Dear Texas A&M

Well, I could claim that it is official, but for the apparent sake of consistency, the already prolonged departure of Texas A&M University from the Big 12 Conference to the Southeastern Conference has yet to be finalized due to potential legal action by Baylor and other unnamed schools.  This whole fiasco has been a sad circus of miscues and false starts and at Texas’s opening game against Rice, “The Mob” couldn’t help but include a few jabs at the Aggies in their yearly shtick.  The PA’s playful announcement that A&M had finally packed their bags for “Satan’s Evil Conference” drew cheers and chuckles as “the collective GPA’s of both conferences were immediately improved…”

Although the Owl Band quickly moved on to lampooning Presidential hopeful Rick Perry, I couldn’t get past the reality of all that has taken place in the last few months leading up to the 2011 season.  One thing in particular has had me scratching my head for the last few days at what frankly appears as blatant hypocrisy.  So, if you don’t mind…

Dear Aggies, What’s Your Deal..?

Your hatred for the University of Texas is well known.  In fact, it can sometimes border on obsession.  I don’t know if it could be classified as satire, but Jim Rome’s rant on A&M makes a point.  Most all the Aggie tradition you take so much pride over is devoted to one thing; displaying your utter hatred for the Texas Longhorns.  As if your only reason for existence is to try to prove your superiority, or even equivalence.  And yes, I get it; you have a lot of traditions and you’re proud of that.  I guess the only measure for quality higher education is the quantity and length of time you’ve been doing quirky antics.  It’s proof of your hatred for Texas and loyalty to A&M.  That’s cool, do what makes you happy; or I guess in this case what makes you angry.

But I’m forced to assume your loyalty ends at the College Station city limits.  You couldn’t care less about the Big 12, or the fact that your move to the SEC seriously jeopardizes the age-old rivalries you’ve been obsessing over for decades.  I don’t blame y’all for being disloyal.  Other schools got that band wagon rolling and I think every school in the Big 12 right now is realizing the need to jump ship before the conference completely disintegrates.  But the unashamed ferocity with which you pursued a way out of the Big 12 stands at odds with your alleged love of tradition and desire to show up Texas.  I can see it now, beleaguered Aggie fans wandering the streets of College Station in search of something to hate.  I’m not quite sure how you saw off a crimson tide and the thought of a barbecued gator or tiger seems pretty hollow.

Although the process was handled with less grace than monkey operating a forklift, I’ll admit that the move to the SEC makes sense and may end up being a savvy decision down the road.  But the next time an Aggie brags about their devotion to tradition, I’m gonna have to call bull crap on that one.  You’re ditching more than just a failing conference right now.  Good luck finding a new identity…

Okay, I think I’ve made my point and my words probably exceeded my actual passion for this subject.  There was a time when I loved Texas football and the Big 12, but in the grand scheme of things I’m content with change and I’m well aware that football will never fulfill me.  I drew excitement from the prospect of Texas in a PAC 16 super conference and A&M to the SEC has made sense from day 1; as a business decision at least.  However, I’ve been genuinely surprised at what I have observed to be uniform support by Aggies everywhere.  Really?  No second thoughts whatsoever?  Was the Longhorn Network that big of a deal breaker for you guys?  I guess that’s what really got to me, the abruptness of it all.  University heads are all flipping the board game over when the game isn’t going their way and the fans lapping it up, coaxing the collapse.  I would have expected Texas A&M to be one of the most ardent supporters of the status quo, but no, they're leading the charge.

This all started when Nebraska and Colorado got fed up with the alleged mismanagement of the Big 12, and in self interest, set off for greener pastures.  Texas momentarily prevented a total fragmentation of the conference, but only by throwing its market weight around and establishing its own network out of self interest.  Upset by Texas’ self interest and the growing income inequality in the conference, Texas A&M sought to blaze its own trail East.  Even Baylor is acting in its own self interest as current forecasts on the breakup of the Big 12 leave the Bears out to dry.  The drama in these past few months has rivaled any high school cafeteria in the country.  And what else would you expect?  Nothing brings out the big guns like strained and severed relationships.

And at the heart of it all is money.  Conference realignment and recruiting scandals made this past offseason one of the most turbulent in memory and it’s all because the business of college football is making money.  A ton of money…  The Big 12 isn’t in jeopardy because of lackluster play or hurt feelings; the lucrative network deals are driving this mass divorce.  I wonder if fans realize these underlying motivations, or if they comprehend the possible implications of where college football is going.

Some of the oft cited reasons for the superiority of college football are the tradition and passion involved.  Amateur sports are said to maintain a certain purity as players are motivated by a simple love of the game.  But college football is quickly becoming an industry and the lure of a multi-million dollar program is now leaving tradition on the cutting room floor and the issue of direct player compensation appears to be the next unavoidable debate.  All of this means more drama and more exposure; no thanks to our friends at ESPN.  I swear this Jerry Jones management philosophy is spreading fast.  It really doesn’t matter if you win, just make the whole ordeal a never ending soap opera and people will tune in.

At this point I can’t help but step back and examine my involvement in driving this train.  Somewhere in the sea of fandom, I took a small part in bloating television ratings and pushing up ticket prices; the business of football is only responding to ever-expanding demand.  Universities have observed the potential revenues from successful programs and responded; but world-class programs need million dollar coaches and state of the art facilities.  I was recently talking to an employee of the University of Texas who had his salary frozen along with all other school staff and faculty due to state budget cuts; with exception to Mack Brown and the football personnel of course.  He was perplexed by the hypocrisy of an institution which professed the priority of academics, but seemed primarily concerned with oiling the squeaky wheal of athletic demands.

So how should I respond?  I’m not a fan of how quickly simple greed has turned the sport upside down, but it’s a process that I’ve taken part in.  Do I take a stand and boycott football as a matter of principle?  Do I tell myself that it’s simply the nature of the beast and accept change with a forced smile?  I don’t have an answer, but I would encourage all fans to not simply see the details of this fiasco as more ammunition for your endless back and forth smack talk.  Take a minute to realize how dirty this whole system is becoming and question whether you’re willing to follow it down the slippery slope?

BCS Mess...

The Bowl Championship Series has been a lightning rod for criticism ever since its inception 9 years ago. The bowl selection system, which combines human polls with computer ratings, matches up the "theoretical" ten best teams in the nation including the two best who meet at the official BCS National Championship game. Every year has been mired in controversy and this year is no different.

• 1998-99: In both '98 and '99 seasons the Kansas State Wildcats were excluded from any BCS bowl despite their respective #3 and #6 rankings.

• 2000: The 2000 season found itself in a three way race for #2 as Florida State, Miami and Washington all accumulated only one loss. Oklahoma easily beat Florida State for the Championship, however both Washington and Miami also won their bowl games handily, which would forever taint the Sooner's title.

• 2001: Nebraska beat out the higher ranked Colorado Buffalos and Oregon Ducks for the #2 spot in the championship game at the end of the '01 season despite not winning or even playing for the Big 12 title. The Huskers would end up being routed by Miami in the Fiesta Bowl.

• 2003: The '03 season found itself with 3 BCS conference one loss teams and despite its #1 human ranking USC was knocked out of the championship game by LSU and an Oklahoma team that lost in the Big 12 title game. 2003 would be the first season in the BCS era where two champions where crowed due to a technicality.

• 2004: Five teams entered the bowl '04 season undefeated, of which Auburn, Utah, and Boise State all were excluded from the championship game between USC and Oklahoma. All three would end up winning their respective bowl games.

• 2005: Due to an obscure clause, Notre Dame was chosen over the higher ranked Oregon Ducks for the last BSC at large bid.

• 2006: Florida beat out Michigan, Louisville, Wisconsin and undefeated Boise State for a chance to play undefeated Ohio State for the championship. Florida would end up beating the Buckeyes and claiming the title even though Boise State had beaten Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl to claim the only undefeated record of the '06 season.

• 2007: ...

As of Saturday night there is only one undefeated team (Hawaii) in the nation and only two one loss teams. (Ohio State and Kansas) In a season littered with top 10 upsets and ranking confusion the BCS system is now responsible for choosing just two teams to play for the championship game in New Orleans. Never has there such uncertainty in who are the two best teams in the country; never have there been so many who have valid claims to the top spots. Below are are list of teams from last weeks BCS rankings who have a compelling entitlement.

• Missouri- Their 11-2 record and two losses, both to Oklahoma will hurt them but their #1 ranking just one week ago confuses the issue. Despite being a solid team, Mizzou will most likely not receive a BCS bid at all due to highly ranked Kansas and Oklahoma.

• West Virginia- Both of Mountaineers losses came to unranked South Florida and Pittsburgh teams. Regardless of this, West Virginia backs into the Big East title due to a tie breaker, their only real claim to the title game.

• Ohio State- The Buckeyes won the Big Ten title handedly and claim a rare one loss record. However, OSU's one loss was to an unranked Illinois team and the Big Ten has been a notoriously lackluster conference as of late.

• Georgia- The Bulldogs are riding a a six game win streak but were excluded from the SEC title game and lost to unranked Tennessee and South Carolina.

• Kansas- The Jayhawks have been solid throughout the season and have only recorded one loss, however they were excluded from the Big 12 title game and their only loss to Missouri was their only game against a top ranked team.

• Virginia Tech- The Hokies haven't drawn a lot of attention through the season as their consistency has been in doubt. However their only were to top ranked LSU and a Boston Collage team which they beat last week to win the ACC.

• LSU- The Tigers only losses were to Kentucky and Arkansas, both in overtime. They have conquered the feared SEC and are likely to meet Ohio State in the title game.

• USC- The consensus number one coming into the season, the Trojans lost their composure to quality Oregon and Arizona State teams. Recently though, Southern California has been on a tear and have rapped up their sixth straight BCS berth.

• Oklahoma- Their losses to unranked Colorado and Texas Tech will hurt their cause, otherwise they have beaten top ranked Texas and Missouri and won the Big 12 title.

• Hawaii- Boise State's undefeated season last year has legitimatized mid major teams for a chance for the title.

• Arizona State- Although a long shot for the title game the Sun Devil's only losses are to top ranked Oregon and USC.

As of mere minuets ago, LSU will play Ohio State for the BCS title game in the Louisiana Superdome. If anything this year's race for the title proves that a 8 or 16 team playoff is desperately needed. Each of the teams on this long list deserve at least a shot, especially Hawaii. The BCS can still be used as the selection system for the playoff and the traditional bowl games can still exist outside of the playoff or serve as games themselves. However, randomly picking the apparent two best team belittles the trophy that we give. Why can't the gridiron be the deciding factor instead of a computer? They act as if a playoff is completely foreign to sporting.

Long Overdue Playoff React

Before I say anything else, I'm down right fed up with these 9:30 starts. Tell me again why we in Texas should have to stay up till 12:30 in the morning to see the end of what should be a primetime game. Stupid Eastern conference; they toy around with one perky little time zone while we're burning both ends with three. I will watch the highlights of those worthless East games the day after, not the closing quarter for my own team. Why can't they show the games simultaneously like the NFL so ingeniously does? I would think it would be better ratings with nonstop action, maybe I'm wrong.

Although I wasn't to privy to a 9:30 tip, I must admit that it did guarantee me the assurance of not having any conflicting activities. I guess that's something. For the previous 3 games I was content to listen to the radio broadcast and keep an eye on the snazzy little ESPN Gamecast, but due to the high amount of controversy and nail biting finishes, I was determined to get to a TV screen for last night's game. I rolled into an empty Red Robin parking lot at around 10:30 only to witness the end of an atrocious 1st half. I could foresee many different outcomes to that pivotal game 5 and I knew that a comeback would be the exclamation point on the series, but I still hate watching it. I can remember great comebacks against the Lakers, Mavericks and Pistons in years past. They're always the games I want to revisit now, but my goodness, they were a torture to go through the first time around.

So as closing time neared and I was forced to find a new booth at the nearby Applebees, I was praying that the next 2 hours wouldn't be a waste of time and money. It was very interesting because, before I knew it, I was in the middle of the classic "bar scene." As midnight hit, in came a flood of heavy drinkers in their mid-twenties ( don't forget a few thirty five year old wannabes) and the game was only a backdrop. It was awkward to say the least to have those looks from across the bar in the rowdy atmosphere, while the rest of the world was seemingly dead. I was glad that it is common protocol that the guy instigates the conversation, or else I might have been telling girls "not that I'm not interested in talking with you, but I'm really concentrating on something else tonight. It's kind of why I'm here." Oh, and it was also great to mistakenly get a $20 bill for 3 Coors Lights and veggie pizza when all I had ordered was some chips and queso. Fun, fun, fun.

Anyway, back to the game. Although it was encouraging to see some great play by Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili, with about 3 minutes left I was still mired in a pool of doubt. Phoenix is a great team and every run San Antonino made was answered with equal intensity. Neither team was willing to give this one up and it ultimately came down to the big shots. And oh how sweet it was to see Bruce's shot go down. Signed, sealed, delivered; get me home... Great game, everything that was advertised, so why won't they broadcast it at a decent hour?!!!

March Madness Final Four React

React to come... or not.

173 Jake H (only 8 games wrong)
141 Stan
110 Troy
99 Jonny
91 Brian
87 Lindsey
84 Taylor (True Tie)
84 Jessica
82 Baker
74 Ruben
73 Steph (Wins Tie Breaker)
73 Sammy
47 Lydia

March Madness Week 2 React

Historically, it always seems to be the round where the Cinderellas loose there footing and the high seeds follow through. No George Mason this year, and although it may be better off for my bracket, the excitement level just wasn't the same. Maybe its just me, but last year was the pinnacle of just how maddening march can be and its hard to go back to mundane high seed eradication.

At least for me, I don't have a team to pull for any more. I could barely take Florida winning it all last year, now we're talking repeat? And why can't UCLA go alway too? At least both of them won't play on Monday. Georgetown comes from a region void of interest so I guess Ohio State and cartoon faced Greg Oden are all that's left for me.

Non the less, the last two rounds still showcased some great basketball. Call me what you want, it was satisfying to see Acie Law not deliver for once. We saw wild point swings, big 2nd half runs and what seemed like an inaccessible rim for Kansas in overtime. With only 3 games left, the tournament is coming to an end and all I can hope for is one more barn burner with a fantastic finish. Is that too much to ask? Probably; these games are never as good as they should be.

Bracket Rankings through Regional Finals
Jake Hartwell is running away with this one, but with all of his picks still in play, along with a massive jump to second place, Troy is poised for the biggest comeback in the Two-14 bracket pool's long storied history. (What's it at, two years now?) Can't you feel the suspense?

This week's high risers: Troy- 11th to 2nd, Brian- 13th to 7th

This week's big drop: I'm not going for hurt feeling so I'll just say Baker- 9th to 12th

109 Jake H
94 Troy
93 Stan
87 Lindsey
84 Taylor (max)
83 Jonny
75 Brian
74 Ruben (max)
73 Steph (max)
73 Sammy (max)
68 Jessica
66 Baker
47 Lydia (max)

(max) indicates that these brackets have no correct picks remaining and have maxed out their point count. Many of you never filled in the tie breaker section of your brackets, which means that you automatically loose in case of a tie. (unless both of you didn't send me your tie breakers, in that case I despise you both) You can still get yours in my emailing me your prediction for the total points scored in the final game before Monday.

March Madness Week 1 React

Spring Break is over and the dust has settled from the first week of battle with a mere 16 teams remaining from a field of 64. Never failing to mix up the sporting world, this year's tournament failed to produce in many of those upsets that were "supposed" to happen and threw in a few nobodies to further infuriate the supposed experts out there. Besides that vague introduction, I really don't have much insight to last weeks action and I really feel like someone who actually got a chance to watch these games should be writing this. Taylor!

The few first round stories that I did manage to witness included the complete collapse of my upset pick Illinois and a Texas game that was a little less than engaging. I got hold of the rest of the scores through the morning paper, which confirmed the fact that I can't put a bracket together to save my life. Once again, I'm at the bottom of the totem pole. My year is coming, I just know it; the question is whether I put money into it?

Apparently Wisconsin was a week 2 seed and Ohio State got away with one, but all I know is that the Aggies still don't look good enough to make it to Atlanta. They are a solid team that has one some big wins and beat what was essentially a home team in Lexington (Why does that matter again?) but they still don't seem to have that championship substance. Who knows, they may be just lurking right now. I continue to demonstrate that I know nothing.

I do know that Texas looked just plain flat against Southern California and the Trojans coach did a great job in preparing for this high caliber team. With our non-existent bench, he blanketed our scorers and forced the rest of the team to step up. He got lucky, cause for once, nobody did. It's the clear question of what's wrong with DJ? Surprise, surprise, he looks like a Freshman. He is much like Tony Parker for the Spurs; when he's hot the team cruises, but when he's out of it the team can still pull it out, but there's something obviously wrong. The other blaring weakness in the Texas squad is there lack of presence down low. USC scored in the paint at will throughout the game and the constant hack jobs really impeded any attempt at a comeback. I'm ready to say goodbye and good luck to Kevin and simply dream for next year.

Bracket Rankings through 2nd round
I've given up on my sorry excuse for a bracket, but we have a tight race at the top. For everyone out there that didn't bother to fill one out... No soup for you!

53 Jake H
52 Taylor
51 Jonny
48 Ruben
48 Jessica
45 Stan
45 Steph
43 Lindsey
42 Baker
41 Sammy
38 Troy
35 Lydia
31 Brian

Let's just see how many Cinderellas can hold out in these next two rounds.

On to Basketball

It eventually comes around every season and it never gets any easier to swallow, but lets face it gentlemen; (or ladies, I'm sure there are some out there) football is over. And unless you are still all fired up every Sunday for the just as entertaining, but somehow lacking Arena Football League, life as we know it just isn't the same. The first green buds of life may be sprouting out of the Earth, but somehow we all feel colder. Regardless, mulling over it won't make it any better so let us look to the future together. We are still in that special time of year when the dreary distractions of Baseball are at a minimum and the thrill of March Madness is just around the corner. Its time to start paying attention to NBA action now that the All Star Break has passed. Throw in draft and free-agency periods and we've got us some sports baby!

It has been interesting how all the talk in College Hoops this year has been about possible draft bound freshman and very little about national contenders. Besides the fact the teams like Florida and UCLA aren't very "Network sexy," this year has continued the trend towards individual achievement and recognition. Each season, more and more of the interest is put into the rising superstars that carry the teams and not the teams themselves. Never mind the fact that the best teams still win championships. In a league that is quickly becoming just a springboard to the pro's, nobody cares about team consistency, or chemistry.

Now I say everybody loosely, as this is only a slowly moving trend and there are still many media circles that are excited about team achievements. No team more exemplifies this than those lovable A&M Aggies and their rise to serious contention. Who would have seen it coming? This campus would rather watch a Maroon/White offseason scrimmage than a game on the hard court. Coach Gillespie gets all the props for putting together a big time basketball program in Aggieland. All that being said, even with their top ten ranking, I don't see this team making it all the way to ATL. I like their feisty play and leadership under Acie Law, but they just don't have the ingredients for the big run. I could be wrong though; how they fair in the Big 12 tournament will shed some more light on their big dance hopes.

Me and the Horns this season has been an interesting ride. I was able to catch their games against Villanova and Kansas State, and lets just say I avoided watching them again for the rest of this season. It took me awhile to accept Kevin Durant as an all star, but hours of highlight reels are hard to ignore. I still don't like his lack of muscle and authority down low, but his aggressiveness is improving. Rather than KD, I jumped on the bandwagon of DJ Augustine early, I love a guy who can aggressively attack the basket and still have some long range accuracy. Texas's outlook in March will have to do largely with who ends up with them in their bracket. Their inexperience and lack of depth will ultimately limit how deep they get, but I can see that raw talent pulling out a few good ones.

Purely for an opportunity to brag, my preseason predictions were right on the money in the NBA. (minus Houston, who has finally overcome the injury plague) I'd love to delve into the league further, but I'll let whatever audience that is out there do that. I will only end with the fact that the Mavs are rolling, but my Spurs are still lurking and primed for a heartbreak. (Oh, and Box's blog is totally Burnt Orange)