SB Nation User Blog: voljunkie

Voljunkies has new favorite columnist

voljunkie — Sun, 19 Apr 2009 20:24:02 -0000

And that would be Mark Wiedmer from the Chattanooga Times Free Press! Are we a little biased? Maybe because he did plug our website in his column today which you can read Hereand anybody willing put Voljunkies in print is A number 1 in my book. I have spent some time today reading some of his articles and he is really good writer if I had just an oz. of that this might be a OK blog someday :). You can bet I will be checking back to read more from him and if you like a good story with a personal touch then you should read Wiedmer when you get a chance. And speaking of writers, Voljunkies is still looking for writers/contributors for our site, So if you are interested please let us know, its hard to keep up with it all without some help. Well I just wanted to get this out and Thank Mark Wiedmer. Thanks!…now its off to make sure I go the snacks and drinks ready to watch the replay of the orange and white game and join in on the open thread over at Rocky Top Talk

It is a good article check it out...however I dont think I got all the autographs in 10 minutes last year LOL

So why does Calipari go to UK?

voljunkie — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 03:38:03 -0000

A lot of conversation about this, and I am no different so I wanted to look at it from a different way. When I first heard that Billy G might be gone my first thought was they should get Calipari.(I really did I swear:) Then I immediately thought why would he ever leave Memphis? Well the obvious answer is that UK has so much tradition, why would you not go. Then I thought well in today's win now society and a generation of split second attention spans, does anybody really care about UK's tradition? I dont think the todays young athletes do and dont think fans other then UK fans do. They have been out of the spotlight for about 4 or 5 years now, so who cares about them right? I guess it still means something to coaches. Well lets look at what JC had at Memphis, 1. Top dog on the campus. 2. Obviously he had no problems getting the top Talent to come and play in Memphis. 3. A great facility in the fedex forum. 4. A salary that was nothing to sneeze at. 4. A cupcake conference that led to 30+ win seasons and a seemingly constant 1 or 2 seed in the tourney. WOW what more could you ever want as a coach.. More Money? well Memphis was trying to match the Money so that's not it.
The only negative thing you even grab a hold of is having to listen to the media talk about how your in the conference USA....which doesn't seem to matter come selection Sunday.
So what does UK offer a coach...can he get better talent? maybe, but I see this as a wash, he did just fine in Memphis. I think todays players play for coaches more then schools. Uk will definitely put a ton more pressure on JC to win quickly and it could take him 3 or 4 years to win big. Also he will be under a lot more scrutiny...oh yeah and he better learn how to coach free throws because if you lose a national title at UK for missing free throws you may be fired on the spot.
The only thing that I can see as a reason to leave memphis and go to UK is that somehow in the coaching world it is a dream to coach at a elite school with steep tradition.. is it worth it? I didn't think so but I guess to Coaches it does....

So in my eyes Coach Calipari left a dream job, to take on a challenge that if it works out, he may, may ,may win one more game then he did at Memphis..If he fails he will be remembered for that and not Memphis and the dynasty he was building.

My Overall thoughs on Basketball Season

voljunkie — Sat, 21 Mar 2009 19:19:23 -0000

Wow, what can really be said that isnt already flooding the msg boards and blogs across the the web? I think when a team underachieves there are going to be those fans and critics who will be tough on that team. I believe everyone would agree that this team has under achieved this season. Sure you can say, if winning a share of the SEC East is underachieving then our expectations are too high, well lets examine that. First they did not go out and flat out win the East, in fact for awhile it looked like they may finish 3rd or 4th and then luckily the other teams lost and let them back in. So bottom line is that they backed into a share of the East more then just going out there and being in control of the East.

In the SEC Tourney they got to the finals, which was the best the Vols have done in a long time, so even though they lost in the finals I don’t think they underachieved in the SEC tourney. What was disappointing is the fact they got beat by a Mississippi State team that played horrible and had the Vols just played decent, they would have won easily. In other words if they could have played like they did the first two games.

On to the NCAA, I think Jim Boeheim said it the best after their conference tourney. he said the only thing that will be remembered about this season is how we do in the NCAA. Unfortunately for Tennessee that is how most fans will judge this season as a one anddone in the big dance. The game against OSU just had a terrible feel to it which started with the announcers and there obvious biased excitement for Eaton and OSU, andthen the ever present frustration of inconsistent refereeing (which happens in all basketball, it is by far the worst thing about the game) Tennessee was not able to build a lead when OSU had starters on the bench, Williams let a much smaller Moses push him around. Tennessee played soft inside, Then at the endof the game the Vols had two crucial turnovers with in 30 seconds which they went from 2 up to 3 down. It was a moment in the game that was just so telling of how this season has gone. Then again in the final seconds they were forced to make a shot and just didn’t get it done. Oh yeah I hope everyone took note on how Eaton blew right by Tabb(our supposed best defender) like it was nothing, right to the rim to take the lead. Eaton also went from the 3 point line and took 3-4 steps righ toward the goal before Tatum even made one step over to try and help(sad)
I always find it puzzleing when players get these labels like “a lock down defender” and it sticks with them regardless of how the play after they earned the name.

So the theme to the year was flat out inconsistency, coupled with lack of effort, missed free throws and lay ups. But why were they so inconsistent?, was it the coaches the players or both? Well lets start withthe coaching. Now first I want to clarify that Bruce Pearl is my Homeboy and I am very happy with what he has done for our program. But did he coach this year like the last three, Yes and No. He changed his on court style of play but didn’t change the other things it takes to play that style such as player rotation and evaluating how players are playing at any given time. I remember way back at the beginning of the season when Chip and I were getting fired up about all the Baller Vols and the talent Bruce had recruited. AndI said, I sure hope he can get the players withtalent to play withthe same heart as he did with our “so called lesser talented players” I didn’t know it then but that is what this season was all about. As far as coaching Bruce abandoned the full court press, He didn’t keep the pace up where we were trying to score most of our points out of transition(unless the other team played that pace, then we usually won) He allowed a half court offense that gave everyone the green light to do what ever they wanted andthe result was a team with the 11th worst SEC and 290th in the nation 3pt FG% fired up three after three. But what is interesting as that the Vols led the league in FG% but was 11th in 3 point %..tells me that they should have played more inside the arc. The vols were also 1oth in free Throw% and 1oth in rebounds per game, 3rd Offensive and 10th defensive. The vols were also 10th in Steals. looks like they didn’t play much defense.

Here is a stat that I find very interesting, is how our starting players ranked in the SEC for minutes per game played.

Tyler Smith 7th at 32.5, next was J.P Prince at 37th with 26.5,(wow thats 30 players in between the two) then Chism 42nd at 25.6, Maze 47th at 25.0 and Hopson 55th at 23.2, that means that 4 of our starting five were on the bench for more then 14 minutes per game, I wonder why there is no consistency. It tells me that Pearl changed the style of play but not how he substitutes. Pearl Substituted this year by the clock, like clockwork. There seemed to be no re-guard for who was playing well or who wasn’t. several times a player would hit a hot spurt and the other team would call time out and when they came back on the court the hot player was on the bench. In other words he subbed like he was playing a 40 minute full court press and needed to rest players(not the case) overall I don’t think there was a whole lot of coaching happening. To me it was kinda like “it is what it is” lets just play and let the chips fall where they may. And they didn’t fall Tennessee’s way in the big games. I didn’t see very many in game adjustments, I didn’t see players being benched for mistakes, pretty much every game went like this, if they came out and hit 3 point shots and lay ups, they won the game if not they lost, it wasn’t like they manufactured wins by changing during a game.

Now let me talk about point guards. First your hear it all over TV, you cant win in the big dance without solid point guard play. Tennessee definitely has not had good point guard play, but I think it is for a different reason then most people. I think it is because Maze split time with Tabb. And by split I mean almost Half and Half. Maze was a different player when Tabb was in trouble and Maze played over 30 minutes a game. Tabb gets out of the doghouse and takes 17 –18 minutes of Mazes playing time, thats almost a entire half. There is not one single team left in the NCAA that has there point guard on the bench 17-18 minutes a game. Everyone says we don’t have consistency at the point, well how can anybody be expected to run the point effectively when you play 6 minutes and then sit 4 minutes then play 4 minutes and sit 6 minutes. its just crazy, I don’tthink there is one elite level coach that would tell you that is a winning formula for the point. I personally think Bobby Maze has the biggest reason of all to be upset with how this year turned out. In the beginning of the year when we found out West was off the team Pearl was concerned about who could provide the minutes for Maze when he needed to rest, I didn’t know he was looking for somebody to play half the game,(okay enough of that but it has been my peeve all year) Sure I like Tabb, I think he could have gotten minutes elsewhere, perhaps spell Prince or Hopson. At the point Maze led Tabb in nearly every catagory and I dont think they really gained anything by having Tabb in the game at point. But conversely they did lose the ability for Maze to continue to gain feel for the game, get to know the other team, get to know how his players were playing and get in a rythym. basically run the offense. here is another interesting tell in the contrast of point guard play, in 34 games this year Jodie Meeks, arguably the best PG in the conference played a total of 1172 minutes, and our very own Bobby Maze played 852 minutes. that works out to be 8 games, Meeks played an entire 8 games worth of minutes more then Maze. Johnny Flynn at Syracuse play 12 games more minutes then Maze. 12 games, wow.

J.P. Prince, JP was probably the most Talented, frustrating and inconsistent player on the team. JP never committed a foul all year, he made lazy passes, but he also made great passes, didn’t play much defense and missed alotof shots. JP was also the type of player that constantly displayed a cocky attitude with extreme fist pumps, dances, salutes and yells whenever he made a “offensive play” Fans love what you do on offense but they also want to see the effort on the defensive side of the ball. However JP was the one player that could do things that made you jump out of the seat and say wow. JP has a chance to do something special next year.

Tyler Smith., well it was his team this year. and he was quietly the best overall player on the team. In the beginningof the year when he started doing that move where he drives to the middle of the lane with a jump hop and a double pump, I was wondering where and when he developed that bad habit. Last year Tyler had the luxury of two guards that drew the defense out andleft him a lot of room to make plays around the bucket. This year the defenses crowded the paint and it is just a lot to ask someone who is 6 foot 7 make things happen in that environment. Tyler displayed his NBA talent at several times this year. There are not really any bad things you can say about Tyler, he seemed to play as hard as he could every game and was a true competitor who you could tell hated losing. I really hope Tyler comes back next year.

Wayne Chism. I think Wayne has the best chance of all to play in the NBA. But like this team Wayne needs to find an identity, is he going to be a dominant center or is he going to be a big street baller? Now I love it as much as anyone when Chism drains a three, and it is very beneficial to a team to have a big guy do that. But you have to recognize what is going on in a game andyou have to realize when its not your day from beyond the arc. With a true shooter, sure you gotta shoot through a slump, but with Wayne if they don’t fall on Wednesday then stop and try again on Saturday. There were times this year when Wayne got mad and stepped up his intensity and he was a force on the floor, if he ever decides to play like that for 40 minutes the rest of the SEC could be in trouble. Also I hope Wayne comes back, I believe he already said he was but you never know until its done.

Scotty Hopson, are you glad he is here at Tennessee? I am ! Scotty had some pretty high expectations placed on his very young shoulders this year as a freshman. Scotty started off this year very very timid, all he wanted to do was throw up his signature rainbow three. The crowds were begging him to show us that McDonald’s All American scoring. But it didn’t happen, As the season progressed he starting driving to the bucket more and more but he had trouble making the shot. He also has to develop his ball handling skills, he lost the handle quiet a bit this year. The knock I have on Hopson is I wonder how bad he wants it, he seems slightly disinterested in the whole thing. I sure hope that changes

Bobby Maze, I feel sorry for Maze I don’t think he thought when he came here things would turn out like they did, was he the best point guard in the league? maybe we don’t really know, but was he the best point guard on our team? Yes. Okay I’m going to touch on this one more time, because I believe it is that important. Maze is a true PG. and as such you have to be on the floor, the PG is your quarterback the person who has to get a feel for the game, read the defense, recognize how your own players are playing, who is hot and who is not, This is extremely hard, if not impossible to do if you only play a little over half the game. Also when your teammates are constantly changing it makes it even more difficult. Last year Howell and Ramar split time in almost the exact same way and the Vols struggled at the point, so much so that Pearl got all loopy and decided it was a good idea to play Prince at the point in the sweet sixteen game. The last time we had a true PG it was CJ Watson and he played over 30 minutes per game. Unfortunately for Maze I don’t think things will change. Another comment I heard a lot this was we didn’t have any leadership at the point, what a laugh, leader means one.

Josh Tabb, well I don’t really know what to say about Tabb except to me he is like a player without a position. he is not a true PG, he was ok but not a true PG, he also does not have the slashing play making ability of a Prince, he is not tall enough to be a Fwd. So what does he bring, well according to everybody in the media he brings good defense, well my take is this, he is better on defense then he is on offense, but is the difference enough to sacrifice on offense to have his defense? My answer is no. I don’t feel the gap between him and Maze was that great. Tabb needs to find minutes elsewhere not at the point.

Cameron Tatum, another guy with a lot of offensive talent driving and slashing, but he also wanted to be the three point guy. Sure he can shoot from three but right now he is too inconsistent for that to be his first thought. he should use that athletic ability and drive it to the hoop. Tatum should get better next year, but he needs to play defense better.

Emmanuel Negedu, you know why everybody like Negedu? because he brings it every minute he is on the floor. Here is a guy who worked hard to get where he is and wants more. You can tell he values hard work. by far the person on the team that hustles the most. And fans love you for it.

Renaldo Woolridge. If looks counted this guy would be all SEC, he just looks like he should be a stud on the court. but like Tatum I think Woolridge wanted to be the 3 point guy, and he just couldntpull it off, However I do commend him on recognizing it and not throwing up in threes in his last couple of games. Hopefully he makes a lot of progress over the summer and is a major contributor next year.

Big baby Williams, now you talk about somebody who has it all right there for the taking. He has it all, size, hands, touch. But what is the difference, he doesn’t want it bad enough to play hard and consistant for 40 minutes. This guy has a opportunity to be loved by the fans.

So I think what is still yet to be determined is can Bruce Pearl coach a team that has Top Talent. Unfortunately I don’t think the Talented players are going to change, not the ones we presently have and not the ones that are yet to come he. I don’t think Bruce’s style is Talent friendly, by this I mean the entire system. Sure everybody wants to play a freestyle running and gunning type of play, but my key to this is that the Talent also wants to play a lot more minutes. they want to be on display for the scouts at the next level. I wonder what somebody like Tyreke Evans would have been like in our system. I personally don’t think it would have let him do what he has done at Memphis this year, I also wonder what Hopson would have done at MSU. I look at this a lot like I look at football, the days of not playing freshman and sophomores is long gone, if you want to grab the top players, you gotta let them play.

So what is the answer, do you start getting lower rated recruits so they can fit in your system? Heck no. So what then, well I think Bruce is going to have to evaluate all aspects of coaching a team at this level and figure out the changes that need to be made. We all know that he can coach a bunch of players who want to prove the world wrong and have the heart to lay it on the line every game and are willing to play his system. Also we all know he is a great marketer of our program, so lets hope he figures out the next level. Something has got to change in order to get Tennessee past the sweet sixteen. Because if things stay exactly the same Tennessee will win a few more games just on the fact that they will be one year older, but they will not be so good that we will be wowed. Also want to reiterate that I am not slamming this team or coach Pearl I am just observing that this team took a step back when everyone was thinking they should have taken a step forward. I believe coach Pearl can get the Vols were we wanna be but it will take some coaching and changes on his part

Come guys lets disscuss this I want some different viewpoints and tell me why Im wrong

Got Some Spring Practice photos

voljunkie — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 02:14:30 -0000

hey everyone,

I got some pictures up from spring practice today in case you might be interested...over at voljunkies.com photo gallery ....pretty awesome day over there today. A lot of energy and a lot of action, the coaches were pretty vocal and pretty demanding. Also they looked real good didnt seem to be any confusion or lack of direction, it really looked promising for a first day, Bram Cannon got a lot of snaps and he looked really good.

hey Hooper you still going curling Friday night? or are you gonna make the game?

The Deuce talks with Voljunkies

voljunkie — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 15:24:12 -0000

Chest bump to voljunkie for scoring this interview and for the FanPost here.

We would really like to thank Fred White for taking the time out of his busy schedule to talk with us this morning. Fred is finishing up the first week of his much anticipated and much needed radio show this week. Fred is the host of the “Hardest Hitting Show” on the radio, that airs weekdays from 2:00-3:00 afternoons on ESPN radio 1180.

VJ: Fred Congratulations on your show, what has the first week been like?
Fred: It was fun and also a learning experience. I am looking forward to week two.

VJ: It seemed to me like your call bank was full the whole time, do you think one hour of “ hard hitting” is enough?
Fred: The calls have been coming in, I hope they continue. And I welcome more calls. I’m doing an hour to get started, but eventually I will be doing a 2hr show.

VJ: You had a lot of former Vols call in and talk with you this week, do you plan on having any Vols come in and guest host with you?
Fred: My former teammates have been very supportive and I am greaful to have some wonderful friends. I have somethings in the works for the weeks to come.

VJ: Tell us something about this week that surprised you about the show
Fred: I was surprised at how slow an hour goes by when you are hosting your own show. In the last few days it has gone a little faster.

VJ: What plans do you have for the show that we can look forward to in the future?
Fred: I plan to have more of my former teammates, guys that are current NFL players on through out the summer and fall. I also will be adding some special touches to the show, stay tuned. I will be having some fun contest to win various things for listeners, such as game tickets or dinner for two. Again, stay tuned.

VJ: In honor of the Deuce, Two more questions,
1. What was your favorite memory of the 1998 championship season?

Fred: My favorite moment of the 1998 season is beating Florida. It was my only win against them and the most exciting game I have ever played in. Our fans were great! Neyland Stadium has never been louder.

2. Who hits harder? You in your day or Eric berry now?

Fred: Eric Berry will go down as the best safety to wear the Orange. Deon Grant and myself were tabbed “Thunder and Lighting.” Eric Berry is the “Perfect Storm.” But he still can’t hit harder than me!

Thanks again Fred for taking the time to chat with us, you have always great to your fans. Good luck with your show and we will be listening.

Ok Vol fans lets get out there and give our all for a Former Vol that gave his all for us! Make sure you check out Freds Show and if you have the time make sure you call in, he wont hit you too hard!

The Hardest Hitting Show on the Radio…weekday afternoons from 2-3 on ESPN 1180 am.

and keep listening to Tony Basilio, Tony we got a lot of love for you too!

Lets talk point guard play

voljunkie — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 06:32:55 -0000

I was high on Bobby Maze over the summer and early in this season. Guess what I still am. I think that the style of play and substitution patterns that Bruce and Company have implemented are not suited to Maze’s game. Back when Maze was playing over 30 minutes a game Tennessee looked like a different team to me. The flow was there the pace was up and our transition game was much more effective. I am a firm believer that the Point position is so important that it takes playing a lot of minutes to run it effectively. So what happens when your minutes drop to around 20-25 minutes? Well you get out of the flow, you lose your rhythm. 25 minutes a game for a point guard? that 15 minutes on the bench(or basically an entire half of play). That’s like benching your QB halfway through the third quarter. Its just a insane strategy with the Vols style of play this year. Lets compare to others in the SEC: Meeks-Kentucky 34.7 mpg(39 vs. Vols), Calathes-Florida 32.9 mpg(28 vs. Vols), Beal-Vandy 32.8 mpg(34 vs Vols), Fortson-Ark. 32.6 mpg(37 vs. Vols), Huertas-Ole Miss 32.3 mpg(white 32 vs. Vols), Downy-SC 32.2 mpg(37 vs. Vols), Gee-Ala. 32.0 mpg, Stewart-Miss St. 31.3 mpg, Reed-Aub. 31.1 mpg(37 vs. Vols), Thorton, LSU 30.6 mpg(37 vs. Vols),—-> MAZE 25.8 that ranks 41st in mpg among SEC players and he is a starting Point Guard. I for one think this is a huge mistake. With the opponents averaging around 35 mpg I don’t think our style of play is Waring anybody down and neither is our 1-2 punch at point guard even landing many jabs. Also it seems like almost every game the other teams Guard goes off for a career game. So why is Maze losing minutes? In a attempt to get Josh Tabb minutes? We needed a PG to relieve Maze when necessary not to split time with him at a seemingly 5 minutes on, 5 minutes off pattern. Maze leads Tabb in practically every stat, including steals and blocks. I don’t know why everybody Touts Tabb as a lock down defender. I don’t see it. I would rather see Tabb get his minutes back at the two or Three and give him a chance to do what he has admitted he is more comfortable with. I know some people will argue that Maze isn’t playing good enough to play more then he is. I say you don’t know what he might do if he didn’t have to sit every four-five minutes. Sometimes you have to consider what could be happening instead of focusing on what is happening now. I would also say I could see the point of the Tabb/Maze combination if I could see where it has helped us at all on either side of the ball, in my opinion it has not helped us it has hurt us. Substitutions have frustrated me all year. Sometimes you have to go with the hot players and not just substitute religiously by the clock. Another example of this was the LSU game when Chism and Negedu were the hot players and Chism was sat at the six minute mark just after he led the Vols back from a 12 point deficit and did not return until the 3 minute mark Tennessee could not build a lead with Chism on the bench. Negedu sat the final 3 minutes. That game was won in the final two minutes. Sorry for the ranting, but the good news is that the Vols are still tied for the SEC East. But I wouldn’t be logging onto Vegas.com and placing any big wagers. I love the Vols and I love what Pearl has done, I hope it gets it back on track. Go Vols Beat Kentucky

Local Sports Icon named to All Century team

voljunkie — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 01:02:08 -0000

Local sports icon Ron Widby was named as a member of the Tennessee basketball all century team. George Ronald “Ron” Widby was born here in Knoxville, Tennessee and Graduated from Fulton High School. Ron played Football, Basketball, Baseball and Golf for the Vols and was named All-America in football and basketball. Widby is also a member of the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame. Widby is considered by many to be one of Tennessee’s most gifted athletes of all time. Widby was and is Tennessee’s last Vol to letter in four(count’em) four different varsity sports. He had three in football, three in basketball, and one each for baseball and golf. Widby led the Vols to basketball SEC championship in 1967. On the night of Widby’s final home basketball game he dropped a cool 50 points against LSU, a school record that stood for twenty years until it was finally broken by Tony White. Widby’s accomplishments at UT will go down as one of the most storied of all time. After leaving Tennessee Widby went on to play for in the NFL with the Dallas Cowboys and the Green Bay Packers, Ron played in Super Bowl V and Won a Super Bowl Ring in Super Bowl VI. Ron was also chosen to the Pro Bowl in 1971. As if re-writing the UT record book was not enough Widby kicked a 84 yard punt which is still a Dallas Cowboy record today. Not only was Ron a professional football star but he also played ABA basketball for the New Orleans Buccaneers and later Widby even made the Senior tour as a professional golfer. Ron Widby is one of the greatest sports stories in Tennessee history. Unfortunately as time goes by the history begins to fade. It is our responsibility as Tennessee Fans to ensure that our Legends are remembered and praised for their accomplishments and what they have given the University and fans. If you consider yourself a Vol fan share this story with the younger generation of Fans.

Pictures provided by Kathy Ramsay Cummins
Ron with his wife Debbie

Ron with is nephew Randy Cummins and Randy’s son Chase

voljunkies.com

Mike Hamilton talks to Voljunkies

voljunkie — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 18:25:32 -0000

Mike Hamilton talks to Voljunkies

Mike Hamilton Talks to Vol junkies
By Vol Junkie • February 12, 2009 • No Comments

Last night after the Georgia game we got a chance to get a picture and a quick chat with the UT athletic director Mike Hamilton. He was extremely nice and gracious for taking the time to visit with some normal Fans. I was kinda taken by surprised and was not prepared to ask any real good questions. However I did ask him about Lane Kiffin. and he said "Kiffin is just excited and he has the players EXCITED" Then I said it is important to get them to believe in a new system. Hamilton said "exactly kinda like what happened Bruce Pearls first year. I wish there was more but that’s it.

Mike Hamilton: " KIFFIN HAS THE PLAYERS EXCITED" about the future of the program.

Thanks Mike for being a Tennessee Vol

AP voting and national Championship

voljunkie — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 17:36:21 -0000

First off The Florida Gators are the national champions in the BCS and the AP. And that is how it should be based on the system in place. Now do I agree with the current system NO! I like 99.9% percent of college football fans want a play off. Why do we want it? So it can be settled on the FIELD. So why do I bring up the AP voting? Because all we are hearing everywhere is who should everyone vote for in the AP. Such as Texas, USC or Utah. So what is my point? If you want it to be settled on the field then how could you ever advocate voting for anybody else other then Florida in the AP Poll. Because if you do you are basing that vote on who you “THINK” is the best team or who “THINK” will win. So unless you can say that you “thought” that Utah would beat Alabama, and you “though” that Oregon State would beat USC, and you “though” that Ole Miss would beat Florida and you “thought” that Texas Tech would beat Texas, you have no idea what will actually happen until the game is played on the field. So you have to crown Florida the champions even if you don’t like them and your favorite team didn’t get to play in the BCS title game. I wonder where all of this outrage was back when Auburn went 13-0 through the SEC and won the Bowl game? Oh wait USC was in the BCS title game that year, so all was well.

The only thing good about everything that is being said by the media and fans is that we might actually render the BCS title game useless and then the whole system might go away.

Just think if the Pac 10 picked up Utah and Boise State and the Big Ten picked up another team..Then we would have had Alabama/Florida Ohio State/Penn State USC/Utah and Oklahoma/Missuori(sorry texas but you can only blame your conference)
Think what the BCS could have done after those games played out. and then have a plus one.

Voljunkie

Sound Factory Bowl Challenge

voljunkie — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 04:01:47 -0000

Sound Factory Bowl Challenge

By all means play the rocky top talk "bowl pick'em" but if you want more and wanna chance to win a free window tint from "sound Factory" on clinton highway, head on over and sign up. Not to much action yet so it could be easy