Gameday Recap

Week Thirteen
November 24, 2007
Kansas City, Missouri - Missouri vs. Kansas

Looking back over the season, I'm thinking this is probably the biggest game they attended all year. The 2 visits to Oregon might be close. Oh, and definitely that Williams-Amherst game is right up there. First really rough weather they've had all year too.

• Looks like a pretty decent sized crowd for such bad weather (though there are some empty parking lots behind the set).
• I kind of like seeing the divided fanbase - really there are only 4 or so games each year that could look like this (Title games, Georgia/Florida, OU/Texas, Army/Navy).

Big N Rich

• Corso says in bad weather, defense will be important and Kansas has the advantage there.
• Herbstreit says the game should be a shootout despite the weather.
• Fowler says the numbers are in line so the winner of the Missouri-Kansas game would be #1 in the BCS.
• Slate: UConn-WVU, UT-UK, VT-UVA, Oregon-UCLA. Title-implicating games listed, and not just ESPN/ABC properties.
• Fowler mentions the historical significance of Missouri-Kansas. Missouri fans cheer loudly when he mentions the burning of Lawrence.
• Brief interviews with Kansas and Missouri players regarding the hatred of the rivalry.
• Herbstreit says that for either team, the season is a failure if they lose this game no matter how good the season is - or at least that what he says the players and coaches think.
• Corso: both teams need to protect their QBs to stay on track for the title because Oregon and others didn't do that.

First Commercial Break

• BCS talk - Brad Edwards is on from the Bristol studios.
• Edwards says WVU will stay ahead of OSU if they win out.
  
• 2 Loss team in BCS NCG? Edwards says Georgia is probably best positioned, VT might have a chance, and LSU has a chance even still.
  
• Desmond Howard joins the set.
• Herbstreit says the 2 teams he wouldn't want to play are Georgia and USC.
• Now Corso says Ohio State is the best all around team he's seen. That is at least the third different team he's said that about (and he'd seen OSU earlier in the year, before he said the same thing about Oregon and Oklahoma). Corso's opinions shift dramatically, and not because of changing conditions.
• Desmond Howard likes Virginia Tech among 2 loss teams.
  
• Fowler brings up "playing under pressure" and says that's what cost LSU.
• Corso says LSU lost because of "lousy defense" and "hey, they scored 50 points on them!". Yes, Lee, Arkansas scored 50 points. 22 of which came during the overtime periods when they got the ball on the 25 yard line. Now, maybe 28 points isn't great to give up, and a D surely has a chance to stop the other team in OT. But it's crazy to suggest that giving up a lot of points in overtime with a really short field behind you is a massive indictment of the defense.
• The rest of the set ribs Corso because his pick of a national title winner is wrong. I think just about everyone's wrong.

Second Commercial Break

• Breaking News - Callahan fired at Nebraska.
  
• Auburn-Alabama talk.
  
• Clip of Nick Saban's presser with the 9/11 and Pearl Harbor comments. Not much follow up from the talking heads though.
  
• Herbstreit carries some water for Saban, saying how difficult it is to step in to a program and turn it around.
  
• Herbstreit likes Alabama because nobody is giving them a chance.
  
• Corso also defends Saban, saying Saban was brought in to beat Tennessee and he did that.
• Clemson-USC talk.
  
• Herbstreit thinks USC has "urgency and redemption" on their side, but Clemson has more talent (WOW, actually focusing on tangibles!), but then he says Clemson wins because of emotional inspiration (didn't last long...).
• Corso likes South Carolina because Spurrier called the team "stinky". When you read Corso's reasons for his picks, you really have to wonder why anyone watches this show at all. There is no tangible analysis, no picks based on things like talent or strategy.

Third Commercial Break

• Highlights of Jeremy Maclin at Missouri. I think this guy deserved a little more hype than he's gotten so far.
• Fowler introduces the piece on WVU by saying their offense burst on the scene in the Sugar Bowl where they "shredded" Georgia. (By 3 whole points, requiring a fake punt at the end to seal it, taking advantage of 3 inopportune UGA turnovers, outgaining a decent but not dominant Georgia offense by a massive margin of one yard). I know I'm howling at the moon on this, but that WVU-UGA Sugar Bowl simply wasn't the massive upset or dominating WVU performance that a lot of people seem to think it was.
  
• Extended Piece on West Virginia's offense. Todd McShay reporting. Very useful and informative piece. Give Todd McShay a piece like this every single week. Seriously.
  
• Fowler mentions how UConn has been outgained by every Big East opponent but Syracuse. Creeping stat-ism? Let's hope.
• Corso then talks about the UConn offense optimistically, showing highlights of the Syracuse game. If there's a piece of objective evidence that says one thing, count on Corso to go the other way from it. (then he picks WVU because they have more to lose).
• Herbstreit then spends some time breaking down the tangible parts of the improved WVU defense, but then picks WVU because Rodriguez's neck will be bulging and stuff. Does pick the margin correctly though
  

Fourth Commercial Break

• Gillette Game Face: Shaved chest hair in the "MU" shape. Kind of, no, VERY gross.
• Nebraska-Colorado highlights and numbers on how crappy Nebraska's season was.
• Texas-Texas A&M highlights and some numbers on Dennis Franchione.
• Pat Forde joins to discuss coaching changes.
• Forde suggests Tuberville heading to A&M, maybe Chris Peterson or Mike Sherman.
• Forde suggests Nebraska looking at Bo Pellini, Turner Gill, Jim Grobe, Paul Johnson.
• Forde says Arkansas isn't going to move fast on Houston Nutt, but that he'll not resign - suggests that he wants them to fire him and pay the buyout.
• Notre Dame-Stanford talk. Corso likes Notre Dame to pull the upset, and head into 2008 with momentum and big wins over top private academic institutions. Herbstreit also takes ND.
  

Fifth Commercial Break

• Montage of Kansas highlights and former greats.
• Famous Alums of Kansas - Don Johnson, Bob Dole, the Survivor winner. Missouri - Sam Walton, Sheryl Crow, Brad Pitt.
• Virginia-Virginia Tech talk. Herbstreit picks UVA for reasonable reasons - tangible matchup and talent analysis. Corso responds with a NSFMF, but then also uses matchup rationales to pick VT.
  
• Miami-BC - Corso thinks BC wins big. Herbstreit thinks Miami's recruiting will be great.

Sixth Commercial Break

• Extended Piece on Oklahoma State's Martel Van Zant, who is deaf. Tom Rinaldi reporting. A little more than just a human interest story - interesting parts about the use of sign language.
• OU-Okla. State talk. Both guys like OU big. Herbstreit gives a good tangible reason - Oklahoma State's lack of depth on D.

Seventh Commercial Break

• Oregon-UCLA. Fowler gives the injury updates. Herbstreit picks against Oregon because he has no faith in Brady Leaf. Corso likes Oregon because the line would give Leaf just enough time.
• Herbstreit hints that the only reason why USC will beat UCLA next week is "all you've gotta say is 'remember last year'."
  
• Highlights of Hawaii-Boise State.
  
• They take a closer look at Hawaii and whether they can get a BCS bid.
• Corso says Hawaii deserves a BCS bid because Boise State was undefeated in the WAC last year and got one. Left unmentioned: Boise State played a significantly more difficult OOC schedule last year, and the natural logical fallacy that one year is different from another. Also, Corso says Hawaii's D looked great in holding a Boise State team that rakes up points against their horrendous conference opponents to 27. Also, Corso blames Hawaii's disrespect on the fact that "we never get to see them because they play way out off the mainland". I've seen Hawaii play 3 times on national TV on the family of networks that pays Lee Corso's salary. Shouldn't one of the top "analysts" who gets paid to be an expert on college football take the time to watch one of the teams that he talks about?
  
• Herbstreit says that a full 50,000 seat stadium in Hawaii was a great sight. He also thinks Hawaii deserves a BCS bid because they handle their business against atrocious competition. Also says Hawaii's offense has been BCS quality all year (I'll insert the "against atrocious competition" for your benefit), but that the D finally stepped up (against the only team they've played all year in the top 90).
  
• Fowler focuses on the facts alone - saying that Hawaii probably will get a bid because of teams losing ahead of them.
• Fowler asks: if LSU wins the SEC, do you think they'd want to see Hawaii in the Sugar Bowl? (suggesting that they wouldn't). Herbstreit suggests that LSU wouldn't want to see Hawaii's receivers. Everyone laughs. Herbstreit says they'd be the best receivers they'd see all year. LET ME USE ALL CAPS: LSU WOULD LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE TO PLAY HAWAII AND THEIR SUPPOSEDLY GREAT RECEIVERS. LSU WOULD HAVE PLAYED SEVEN GAMES THIS YEAR AGAINST TEAMS RANKED AT THE TIME, SEVERAL OF WHOM WOULD HAVE VERY GOOD PASSING GAMES (Kentucky, Florida, Tennessee) AND STRONG RUSHING ATTACKS TO GO WITH THEM (WHICH HAWAII DOES NOT HAVE). THERE IS PROBABLY NOT A SINGLE PLAYER ON ANY OF THE DEFENSES ON THE TEAMS HAWAII HAS PLAYED ALL YEAR WHO WOULD MAKE LSU'S 2-DEEP. LSU WOULD PREFER TO PLAY HAWAII THAN ANY OTHER TEAM IN THE BCS. HAWAII'S ACCOMPLISHMENTS THIS YEAR CANNOT BE VIEWED OUTSIDE OF THE PRISM OF THEIR TERRIBLE SCHEDULE. But it's definitely worth a laugh. We'll keep tabs and see if any of these guys nut up and pick Hawaii against LSU (or Tennessee).
  
• Desmond Howard is on the suddenly re-emerging fake field. Says some Florida fans want Tim Tebow playing basketball for the gators "or maybe these guys", pointing to the fans of Missouri and Kansas. I don't think I get it.

Eighth Commercial Break

• Semi-extended piece on Chase Daniel and Todd Reesing. Interviews with each's teammates.
• Corso would take Chase Daniel over Reesing because he saw Daniel in person (he hasn't seen Reesing). Corso has become Joe Morgan today.
• Herbstreit would also take Daniel, but gives some tangible reasons for that.
• Desmond Howard's Heisman interview series goes to Florida at interview Tim Tebow. I am not exactly surprised to find out that Tebow only wears cleats and crocs. Crocs.
  
• Darren McFadden is on the phone and Fowler interviews him. It's a little hard to understand because McFadden talks 100 miles an hour.
• Corso now says Colt Brennan should be considered for the Heisman because he holds a bunch of records (earned against terrible opposition).
  
• Herbstreit agrees with Corso in that Brennan should make NYC because "he's been doing it all year". Was Brennan not injured for several games, allowing him to play minimal amounts and not bloat his numbers further (and note how that injury didn't affect Hawaii much, because they were playing atrocious opposition).
• Herbstreit says Darren McFadden is the most outstanding player in the country, my have won the Heisman.
  
• Fowler asks about Dennis Dixon, says that he hopes voters don't leave him out entirely.
• Some brief talk about UF-FSU. Herbstreit says FSU shouldn't try to intimidate Tebow. Do not taunt Happy Fun Tebow.
• Corso thinks FSU could outscore Florida because of better weapons on FSU's O. Also thinks FSU would blitz Florida like Georgia did.
  
• Fowler chimes in with the trope about how "Tebow was very very hurt against Georgia". If he was that hurt, should he not have been playing?
  
• Herbstreit: don't taunt Tebow. Because then he gets mad. And then he gets even.

Ninth Commercial Break

• Energizer Spirit Meter says 99. They just make this up. Williams-Amherst, with a crowd 1/4th the size registered a 102.
  
• Tennessee-Kentucky talk. Short interview clips with Fulmer and Ainge.
• Corso likes Kentucky because Kentucky is at home.
  
• Herbstreit likes Tennessee because everyone is picking against them. Seriously - for no other reason than this.
• Georgia-Georgia Tech talk.
  
• Corso thinks the line is messed up, but still picks Georgia.
• Herbstreit: over the last few weeks, Mark Richt has done as good a job as anyone in America. Thinks Georgia wins, gets to a BCS game. (nobody corrects him to say that if Kentucky had beaten Tennessee, Georgia wouldn't be assured a BCS berth).

Tenth Commercial Break

• Extended piece on Missouri's Aaron O'Neal. Steve Cyphers reporting.
• Missouri-Kansas talk. Breakdowns of when each team has the ball. Desmond Howard on to talk about special teams (really, just the return game). Fowler actually covers the kicking game.
  
• Herbstreit: the most explosive offense in the country is Missouri.
• Howard picks Kansas, despite having just said a good deal about explosiveness of Maclin and Missouri.

Eleventh Commercial Break

• Pontiac Game Changer: Corso - Andre Woodson. Herbstreit - Knowshon Moreno. Fowler - Vince Hall of VT. Maybe Fowler? Woodson had a decent game, but they didn't win. Moreno gave way to Thomas Brown.
• Breaking News: Mississippi fires Orgeron.
  
• Saturday Stupid Selections: Corso - South Carolina, Kentucky, Oregon. Herbstreit - Virginia, Alabama, (and he hinted that he'd pick Kansas).

This episode was one of Corso's worst of the year. Herbstreit was a little better than normal. I suppose you could probably tell, but I don't buy the hype for Hawaii - and they were significantly hyperbolic in praise for Hawaii. The McShay piece was great.

Next week, I'm guessing they'll go to the Oklahoma-Missouri game in San Antonio.