Alabama took their test like the annoying student who gets up and hands in a perfect paper after twenty minutes, while you are sitting there still trying to understand the questions. Ohio State took their test like a student who gets sick during the exam and asks to use the bathroom, leaves for a while, but gets back in time to finish enough to pass. You're not sure if they hid some answers in the stall (kinda like in "The Godfather," but with answers instead of guns), but they at least sure looked sincerely ill. Oregon played like a student whose alarm didn't go off, and they ran into the classroom late, but were smart enough to get an A anyway. Boise State and TCU passed their tests like students placed in the beginner level course despite previously passing the advanced class because some administrator insisted they needed the prerequisite. Miami also passed their test, despite occasionally missing some easy questions, West Virginia had a note from the campus clinic doc that they needed to wait a week, and LSU filled in an answer at the last minute and passed with a lucky guess.
Oklahoma played like a student thrilled that the test seemed so easy, but began staring out the window, fantasizing about things, like my favorite Warner Brothers cartoon character Ralph Phillips (any wonder he is my favorite; after all, I have a blog about a college football tournament that goes on inside my head). Oklahoma finally snapped out of it and easily passed their test, too.
So I was watching the OSU-Illinois game on the Big Ten Network. Although I live squarely in Big Ten country, the commercials on the Big Ten Network seem particularly homespun, reminiscent of my decade living in east-central Illinois. I wonder with all the changes to the agricultural economy, whether Champaign-Urbana, Illinois still features a lot of TV ads for seed and for products that kill the stuff that bothers the seed. Anyway, I am watching Big Ten Network, and there is a cheesy commercial for an insurance company. As it ends, it names the sponsor, "Auto Owners Insurance Company." I was expecting "Farmers" or "Country Companies," but "Auto Owners" seemed too obvious with no subtlety to name an insurance company. It would be like if I shopped at "Food Eaters Market," tuned into the "TV Watchers Network," or utilized "Too Lazy to Get Off Your Butt Maid Service."
And do you have to be an "Auto Owner" to get insurance from them? Would a motorcycle or truck suffice?
Sometimes, web surfing becomes Kevin Bacon-esque. The Sunday paper had a story about a church that sends people to shout down and protest at funerals for servicemen. I guess all the bad things in the world are due to the US's gay rights, and the servicemen are part of that (?); yeah, I don't get it either. Anyway, to look for information, we did searches on the church; then the founders of the church; then learned the founders have law degrees from Washburn U.; then asked what is Washburn U.; then finding that Washburn of Topeka has the team name of the "Ichabods." Assuming that they had to have an oddly costumed mascot, that lead to further searches, including a find of this story of a BRAND NEW Ichabod.
So, I thought maybe the Ichabods were named for Ichabod Crane, maybe even inspiring a headless mascot (actually, that would be pretty cool). However Ichabod comes from the school's benefactor, Ichabod Washburn. Now, I live in a growing town that I think needs a college/university, and would like to champion the effort. But if it means someday, the teams will be the "Daves" and feature a mascot that is supposed to look like me, then, well, actually that would be a cool little legacy. But I want the person who set up the unveiling of the new Ichabod to be my marketing director; 150 people showed up to see the new Ichabod! But maybe it was just students passing by to register for class that were lured by the cupcakes, or smokers on a break. My wife had a co-worker who came back from a smoking break, and she said that while she was outside, a line of protesters grabbed her hand during a singing of "We Shall Overcome." My wife asked her what she did, and she responded that she swayed and sang along.
So congrats Washburn on your new Ichabod. It helped me forget you conferred law degrees to some lunatic fringe types. But does the new Ichabod really need furry hands with furry finger nails?
Now, let me and my inner Ralph Phillips posit on the latest tourney projections. Instead of our good friends at BCSguru.com, this week I will use projections from our good friends at BCSevolution.com. Their catchphrase is "Punctuating the Equilibrium!" and as a Gould/Eldredge fan, I kinda love it.
This week's projected tourney is particularly confusing because of my "no regular season rematch policy," and the SEC filling up the top and the eighth and ninth seeds. So if both LSU and Auburn win, then Alabama would play sixth seeded Ohio State. Let's just hope the real fake tourney is not this confusing.
But at least this week's tourney can be used as an example of a lot of my rules (aka, foibles):
A) LSU and West Virginia have already played a regular season game, so they could not meet in the first round as the seventh and tenth seeds. LSU gets Miami instead, and Auburn plays West Virginia
B) Again, to prevent regular season re-matches in the First Round and BCS Bowl quarterfinals, if LSU and Auburn both won their first round games, they could not play Alabama, who scheduled both during the regular season. Instead, the Tide would get sixth seed Ohio State, while Boise would get Auburn and third seed Oklahoma would play LSU. If either LSU and Auburn lost, their victor would play 'Bama, and if they both lost, the tournament would go on as if nothing was amiss.
C) As conference champs, both Miami and West Virginia would get regional advantage over the two at-large SEC teams. Regional advantage is that the team cannot play at home, and ideally not in their own metropolitan area, but play within driving distance from campus. For the Mountaineers, Pittsburgh is a short drive form Morgantown, WV, so is a perfect location to play at Heinz Field (although in the past their turf quality has been criticized that late in the season).
D) For Miami (FL), another rule comes into play this season: "No home state advantage in more than one tourney contest." Because the semis are inside Tropicana Field in St. Pete, none of the Florida teams can play a non-Florida team in the First Round or the Orange Bowl. So teams like Miami, and it applies to Florida State, Florida, and South Florida, will most likely be sent to Atlanta if they get the regional advantage.
So on with the projections! This week, the Gators leave the tourney, but they may be back, and another group of SEC Tigers, this time from Auburn, join the mix for the first time this season:
"In college football, one day you're in, and the next day you're out." -Frank Broyles
OUT-Florida
IN-Auburn
FIRST ROUND:
In Atlanta:#7 Louisiana State (at-large) vs #9 Miami (FL) (ACC champ)
In Pittsburgh: #8 Auburn (at-large) vs #10 West Virginia (Big East champ)
BCS BOWLS (Quarterfinals)
Sugar: #1 Alabama (SEC champ) vs Miami (FL) or West Virginia or Ohio State
Rose: #4 Oregon (Pac-10 champ) vs #5 Texas Christian (at-large)
Fiesta: #2 Boise State (non-BCS conference automatic) vs LSU or Auburn or Miami
Orange: #3 Oklahoma (Big XII champ) vs #6 Ohio State (Big Ten champ) or LSU
Semi-finals in St Petersburg FL
BCS Championship in Glendale AZ
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