soonerhubs
5/20/2006, 05:43 PM
More of the public doubting the sooners like they did in this article long ago.
Chat Reel: SI's Ivan Maisel
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Posted: Monday December 04, 2000 4:07 PM
Sports Illustrated senior writer Ivan Maisel joined CNNSI.com users on Dec. 4 to talk about the college football bowl season and the Heisman Trophy. A transcript follows. Maisel will return on Dec. 29 to chat about the BCS bowls; in the meantime, submit a question to his Mailbag.
CNNSI.com Host: Welcome to our college football chat with Sports Illustrated's Ivan Maisel. Thanks for joining us, Ivan.
Ivan Maisel: It's a pleasure to be done with the season and to be here. In that order.
From Football_Fan: Do you believe the BCS failed? I feel bad for a team like Washington, which beat Miami. Miami is getting all the attention as BCS victim, but Washington should be considered more of a victim. What do you think?
Ivan Maisel: You can argue about the BCS all you want; the fact is there are two spots and four teams. Somebody was going to get their feelings hurt, and I think the fact that it's possible that two teams may be "national champions" is perfectly OK. All it means is the ring company gets to make double profits this year.
From Scott: Do you think the two best teams will be playing for the national championship this year? Do you feel that Oklahoma is better than either Florida State or Miami? I feel that the three highly ranked teams Oklahoma beat in October (Nebraska, Texas and Kansas State) were all overrated and ranked too high at that time, which helped propel the Sooners to their No. 1 ranking. Even though I am a big Seminoles fan, I think Miami and FSU deserve to be playing for the national championship.
Ivan Maisel: As I said, they both will be, they just won't be playing each other. I think Oklahoma, by virtue of being 12-0, should get the chance to play somebody. I agree with you, I don't think the Sooners are as good as Florida State or Miami, but I'm certainly willing to have them prove me wrong. How wrong you were!
From gilmo: Do you think a head-to-head criteria should be added to the BCS? It would have given Miami a rightful chance to play for the championship.
Ivan Maisel: Oh, yeah? What about Washington?
From Erich: Do you believe Miami would need to have the same kind of decisive victory over Florida that Florida State had in order to share the national championship?
Ivan Maisel: That's an interesting question. Not necessarily. To me, the big question will be what happens if Florida State wins by a lot and Miami wins by a little, or vice versa. I think the voters will all plead for extra time to make their decisions.
From Matt: It sounds like most people assume Miami will crush the Gators. I think the Mighty Reptiles have a chance in this one -- what do you think?
Ivan Maisel: I agree. You could see Florida getting better week by week. The Gators are young and their youth was evident in the way they played on the road, at Starkville and at Tallahassee. This game will have more Gators fans than Hurricanes fans, so that won't be an issue.
From Guest: Josh Heupel's individual performance faded down the stretch, and Chris Weinke is almost a sure Heisman winner unless voters penalize him for his age. Which quarterback do you think was more a product of his school's system? And how do you think each would fare running the other's offense?
Ivan Maisel: That's a good question. They're both products of their systems, and I think both would do well in the other's uniform, although I suspect that Weinke has more natural athletic skills.
From Adam: Other than the Orange Bowl, what do you think will be the bowl game with the best show?
Ivan Maisel: Another good question. For pure emotion, I would say the resumption of Miami-Florida will be tough to beat. I'm going to make sure I see Texas play Oregon. And I think Notre Dame-Oregon State is interesting, too. And the Alamo Bowl -- I think Northwestern-Nebraska will be a good ball game.
From AG: I may be biased because I am a big Northwestern fan, but does it surprise you that the Outback Bowl overlooked the Wildcats for Ohio State? Do you feel that the Outback Bowl was attracted to the high-profile name of Ohio State, and thereby ignored a Northwestern team with the nation's most exciting offense and a first-place finish in the Big Ten?
Ivan Maisel: Two points: First, look at who's got more alumni; the Outback wasn't inviting football teams, it was inviting ticket buyers. Second, you're a Northwestern fan, and your team can get a lot more mileage out of beating Nebraska than out of beating South Carolina.
From Football_Fan: Why is Virginia Tech so upset? After all, Marshall was undefeated last year and left out of the BCS. Va. Tech is very overrated and cannot play with the big boys.
Ivan Maisel: So now you tell us. I don't know about overrated, but the fact that they didn't beat a Top 25 team hurt them. Also, the fact that there was only one at-large spot at a BCS bowl east of the Mississippi, and it was in New Orleans, where Virginia Tech went last year, killed the Hokies' chances.
From Matt: Why would K-State drop three spots in the polls after losing 27-24 to the undefeated No. 1 team in the nation? If losing a close game automatically means you drop three spots, can you really blame Bill Snyder for going with an easy schedule? I wouldn't bother with scheduling tough games, either, until pollsters start giving credit for tough losses.
Ivan Maisel: First, it was not a close game; it was a 10-point game in reality. Second, you can't have it both ways -- the point is he needs to beat tough teams in close games. All losing a tough game does is prove the suspicion that the Wildcats hide behind an easy schedule.
From David: Do you think Virginia Tech's bowl game snubbing has a lot to do with its schedule and inability to beat (or get within 17 points) of any Top 25 team in the last two seasons? If they re-scheduled that Georgia Tech game, would that have helped?
Ivan Maisel: That's a great point. It probably would have helped the Hokies, and it may have helped Georgia Tech, too. The Yellow Jackets certainly were a much, much stronger team in December than they were in August. I wish the two would have played.
From Guest: Which bowl game looks like the biggest mismatch?
Ivan Maisel: That is a good question. The Peach Bowl: Georgia Tech, one of the hottest teams in the country, at home against an LSU club that seemed to fade down the stretch.
From Timothy R.: Do you think Dennis Franchione is a good fit at Alabama, and will the Tide be able to rebound with him as coach after this year's fiasco?
Ivan Maisel: Yes, I thought that if the Tide couldn't lure Frank Beamer out of Blacksburg, that they should have made a beeline for Fort Worth. SEC coaches continue to insist that Alabama has a lot of talent, so Franchione won't have much of a grace period.
From Pac-10: What do you think about the recent Pac-10 coaching hirings, as well as the one remaining opening?
Ivan Maisel: I think John Mackovic was a smart pick for Arizona, and it was a smart move by Mackovic. There's a lot of young talent there. I don't know enough about Dirk Koetter, but obviously he is a hot commodity since both Arizona State and Oklahoma State wanted him. And if you hurry, you can get in your résumé to USC. The Trojans are still looking.
From Guest: Butch Davis has been rumored to be going to a couple of NFL teams. With Norv Turner being fired Monday do you see those rumors picking up steam? And what do you see Davis doing after the bowl game?
Ivan Maisel: I still think he's going to end up in the NFL.
From fanman: How long will it be before coaches are making $3 million a year?
Ivan Maisel: It will be about five minutes after the first one makes $3 million.
From Ramon: I've heard and read much discussion (admittedly from BCS detractors) about the political influence that the top conferences have on BCS pairings. Do you feel that the Rose Bowl's tradition of Pac-10 champ vs. Big Ten champ is inconsistent with the methodology of the BCS? The inclusion of the Rose Bowl as a BCS site should have forced a change in this tradition so that when either conference is having a mediocre year (e.g., the Big Ten) the pairing can include a more deserving team (e.g., Va. Tech, Nebraska, etc.).
Ivan Maisel: I happen to agree with you. But no one in the Big Ten, Pac-10 or Pasadena agrees with either one of us. So take the half a loaf that we'll get next year, when the 1 vs. 2 game is there.
From gilmo: Which conference do you think ended up as the strongest: SEC or Big Ten?
Ivan Maisel: The Big Ten. It may even be good enough to be compared to the Big 12.
From MikeyZBT: Why is Georgia Tech not getting the respect in the polls everyone else is giving it? Also, how much will Ralph Freidgen's departure hurt the Yellow Jackets next year?
Ivan Maisel: I don't understand why Georgia Tech is not ranked higher. I've got them 12th on my Top 25 ballot. I think it's obvious that the Yellow Jackets will miss Friedgen a great deal. That will be one of the more interesting hires to be made. How'd you like to replace that guy as Tech's offensive coordinator?
From Football_Fan: Do you get to vote for the Heisman? Who are you picking?
Ivan Maisel: I do have a vote, and I'm tempted to keep voting for Peyton Manning until he wins. But I'll probably go ahead and vote Weinke, LaDainian Tomlinson, and I haven't made up my mind about third place.
From If: If Butch Davis leaves, who replaces him?
Ivan Maisel: I assumed it would be Greg Schiano, but it's a little late for that. To be honest, I haven't though about it since Rutgers hired Schiano.
From From: You tend to give Clemson the shaft in your Top 25. Is it because the Tigers beat Stanford in the Gator Bowl back in 1986?
Ivan Maisel: You pegged it, pal. If I got mad at every team that beat Stanford, I wouldn't be able to fill out my ballot.
From mm: If Florida beats Miami are the Gators a safe bet as next year's preseason No. 1?
Ivan Maisel: Let's get through January first before we talk about that.
From UMPunk: Who would win a four-team playoff between Florida State, Miami, Oklahoma and Washington?
Ivan Maisel: Let's make the matchups Oklahoma-Washington and Florida State-Miami (1 vs. 4 and 2 vs. 3 in the BCS rankings). The Seminoles win the rematch with the 'Canes; Oklahoma, looking ahead to Florida State, is upset as Washington wins its sixth fourth-quarter victory of the season. The Seminoles then squeak past the Huskies 42-17.
From Wallydrag: How did FSU get such a high strength of schedule? I realize that the 'Noles played Miami and Florida, but the ACC's talent just doesn't match up with other conferences.
Ivan Maisel: Nice to hear from you, coach Stoops. Wallydrag, you're not the only one asking how Florida State's and Miami's strengths of schedule got so high. It's not as if Wake Forest, Duke, Rutgers and Temple got a lot better this season.
From John: Do you think Oklahoma has any chance against Florida State?
Ivan Maisel: Absolutely. Oklahoma does a lot of little things well. The Sooners tackle well, they don't commit a lot of penalties, they play extremely well on defense, and they've got a good offensive scheme. I think Bobby Bowden has got to impress upon his players not to underestimate the Sooners.
From Ronin: If you were the NCAA football god, what would the playoff system look like? Eight games, 16 games? Conference champs plus at-large?
Ivan Maisel: I would do eight teams and finish on New Year's Day. The complaints about players missing more school time during finals don't seem to offend anyone during the basketball tournament.
From Guest: Do you think there are too many bowl games? The Galleryfurniture.com Bowl?????
Ivan Maisel: There's one fewer bowl than Toledo would like, I'll tell you that. Like you're not going to watch every single one in the next three weeks.
CNNSI.com Host: That's all the time we have for today. Thanks again, Ivan.
Ivan Maisel: Thanks, I'm sure I'll be hearing from y'all sometime before the BCS bowls.
Now this may not be the most relevant article, but to me it shows the mentality everyone had as they doubted Oklahoma could win it all. It's interesting to see different views.
Chat Reel: SI's Ivan Maisel
Click here for more on this story
Posted: Monday December 04, 2000 4:07 PM
Sports Illustrated senior writer Ivan Maisel joined CNNSI.com users on Dec. 4 to talk about the college football bowl season and the Heisman Trophy. A transcript follows. Maisel will return on Dec. 29 to chat about the BCS bowls; in the meantime, submit a question to his Mailbag.
CNNSI.com Host: Welcome to our college football chat with Sports Illustrated's Ivan Maisel. Thanks for joining us, Ivan.
Ivan Maisel: It's a pleasure to be done with the season and to be here. In that order.
From Football_Fan: Do you believe the BCS failed? I feel bad for a team like Washington, which beat Miami. Miami is getting all the attention as BCS victim, but Washington should be considered more of a victim. What do you think?
Ivan Maisel: You can argue about the BCS all you want; the fact is there are two spots and four teams. Somebody was going to get their feelings hurt, and I think the fact that it's possible that two teams may be "national champions" is perfectly OK. All it means is the ring company gets to make double profits this year.
From Scott: Do you think the two best teams will be playing for the national championship this year? Do you feel that Oklahoma is better than either Florida State or Miami? I feel that the three highly ranked teams Oklahoma beat in October (Nebraska, Texas and Kansas State) were all overrated and ranked too high at that time, which helped propel the Sooners to their No. 1 ranking. Even though I am a big Seminoles fan, I think Miami and FSU deserve to be playing for the national championship.
Ivan Maisel: As I said, they both will be, they just won't be playing each other. I think Oklahoma, by virtue of being 12-0, should get the chance to play somebody. I agree with you, I don't think the Sooners are as good as Florida State or Miami, but I'm certainly willing to have them prove me wrong. How wrong you were!
From gilmo: Do you think a head-to-head criteria should be added to the BCS? It would have given Miami a rightful chance to play for the championship.
Ivan Maisel: Oh, yeah? What about Washington?
From Erich: Do you believe Miami would need to have the same kind of decisive victory over Florida that Florida State had in order to share the national championship?
Ivan Maisel: That's an interesting question. Not necessarily. To me, the big question will be what happens if Florida State wins by a lot and Miami wins by a little, or vice versa. I think the voters will all plead for extra time to make their decisions.
From Matt: It sounds like most people assume Miami will crush the Gators. I think the Mighty Reptiles have a chance in this one -- what do you think?
Ivan Maisel: I agree. You could see Florida getting better week by week. The Gators are young and their youth was evident in the way they played on the road, at Starkville and at Tallahassee. This game will have more Gators fans than Hurricanes fans, so that won't be an issue.
From Guest: Josh Heupel's individual performance faded down the stretch, and Chris Weinke is almost a sure Heisman winner unless voters penalize him for his age. Which quarterback do you think was more a product of his school's system? And how do you think each would fare running the other's offense?
Ivan Maisel: That's a good question. They're both products of their systems, and I think both would do well in the other's uniform, although I suspect that Weinke has more natural athletic skills.
From Adam: Other than the Orange Bowl, what do you think will be the bowl game with the best show?
Ivan Maisel: Another good question. For pure emotion, I would say the resumption of Miami-Florida will be tough to beat. I'm going to make sure I see Texas play Oregon. And I think Notre Dame-Oregon State is interesting, too. And the Alamo Bowl -- I think Northwestern-Nebraska will be a good ball game.
From AG: I may be biased because I am a big Northwestern fan, but does it surprise you that the Outback Bowl overlooked the Wildcats for Ohio State? Do you feel that the Outback Bowl was attracted to the high-profile name of Ohio State, and thereby ignored a Northwestern team with the nation's most exciting offense and a first-place finish in the Big Ten?
Ivan Maisel: Two points: First, look at who's got more alumni; the Outback wasn't inviting football teams, it was inviting ticket buyers. Second, you're a Northwestern fan, and your team can get a lot more mileage out of beating Nebraska than out of beating South Carolina.
From Football_Fan: Why is Virginia Tech so upset? After all, Marshall was undefeated last year and left out of the BCS. Va. Tech is very overrated and cannot play with the big boys.
Ivan Maisel: So now you tell us. I don't know about overrated, but the fact that they didn't beat a Top 25 team hurt them. Also, the fact that there was only one at-large spot at a BCS bowl east of the Mississippi, and it was in New Orleans, where Virginia Tech went last year, killed the Hokies' chances.
From Matt: Why would K-State drop three spots in the polls after losing 27-24 to the undefeated No. 1 team in the nation? If losing a close game automatically means you drop three spots, can you really blame Bill Snyder for going with an easy schedule? I wouldn't bother with scheduling tough games, either, until pollsters start giving credit for tough losses.
Ivan Maisel: First, it was not a close game; it was a 10-point game in reality. Second, you can't have it both ways -- the point is he needs to beat tough teams in close games. All losing a tough game does is prove the suspicion that the Wildcats hide behind an easy schedule.
From David: Do you think Virginia Tech's bowl game snubbing has a lot to do with its schedule and inability to beat (or get within 17 points) of any Top 25 team in the last two seasons? If they re-scheduled that Georgia Tech game, would that have helped?
Ivan Maisel: That's a great point. It probably would have helped the Hokies, and it may have helped Georgia Tech, too. The Yellow Jackets certainly were a much, much stronger team in December than they were in August. I wish the two would have played.
From Guest: Which bowl game looks like the biggest mismatch?
Ivan Maisel: That is a good question. The Peach Bowl: Georgia Tech, one of the hottest teams in the country, at home against an LSU club that seemed to fade down the stretch.
From Timothy R.: Do you think Dennis Franchione is a good fit at Alabama, and will the Tide be able to rebound with him as coach after this year's fiasco?
Ivan Maisel: Yes, I thought that if the Tide couldn't lure Frank Beamer out of Blacksburg, that they should have made a beeline for Fort Worth. SEC coaches continue to insist that Alabama has a lot of talent, so Franchione won't have much of a grace period.
From Pac-10: What do you think about the recent Pac-10 coaching hirings, as well as the one remaining opening?
Ivan Maisel: I think John Mackovic was a smart pick for Arizona, and it was a smart move by Mackovic. There's a lot of young talent there. I don't know enough about Dirk Koetter, but obviously he is a hot commodity since both Arizona State and Oklahoma State wanted him. And if you hurry, you can get in your résumé to USC. The Trojans are still looking.
From Guest: Butch Davis has been rumored to be going to a couple of NFL teams. With Norv Turner being fired Monday do you see those rumors picking up steam? And what do you see Davis doing after the bowl game?
Ivan Maisel: I still think he's going to end up in the NFL.
From fanman: How long will it be before coaches are making $3 million a year?
Ivan Maisel: It will be about five minutes after the first one makes $3 million.
From Ramon: I've heard and read much discussion (admittedly from BCS detractors) about the political influence that the top conferences have on BCS pairings. Do you feel that the Rose Bowl's tradition of Pac-10 champ vs. Big Ten champ is inconsistent with the methodology of the BCS? The inclusion of the Rose Bowl as a BCS site should have forced a change in this tradition so that when either conference is having a mediocre year (e.g., the Big Ten) the pairing can include a more deserving team (e.g., Va. Tech, Nebraska, etc.).
Ivan Maisel: I happen to agree with you. But no one in the Big Ten, Pac-10 or Pasadena agrees with either one of us. So take the half a loaf that we'll get next year, when the 1 vs. 2 game is there.
From gilmo: Which conference do you think ended up as the strongest: SEC or Big Ten?
Ivan Maisel: The Big Ten. It may even be good enough to be compared to the Big 12.
From MikeyZBT: Why is Georgia Tech not getting the respect in the polls everyone else is giving it? Also, how much will Ralph Freidgen's departure hurt the Yellow Jackets next year?
Ivan Maisel: I don't understand why Georgia Tech is not ranked higher. I've got them 12th on my Top 25 ballot. I think it's obvious that the Yellow Jackets will miss Friedgen a great deal. That will be one of the more interesting hires to be made. How'd you like to replace that guy as Tech's offensive coordinator?
From Football_Fan: Do you get to vote for the Heisman? Who are you picking?
Ivan Maisel: I do have a vote, and I'm tempted to keep voting for Peyton Manning until he wins. But I'll probably go ahead and vote Weinke, LaDainian Tomlinson, and I haven't made up my mind about third place.
From If: If Butch Davis leaves, who replaces him?
Ivan Maisel: I assumed it would be Greg Schiano, but it's a little late for that. To be honest, I haven't though about it since Rutgers hired Schiano.
From From: You tend to give Clemson the shaft in your Top 25. Is it because the Tigers beat Stanford in the Gator Bowl back in 1986?
Ivan Maisel: You pegged it, pal. If I got mad at every team that beat Stanford, I wouldn't be able to fill out my ballot.
From mm: If Florida beats Miami are the Gators a safe bet as next year's preseason No. 1?
Ivan Maisel: Let's get through January first before we talk about that.
From UMPunk: Who would win a four-team playoff between Florida State, Miami, Oklahoma and Washington?
Ivan Maisel: Let's make the matchups Oklahoma-Washington and Florida State-Miami (1 vs. 4 and 2 vs. 3 in the BCS rankings). The Seminoles win the rematch with the 'Canes; Oklahoma, looking ahead to Florida State, is upset as Washington wins its sixth fourth-quarter victory of the season. The Seminoles then squeak past the Huskies 42-17.
From Wallydrag: How did FSU get such a high strength of schedule? I realize that the 'Noles played Miami and Florida, but the ACC's talent just doesn't match up with other conferences.
Ivan Maisel: Nice to hear from you, coach Stoops. Wallydrag, you're not the only one asking how Florida State's and Miami's strengths of schedule got so high. It's not as if Wake Forest, Duke, Rutgers and Temple got a lot better this season.
From John: Do you think Oklahoma has any chance against Florida State?
Ivan Maisel: Absolutely. Oklahoma does a lot of little things well. The Sooners tackle well, they don't commit a lot of penalties, they play extremely well on defense, and they've got a good offensive scheme. I think Bobby Bowden has got to impress upon his players not to underestimate the Sooners.
From Ronin: If you were the NCAA football god, what would the playoff system look like? Eight games, 16 games? Conference champs plus at-large?
Ivan Maisel: I would do eight teams and finish on New Year's Day. The complaints about players missing more school time during finals don't seem to offend anyone during the basketball tournament.
From Guest: Do you think there are too many bowl games? The Galleryfurniture.com Bowl?????
Ivan Maisel: There's one fewer bowl than Toledo would like, I'll tell you that. Like you're not going to watch every single one in the next three weeks.
CNNSI.com Host: That's all the time we have for today. Thanks again, Ivan.
Ivan Maisel: Thanks, I'm sure I'll be hearing from y'all sometime before the BCS bowls.
Now this may not be the most relevant article, but to me it shows the mentality everyone had as they doubted Oklahoma could win it all. It's interesting to see different views.