party HARD tonight after a win like this. By ranking, this is an upset, but this could have gone either way. And in the end, Louisiana State University was simply better than Ohio State. And oh yes... Ohio State is now 0-9 all-time in BCS Bowl Games. Joey D, Ohio State is your sworn enemy... and LSU cleaned Ohio State's clocks. Makes you want to smile, does it?

FINAL SCORE:
Louisiana State - 38 <<< 2007 BCS National Champions; 3rd Ever Title
Ohio State - 24

The Pontiac Game Changing Performance of the Year Is...
*** Trinity University's Multiple Laterals to Beat Millsaps ***[/I]​

So Trinity University (San Antonio, Texas; Division 3) wins the $100,000 scholarship. If you ask me, this is an upset. I thought the nation was going to select Appalachaian State's upset of Michigan as the #1 vote. Hell, I myself wanted to vote Appalachian State. I mean, the Mountaineers beat Michigan in Game 1 at the Big House, then go on to win the National Championship in FCS. The Trinity Tigers from San Antonio had a very popular play. I just didn't think this would be bigger than Appalachian State's big win over Michigan. Appalachian State's beating of Michigan led to Oregon pounding the crap out of Michigan the next week. It kicked off the rash of upsets that shown how crazy this season was. I'm absolutely surprised Trinity won. I joked that this Game Changing Performance will move Trinity from Division 3 to Division 2. Congrats to Trinity University (Texas) for this honor, but I'm deeply surprised Appalachian State didn't win this.





EXTRA: My Personal Opinion on "Battle of the Bands"
I'm always intrigued by the Battle of the Bands in black college football. Whereas Battle of the Bands is more a halftime speacialty for other schools, I think Battle of the Bands is PART of the game in black college football! I personally have my roots with black colleges. I been to a high school program on the campus of Texas Southern University. My sister-in-law is a graduate of Southern University





Thanks to all of you for reading my Postseason material. My next post will involve my honors and dishonors. You're free to comment on all the action that has unfolded in New Orleans until my Winners and Losers. All the meaningful games in college football are done for this season. So the long road to August begins. There are all-star games coming up, but I'm probably not going to cover them. I'm not done with my college sports contributions to GTPlanet. I'll make my full-time college basketball discussion happen for Tuesday. So if you're a college basketball fan or like how I cover sports, feel free to join me when we go from field generals to floor generals. My Season-in-Review thread will also be coming soon, so stay tuned for that.

To all of you who have read my reports, I thank you for all your dedication and respect. It's a great honor to be on GTPlanet.net and slowly build up an audience for college sports. This is a great message board and proud to have been part of it for four years. This has been a much better experience for me since I've been part of the long-defunct Speedsims boards. Getting disrespected and hated on. You all gave me a chance and had to put up with my stuff for four years. I've made friends, I've made enemies. But at the end of the day, GTPlanet is an amazing message board. Proud to share my reports with all of you. You guys are wicked sick. Love being on here and covering the college sports scene. Congratulations to all the National Champions from NCAA's four divisions of football as well as St. Caroll(?) in the NAIA who won the National Title there. Another season of college football is done. Thanks for staying on this ride.​

 

[FoolKiller]

Hey, his means that Kentucky beat the champions.

I am seriously contemplating buying the DVD of the UK vs. LSU game that Kentucky is selling on their athletics Web site. Maybe the Louisville game too since they are selling it as well and it was also an awesome game.


And isn't this two years in a row that an SEC team has won the BCS?

I'm just saying, is all.

 

[Joey D]

The right team won the game. That's all I'm going to say.

 

[JohnBM01]

--- John's Winners and Losers: Postseason Edition ---
Time to talk about the postseason's winners and losers.



BIGGEST WIN(S) OF THE POSTSEASON
(3-way tie) Lloyd Carr Will Resign, but Not Without a Fight; Appalachian State Loses Two Games, But Continues FCS Dynasty Even Beating Michigan in Week 1; Wisconsin-Whitewater Finally Wins National Championship After Several Attempts - I credit Lloyd Carr to coaching his boys to a win over Florida. Michigan basically shown Ohio State that Florida CAN be beaten. Now for a sad Michigan moment. Appalachian State went from beating Michigan, to losing twice, to winning the FCS championship. The Mountaineers' win over Michigan plummeted the Wolverines out of the Top 25. The visiting Oregon Ducks didn't do much wonders either. I literally chose Wisconsin-Whitewater because I can't think of too many more big wins. Anytime you beat a powerhouse program in a championship game, you deserve some love.

MOST DISAPPOINTING LOSS(ES) OF THE POSTSEASON
Ohio State = Can't Win the Big One - Ohio State lost terribly to Florida in last season's championship game. This time around, LSU took care of the scarlet and gray. I'm not saying this like LSU is a cupcake compared to Ohio State, but I just think Ohio State and "can't win the big one" is likely going to be tagged onto Ohio State if they make a third-successive trip to the BCS National Championship game.

UPSET(S) OF THE POSTSEASON (if any)
(tie) Grand Valley State Denied the Division 2 National Championship and Mount Union's Dynasty Made Extinct By Wisconsin-Whitewater - I'm combining these two because these are two significant upsets. Mount Union and Grand Valley State would have EASILY won their respective playoffs if their opponents had nothing to say about it all. Northwest Missouri State beat Grand Valley State 26-13 in the Division 2 Semifinals while Mount Union lost in the National Championship game.

OWNAGE(S) OF THE POSTSEASON
Tulsa Pounds Bowling Green State 63-7 - I was going to say Mary Hardin-Baylor beating North Carolina Wesleyan was ownage, but Tulsa's beating of Bowling Green State was ownage on many levels. The stats and scores really show pure domination. So...

Bowling Green State = OWNED (by Tulsa 63-7)!





I haven't gotten around to posting my Winners and Losers. That's why it took so long. I even had to make sure there weren't any other key wins or losses. But that's just about the report. Thanks for visiting.

 

[FoolKiller]

Sorry, but I just have to announce this Kentucky news.
http://www.courier-journal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080118/SPORTS03/80118021

LEXINGTON, Ky. &#8211; Joker Phillips, offensive coordinator for the University of Kentucky football team, is expected to be named today as Rich Brooks' eventual successor as the Wildcats' head coach.

Phillips, Brooks, UK athletic director Mitch Barnhart and university president Lee Todd will hold a news conference today at 4 p.m.

Scott Stricklin, UK's associate athletic director for media relations, said that Brooks is not resigning today.

There has been speculation for the past two years that Phillips ultimately would be named Brooks' successor. At a news conference prior to this season's Music City Bowl, Brooks said there were coaches on his staff whom he thought could succeed him as head coach.

Phillips has been the Cats' offensive coordinator for the past three seasons. UK's scoring and total offense have increased in each of those seasons. In 2007, the Cats' 36.5 points-per-game average ranked second in school history.

Brooks has coached five seasons at UK and repeatedly has said he would like to be the school's longest-tenured head coach. Fran Curci, who coached nine seasons, currently holds that distinction.

Brooks, 66, is 25-35 in five seasons coaching the Wildcats, but is 16-10 the past two seasons. He led UK to back-to-back eight-win seasons for the first time since 1976-77 and back-to-back bowl wins for the first time since the 1950-51 seasons.

This is the best news for the future of Kentucky football.

The real question is if this press conference will involve just announcing that Joker will be the next coach or if Brooks has a planned retirement scheduled as well.

Wither way this is good for recruiting too because no players can question whether a 66-year-old coach will retire suddenly and upset their career. When you can promise them the guy sitting beside him will be there in that event the player has more long-term confidence in the program.


This is a shining light in a dismal basketball season.

 

[JohnBM01]

I'll admit. I'm being lazy in covering college sports lately. I haven't even finished my Season-in-Review thread. Believe it or not, I was considering Kentucky's win over Florida State to be one of the Big Wins. Congratulations to the University of Kentucky. Part of my respect for Kentucky came from meeting you on GTP, FoolKiller. I've given your 'Cats the benefit of the doubt. I'll tell you what. Andre' Woodson, Rafael Little, and Dicky Lyons Jr. are three guys I've enjoyed watching. I'm actually sold on Andre' Woodson. I still think about that long bomb that Woodson passed to beat Louisville in a nail-biter. I can still hear it in my mind:

"...Andre' Johnson has a man WIDE OPEN! ... TOUCHDOWN!"

I'm actually interested as to where he ends up in the NFL Draft (working on a thread for this). Almost the best-case deal for you would be if Woodson gets drafted by the St. Louis Rams and completely turns around the blue and gold (beautiful colors for the Rams) to maybe make the playoffs. I'm sure the future will be bright for Kentucky football. Question is, will any 5-star High School recruits sign up to make Kentucky even better? Can Kentucky have a magical year like what Rutgers had two seasons ago and Kansas this season? Should be an interesting 2008 for UK.

 

[FoolKiller]

Well, Dicky Lyons Jr has been given WR1 position for next year already. Probably to ensure he doesn't try to go pro early, not that Dicky Sr would let him. I imagine that conversation would be similar to the rumored conversation about where Dicky Jr would go to school. Let's just say Dicky's first choice was not Kentucky, but his only option, according to his dad, was Kentucky.


The real question is whether or not we have a QB. By this point I have to assume that Brooks has at least a sophomore QB worth something and a freshman back up. That is a minimum.

As for an RB, well we know we will have two great RBs and a half decent third.

So the big question on offense is the QB. And as always defense is a big question mark. They will look absolutely horrible one day and then the next they stop the number one team in the country and win the game.