Monday, October 23, 2006

College Football Week 8 Thoughts

Tar Heels Give Bunting the Axe

No one can say they didn’t see this coming. John Bunting was notified yesterday by North Carolina AD Dick Baddour that he was being released from his obligations as the Tar Heels head football coach. Bunting and his staff will be allowed to finish out the season.

Common sense tells you that Larry Coker is the next ACC coach to get the boot but the heat is turning up on Florida State legend Bobby Bowden. It’s not just your average Seminoles fan speaking out against the coach either. Now, the big money boosters are stepping forward and calling for a change in Tallahassee.

Palm Beach attorney Peter Mettler, who is a former board member of Seminole Boosters, sent a letter to University President T.K. Wetherell on Friday of last week. In the letter Mettler stated, “I am convinced and frankly have been for the last two seasons that coach Bowden should retire or be forced to retire," "Someone has to stand up and make this difficult decision. As our president I urge you to be the leader I know you are, and do what has to be done."

Has the national championship game been moved to November 18th?
Every Saturday it becomes more and more evident that the two best teams in the country are Ohio State and Michigan. The two rivals will play each other in four weeks at the Horse Shoe giving college football fans a game that could decide the national champion. Hmmmm, I wonder where ESPN Game Day will be that Saturday?

Bone Head of the Week

This prestigious award goes to Nebraska Head Coach Bill Callahan. Leading the defending Big 12/National Champions 20-19 Huskers receiver Terrance Nunn fumbled the ball over to the Longhorns with 2:17 left in the game. Obviously the turnover wasn’t Callahan’s fault but waiting until there was only 30 seconds left in the game to start burning timeouts was.

The game ended with Nebraska on the Texas 40 yard line. You have to think an extra 15-20 seconds could have allowed the Huskers a chance at a game winning field goal.

Come Back Kids!
Notre Dame and Michigan State both pulled out amazing comeback victories on Saturday. The Irish won when Jeff Samardzija took a Brady Quinn pass 45 yards to score the game winning touchdown with 27 seconds left.

All due respect to Touchdown Jesus the Irish comeback fails in comparison to the record setting feat of Michigan State. The Spartans were down 38-3 on the road at Northwestern with just under 10 minutes left in the third quarter and pulled out a 41-38 victory. For all the heat that John L. Smith has brought upon himself this season he deserves some credit for keeping his team together and not letting them quit.

Louisville, West Virginia and Rutgers Make the Big East Legit
With all the talk about the Big East being watered down and undeserving of a BCS bid the conference may have the most exciting championship race in the nation. Louisville, West Virginia and Rutgers are all undefeated and ranked in the Top 16 teams in the country with Louisville and WVA in the Top 10. The Big 10 is the only other conference with multiple undefeated teams giving validity to the BCS bid given to the Big East Champion.

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