The 2007 Pre-season College Football Top 25 Poll - Injustice at it's Finest

College football is the greatest sport, until the very end of the season and right before the season starts. The very end of the season because everybody is once again reminded how retarded the BCS system and how meaningless the bowls are in the grand scheme of things. Even the bowls are losing meaning because there are so many of them. Then there is the time right before the season starts when the pre-season polls are released. Pre-season polls either give a school a springboard advantage which it did not deserve or an extreme disadvantage because they have to win and count on everybody else losing in order to move up the poll. Because of the bias amongst media and the coaches, some schools' ranking makes no logical sense. Schools should start where they ended the season before, after all, it is the program that makes the players, not the players that make the program. Every year the media and coaches insist on putting the same teams in the top 25 that over promise and under deliver year in and year out. Yet, because they were once good, there is always that gleaming hope that "this year will be the year." Let's take a look at how the pre-season top 25 looks:

1. USC - No surprise here, Pete Carroll just wins regardless of who plays.
2. LSU - Loses starting QB as well as key players on the defensive side of the ball yet moves up from where they ended last year.
3. Florida - No surprise here, first time starter Tim Tebow must prove that he can win.
4. Texas - Up 9 spots from their 2006 finish, still riding on the coat tails of their 2005 National Championship.
5. Michigan - Did anybody else watch the Rose Bowl last year? Just checking.......
6. West Virginia - Jumped 4 spots from last year, even ahead of Louisville, who pasted them last year.
7. Wisconsin - One of only 2 schools that start where they finished.
8. Oklahoma - Loses to Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl, loses their team MVP, but moves up 3 spots.
9. Virginia Tech - I don't understand this one, up 10 spots from last year. Please don't tell me it's because of the VT massacre this past spring. Indeed that was awful, but let's not coddle the football team.
10. Ohio State - Dropped 8 spots, for reason. Let's see who steps up at QB first.
11. Louisville - Down from #6 at last seasons end, is Bobby Petrino's loss that bad?
12. California - No comment here.
13. Georgia - Once again, the Bulldogs debut in the top 15 after ending the previous season barely in the top 25. Who wants to wager they lose 3 games again??
14. Auburn - Always a solid top 25 selection. Deserved? Yeah, I guess.
15. Tennessee - See Auburn comment.
16. Rutgers - Rutgers has been a no-show when it comes to college football for years, then they have a decent year in 2006 and we expect it to be a norm. Expect them to stay high all season playing in the Big Least Conference.
17. UCLA - UCL eh? They ended last season without a single vote and start the season #17? Please, someone explain this one to me.
18. Penn State - See Auburn comment.
19. Nebraska - Nebraska ended the season #27, they have been the most overrated team for the past 10 years. No matter how many times they start in the top 25, they will never return to their once prominent past.
20. Arkansas - McFadden is the glue that has held this team in the top 25 for the past 3 seasons, expect that to change next year.
21. Florida State - The most underachieving school in college football the last 5 years ladies and gentleman. Bobby Bowden is not the coach he once was.
22. TCU - The second team that starts where they finished. They are the non-BCS darlings, this one is no surprise.
23. Boise State - See TCU comment (about being the non-BCS darlings).
24. Hawaii - The NEW non-BCS darlings.
25. Texas A&M - See Auburn comment.The BCS rankings are not released until mid-season to better reflect which schools are better.

Perhaps all polls should follow the same protocol. The bias in college football makes me sick. I have not mentioned the worst of them all yet, and that is BYU. The Cougars finished last year #15, with their coach winning the Western Region Coach of the Year, their offense ranked #2 in scoring, and their defense #10 in points allowed, yet they start 2007 down 19 spots at #34. TCU, one of the many teams BYU beat last season is 12 spots up. Get a research crew on this one, they will simply find that the Cougars got hosed.

BYU 2007 Season Preview

Last year, BYU won it’s first Mountain West Conference Championship in five years and posted an 11-2 record. They ended the regular season with one of the best finishes in BYU history against Utah and capped the season off by destroying PAC-10 team Oregon in the Las Vegas Bowl. BYU outdid many people’s expectations and was able to finish second in the NCAA in scoring offense and tenth in scoring defense. BYUs only two losses were by a total of 10 points. ’06 MWC Offensive Player of the Year John Beck moved into second place at BYU in passing yards and RB Curtis Brown was able to break the record for total rushing yards. ’06 MWC and Western Region Coach of the Year Bronco Mendenhall has his squad rekindling the rich BYU tradition of winning back to Cougartown, having the best scoring advantage in the NCAA at LaVell Edwards Stadium.

Players to Watch This Season:
QB Max Hall, HB Fui Vakapuna, WR Austin Collie, TE Dennis Pitta, TE Vic So’oto, LB Kelly Poppinga, DB Ben Criddle

Offensive Strengths:
BYU has the heaviest and most experienced offense line in college football. BYU is also very deep and experienced in the backfield with two bruising runners in Manase Tonga and Fui Vakapuna. BYU is also very experienced at the wide receiver position with three returning starters, including MWC 2004 Freshman of the Year, Austin Collie, who has been on a LDS church service mission the past two years.

Offensive Weaknesses:
QB Max Hall is a potential weakness only because he has never taken a snap in Division 1 college football. Another weakness for the Cougars could be the TE spot, which is left vacant by All-American Senior Jonny Harline.

Defensive Strengths:
BYU is bringing back a strong defensive line and quick linebackers that are able to get to the quarterback. LB Bryan Kehl is assuming the position of captain for the BYU defense.

Defensive Weaknesses:
BYU has been hampered in their secondary with injuries and the loss of DB Justin Robinson. Recently, nose tackle Russell Tialavea has went down with a potential season ending injury. BYU must find a player to step up and fill some big shoes.

2007 Season Summary Projection:
BYU starts the season with three huge games that will set the tone for the rest of the year. They start with Arizona at home, whom they lost to in last season’s first game. Then the Cougars head to The Rose Bowl to play UCLA and then back on the road at Tulsa. If BYU wins two of those first three games then they may be on their way to another stellar year.

Arizona – W
@UCLA – L
@Tulsa – W
Air Force – W
@New Mexico – W
@UNLV – W
Eastern Washington – W
@ SDSU – W
Colorado St – W
TCU – W
@Wyoming – W
Utah – W


Big Games of the Year: @UCLA, TCU, and Utah.

2007 Projected Bowl: Las Vegas Bowl
BYU may have the chance to be a BCS-buster if they go unbeaten in ’07, but is more likely that they will lose a few and end up in the LV Bowl. The LV Bowl would love to see BYU back, as they have had record attendance the last two years in which BYU competed.

Derek Fisher - Please Be Honest

We pretty much all know the story, Derek Fisher's daughter contracted a rare form of cancer in her eye in May. Fisher missed a couple of playoff games in the Jazz's amazing run this year to be with his daughter. Fisher came in during game 2 of the Western Conference Semis and had an amazing performance to lift the team. Fisher was praised and regarded as a "hero." He put family first and was rewarded.
The way the whole Derek Fisher saga in Utah ended has left a sour taste in my mouth. Let's be honest though, who wouldn't leave their job to be with their daughter if they made millions every year? Everybody regarded Derek Fisher as a class act family man when he announced he would "walk away" from his contract in Utah to find the best medical care for his daughter. He even went as far as to say that he might not play basketball again. Not even 2 weeks later, Fisher was already having contract negotiations with the Los Angeles Lakers. Then the news conference came and Fisher was officially a Laker once again.
Riddle me this, if the best medical care was in New York when his daughter first contracted the cancer, why now is it in Los Angeles? Seems a little fishy to me. (No pun intended) In his news conference with the Lakers, Lakers GM mentioned how they had "had their eyes on Fisher" and "had been in negotiation with him for some time." Seems to me that Fisher knew exactly what he was doing when he left Utah, he wouldn't have just "walked away" without a backup plan. Fisher knew exactly what he was doing, I wish the best to his daughter, but he's no hero in my book. He simply did what every other caring father would do, which I do respect. Fisher's story is the same concept of Pat Tillman, a former NFL player that left football to join the Iraq war. Thousands die in the war every year, but Tillman is seen as nobler, and more courageous because he was in the NFL. We need to stop looking at athletes like they are superhuman, because they are not.

Jason Hart?? Come on Jazz--Are You Kidding Me??

The Utah Jazz ended the 06-07 season with plenty of hope for the 07-08 season. Predicted to finish 8th in the West in the pre-season polls, the Jazz ran the tables and made it all the way to the Western Conference Finals. Things were looking up in late June after the season ended, they only had 3 players not signed to contracts that all wanted to come back. The Jazz didn't need to upgrade, their experience in the playoffs was enough and were already looking like a potential front runner again for the 07-08 season. But then came the falling out of Derek Fisher, who left the team to seek medical attention for his daughter and signed with the Los Angeles Lakers. I respect Derek Fisher for his decision and will be rooting for him next season to do well, but surely not his team. Then the Jazz drafted Morris Almond, the purest shooter in the draft out of Rice, and Kyrylo Fesenko, a tall athletic center from Ukraine. In addition, the Jazz also signed the rights to match any contract offer for 2nd year point guard Dee Brown and 3rd year shooting guard C.J. Miles. It is also expected the Jazz with offer center Rafael Araujo the same contract. And now comes the juggernaut, without any notice, the Jazz announced they have signed another shooting guard in Jason Hart. This one begs to ask the VP of operations for the Jazz, Kevin O'Connor, "What in the bleepity bleep are you thinking??" The Jazz lose a proven champion, veteran, and motivator in Derek Fisher, and then sign an unproven, journeyman, that has made the visit to 5 different teams during 6 years in the NBA. Even O'Connor seems very unsure about the deal, saying of Hart, "he brings some veteran leadership a little bit." The Jazz right now are trying to go up and escalator that is going down. Last week Morris Peterson visited the team, a guy who fits the mold of a Derek Fisher. Without notice, the Jazz waste an "undisclosed amount"of money to Jason Hart on a multi-year contract, after Peterson chose to sign the the New Orleans Hornets. I stress "multi-year contract" because Hart has never played more than a year with any other previous team, being waived or traded every year. Hart's numbers are no better than the worst player on the Jazz roster that received comparable minutes to Hart last season. Either the Jazz are loading up for a multi-player trade, or they have gone mad. Until that trade happens, Jason Heart--go out there and prove me wrong (along with every other loyal Jazz fan out there).

Jazz Need Complimentary Players- Not Superstars

After an impressive 06-07 season, the Utah Jazz will seemingly be better next year by just having experience under their belts of playing in the Western Conference Finals. However; things have been shaken up a little by the departure of Derek Fisher for personal family reasons. Derek Fisher was a hard player to accept being a Jazzman, having seen him kill the Jazz in the many years that he played as a Laker, but it only took one game for me to swing my opinion of him. Fisher had a great court presence and did more in leadership and controlling the tempo of games, which does not appear on his stat sheet. He made one of the greatest appearances in the Conference Semi-Finals game against the Warriors when he flew in from his sick daughter's surgery during the 3rd quarter and came straight out on the court to change the game and make some huge shots in overtime. With Fisher now gone the Jazz need a leader, they need a veteran. Rumors have been swirling over Morris Peterson of the Raptors signing with the Jazz. He's a perfect fit, a good shooter that's a veteran and a winner. Not with the Raptors, but with Michigan State in college. Speaking of the Raptors, anyone else still perplexed that Sam Mitchell won coach of the year last year? Should the Jazz sign Peterson, they also need to look for a big man. Let's all face it, Mehmet Okur is not a post player. Deron Williams and Matt Harpring are better post players then Memo. Memo is capable of defending the post, but it wears him out and affects his offense on the other end rendering him as useless as Kirilenko. If Larry Miller was smart, he would get rid of players like Andrei Kirilenko and Gordan Giricek that feel uncomfortable being a complimentary player. Just as the Jazz of old were built around Stockton and Malone, the Jazz of now need to be built around Deron Williams and Carlos Boozer. Any player not willing to do that will be a poison to the team chemistry and needs a swift kick out of the Jazz door.

Men Will Be Boys

The most perplexing thing to me about athletes that attend BYU is that they feel they are exempt from adhering to the honor code and following other guidelines laid out. I attest this to the cushy lifestyle they have acquired since being an athlete in high school. All the athletes in my high school were babied and simply had to show up to get a good grade while others actually studied. I'm sure my experience wasn't far from everybody else's, and I don' t think that college is any different. BYU football Coach Bronco Mendenhall announced yesterday that lineman Matangi Tonga has been indefinitely suspended from the team for violating team rules. The reasons were undisclosed, which I feel is just fine. Just a little over a month ago, BYU basketball Coach Dave Rose suspended Rashaun Broadus for an alleged DUI. These are just a couple of instances in the recent. We all have heard the "Boys will be boys" saying. Well, apparently men will be boys too, and BYU won't tolerate it. If you want to be a boy, just go to the U where you can do anything and just get a few hours of community service thrown at you with no suspension (refer to sexual harassment charges against QB Brett Ratliff). More so than his value to the team, Matangi Tonga also has a fun name to say, which is highly important in sports. So Matangi Tonga, get your act together so you can continue to play with Manase Tonga, Fui Vakapuna, Temana Paongo, Kalama Kaluhiokalani, and Russell Tialevea. Talk about an exercise in Polynesian phonetics.

Reversal of Roles for Father and Son

When Austin stepped onto the court at The Marriott Center on the campus of BYU he found himself playing under the shadow of a great. The retired jersey of Danny Ainge lurks in the rafters above everybody that plays there. But, to Austin, Danny Ainge is more than a great player that changed the face of BYU basketball, Danny Ainge is his father. Austin Ainge has had his critics while playing at BYU, “He’s definitely not Danny,” has been muttered more than once. However, right now, the tides are changing. Danny Ainge, the Executive Director of Basketball Operations for the Boston Celtics, is making history. The Celtics have lost a franchise record 14 straight games. In the days of Larry Bird, and Danny Ainge, the longest losing streak the Celtics ever had was 4 games. Austin Ainge, the starting point guard at BYU, is making a little history of his own. BYU has been dominant during their current winning streak, having picked up road wins at The Pit in New Mexico and at Utah, which BYU hasn’t done in over 20 years. In addition, BYU has defeated Air Force and UNLV, #10 and #13 rpi, at home by a combined 36 points. Those two wins added to BYUs current home winning streak, 28 games, the second longest in the nation. All while doing this, Austin has contributed significantly with his pin point passing, sharp shooting, and ability to control the tempo of the game. For just this little moment in time, in seems that Austin may be the one lurking over his father.

Carlos Boozer is an All-Star

Carlos Boozer was selected by assistant coaches in the Western Conference on Thursday to be a reserve in this year's All-Star Game. It's a shame that Boozer got injured, because what he has accomplished this season. The All-Star Game is in 2 weeks, but Boozer has not ruled out the possibility of playing. Boozer was extremely optimistic about his injury healing faster than the estimated 4-6 weeks that doctor's gave him. If in any circumstance that Boozer cannot recover in time, Commissioner David Stern will choose a replacement. Yao Ming of the Houston Rockets, who was voted in as a starter, will not make the game with a foot injury. Yao Ming's replacement has not been named yet. The Western Conference is full of deserving players to replace Yao and Boozer. There are many controversies surrounding the players that got snubbed. One is of Denver Nuggets forward Carmelo Anthony, leading scorer in the NBA, and NOT on the All-Star team, most likely because of his role in the "Midget Melee in MSG." Should Boozer not make the team, there is also controversy over the Jazz, the 4th best team in the NBA, not having an All-Star on the team. Mehmet Okur (averaging 18 points and 8 rebounds per game)and Deron Williams (averaging 17 points and 9 assists per game) are both have outstanding years and are both deserving of some recognition. Just as a side note, Tony Parker of the San Antonio Spurs was selected as a Western Conference reserve ahead of Deron Williams in spite of the fact that Williams averages double the assists of Parker. Interesting, isn't a point guard suppossed to dish the ball first?
Boozer is just the ninth player in Utah Jazz franchise history to make the All-Star Game. The other Jazz All-Stars are Adrian Dantley (1980-82, ‘84-86), Mark Eaton (1989), Rickey Green (1984), Andrei Kirilenko (2004), Karl Malone (1988-02), Pete Maravich (1977-79), Len Robinson (1978) and John Stockton (1989-97, ‘00). That's quite the list of names, Boozer is definitely in good company.

Jazz "Money" in "Tough" Win

The Utah Jazz improved to 30-17 with a 97-93 win over the San Antonio Spurs. It was a great win after hearing that Carlos Boozer will be out 4-6 weeks. The Jazz are the most up and down team, the only consistent thing about them is being inconsistent. In the last 3 games, they have suffered 3 losses to teams that are a combined 22 games under .500, and now they come back and beat the Spurs. Saturday will further validate my point if they beat the Phoenix Suns, who they have already beaten twice this year. Just as a side note and to clarify the title, listen in the next game to how many times Jazz announcer Craig Bolerjack says the words, "money," and "tough." Every shot Mehmet Okur puts up is "money," and every shot anybody puts up is almost always labeled a "tough shot." And to think that I got sick of Hot Rod Hundley always saying, "hippity hop," and "a gentle push with a mild arc and that cowhide globe hits home."

BYU Puts an End to Their 14 Year Drought!

It's kind of hard to believe that the BYU basketball team has not won in Salt Lake City since 1994. Granted, there was the time in the mid to late 90s when the Utes were consistently in the top 25. However; BYU also had some great teams in 2002 and 2003, last year's squad wasn't that bad either. But 14 years? That's a long time. What Bronco did with the football team, Dave Rose is doing with the basketball team. As Bronco would say after every goal the team accomplished, "It's just one more step." The BYU basketball team has been making a lot of steps this year. They lost their starting point guard Rashaun Broadus and freshman Jonathon Tavernari and senior Austin Ainge have more than filled in. They beat New Mexico for the second straight year at "The Pit," almost without effort. They beat a 13th ranked Air Force and they beat Utah in Salt Lake City. All of these are important steps for the team. Coming up this weekend, BYU faces a tough UNLV team that is currently #25 in the nation. Not only is their 27-game winning streak at home on the line, but so is 1st place in the Mountain West. Winning on Saturday will be just one more huge step for BYU. There's plenty more steps to go, and Dave Rose has the team going in the right direction. Right now BYU has a 35 rpi, which puts them in position to get into the NCAA tournament this year. It's about time that football and basketball at BYU returned to the winning tradition. Kudos to Coach Mendenhall and Coach Rose.

Carlos Boozer Out 4-6 Weeks

When Carlos Boozer went down last Saturday against the Hornets after banging knees with Tyson Chandler, it just seemed like a bone bruise. Boozer had an MRI on Sunday that came back negative and sat out the Jazz's heart breaking loss to the Nets. In a revaluation today, a hairline fracture was found is Boozer's left fibula, sidelining the likely All-Star selection for 4-6 weeks. Was anybody really surprised by this? Boozer has missed at least 30 games in each of his first two seasons with the Jazz. His first season in Utah he missed 31 games and last season he missed 59. Boozer was the key to the Jazz's resurgence this year, leading the team with 22 points a game and almost 12 rebounds. This latest injury puts the Jazz in quite a pickle. Right now they are sitting on top of their division, but they are going to have to find some scoring and rebounding to make up for Boozer's loss or they are going to lose their division and quite possibly be reeling towards another lottery selection in next year's draft. Rumors have been circulating about a possible trade of Andrei Kirilenko. If the Jazz can get someone that scores over 15 a game, I would consider it an even swap for Kirilenko. Kirilenko has a massive contract and getting rid of him would free up cap space for the Jazz to sign a free agent this summer. Rookie Paul Milsap filled in for Boozer last game and did well (16 points, 13 rebounds, 3 assists), so now that I think about it, maybe Boozer is the one that needs to worry about his roster spot when he returns. Milsap is going to participate in the Rookie Challenge, which is pretty amazing considering he was a late second round pick in the draft. Let's all just relax, the Jazz just might be alright, another rookie from La. Tech is going to save us. Are there any guards from Gonzaga coming out next year?

Jazz Must Learn to Defend the 3 Ball!

In what has now become commonplace at the Energy Solutions Arena and abroad, the Jazz have fallen once again because they cannot defend, especially the 3-pointer. Watching the Jazz play lately has reminded me of the 05-06 Phoenix Suns, a lousy defensive team that scores in the 100's every game, but allows even more. The Jazz have dropped two straight games at home that they should have win (allowing over 50% shooting from the 3-point land in both games), and are now a woeful 7-8 in January. Talk about going into the All-Star break on a roll, eh? The Jazz are still first in their division, but they are battered and bruised both mentally and physically. In the last two weeks, the Jazz have lost three games on last second shots. First they lost to the Washington Wizards on a buzzer beater by Gilbert Arenas, then to Memphis Grizzlies on a shot by Eddie Jones, and last game to the New Jersey Nets on a 3-pointer by Vince Carter. You can see it on their dejected faces of disgust and unbelief as they walk off the court, the Jazz are not playing their best basketball. Then on the physical side of things, Carlos Boozer went down on Saturday with a bruised knee. The MRI reports came back negative, but we should still expect Boozer to miss the next couple of games. In what started out as a very promising season has quickly turned into a situation where the Jazz are holding on to a playoff spot and just trying to stop the bleeding before they become lottery bound for the fourth straight year. I simply cannot watch the Jazz anymore, they are the hardest team to watch. Every game they lose is in a way that breaks your heart and brings back feelings of the '98 NBA Finals - Game 6. Last week after the Jazz let Gilbert Arenas go Hibachi on them, I vowed to not watch a single Jazz game the rest of the year until they made the playoffs. I caved in tonight because I literally had nothing else to do and they broke my heart again. I can't take it anymore, if I continue in watching Jazz games with the type of results that have been coming lately, I'm going to die of a heart attack at a very, very, very young age.