Can this College Football Season be any crazier… YES!!!

Let me start by stating that I have been putting of this entry for way to long. The first time that I thought about writing this topic was when USF beat Auburn at home. It was after this game that I realized that unranked teams were performing really well against ranked opponents; cough, cough Appalachian State Vs. Michigan, arguably the biggest upset of all time. Then more time passed and the season got wilder and before I knew it USF found themselves ranked number two in the country. ‘Are you kidding’ I thought to myself ‘this is the strangest top 10 ever.’ However, I still managed to push the entry off till this past Thursday (11/15) when the unimaginable happened; No. 2 Oregon was upset by unranked Arizona. Not only did Oregon lose they suffered a bigger loss as Heisman front runner Dennis Dixon limped off the field in the first half and did not see the field of play again.

It now seems that No. 2 ranking is a cursed spot as Oregon is the fifth number two team to fall this season. It is not only surprising how many number two teams have fallen but the way by which they fell. All of those five teams lost their ranking by losing to an unranked team. That is unprecedented! According to their ranking these teams should only be bettered by one other team in college football, and that is the No. 1 ranked team. Instead, they all lost to teams outside the top 25 in the nation! The struggles have extend to more than just the second ranked team in the nation as eleven times this season a top-five team as lost to an unranked opponent.

What really pushed me over the edge this week was the injury to Dennis Dixon. He was in the backfield ready to leave the pocket and juke an Arizona defender when he collapsed after he knee gave out without anyone touching him. That’s right; arguably the best player in College Football injured himself by getting his foot “caught in the grass.” Now the notion of a curse on the second ranked team in the nation doesn’t seem so silly. Dixon then watched the rest of the game from the sidelines in street clothing and underwent an MRI on Friday (11/16). Coach Mike Bellotti is anything but optimistic as he said "I think he's probably done for the year" after Thursdays 34-24 loss to Arizona.

Kansas, the No. 2 team in the latest AP poll, may want pass on their highest ranking in school history and stay at their current ranking, No. 3, with the results of No. 2 teams so far this season. Regardless of where the BCS will rank the Jayhawks their next game will be the most important in their schools history; as they will play their Big-12 rival Missouri who is No. 3 in the latest AP poll. The game will determine the winner of the Big-12 North and who will go to the conference championship game with national title aspirations.

So with one week left in the regular season is there anyway that things can get even more unpredictable. The answer is a resounding YES! The No. 2 (Kansas) and 3 (Missouri) teams will meet each other and square off for the Big-12 North title in Kansas City’s Arrowhead stadium.

Arizona State (9-1) controls the Pac-10 race as they face off against USC, No. 11 this thanksgiving.

Virginia Tech, No. 8, can still earn a spot in the ACC Championship game with a win over instate rival Virginia, No. 16.

The WAC conference champion will also be decided this week as the undefeated Warriors, No. 14, face Boise State, No. 17 at home with possible BCS implications.

So buckle up the finally is going to be a wild ride!

0-4...What to do?

For most it's hard to believe that Notre Dame is 0-4 for the first time in their illustrious history, but for other college football junkies it's not hard to fathom after their disappointing loss to LSU in last year's bowl game and this year's quarterback dilemma. The question at hand is what will Charlie Weis do to get his team back into the dominating team that they once were or touted to be? Or will Coach Weis still be at Notre Dame if his team is 0-8 in four weeks (Notre Dame plays Purdue, UCLA, Boston College, and current number 1 USC).

From a marketing perspective the only thing Notre Dame can pride itself on right now is the fact that they play Navy in Week 9, whom they haven't lost to in 43 meetings, in addition to their number 1 ranked recruiting class for 2008. But is that enough to keep the boosters off Weis' back calling for his removal? Which if it were to happen could mean less commitments from their top ranked high school players, if they don't already decommit after seeing the Fighting Irish start off to a possible 0-8 start. Perhaps the marketing department in South Bend may have to resort to new options such as this Fantasy Camp.

Whatever it is that the Fighting Irish and Coach Weis decide to do in an attempt to salvage their season they have to keep the bigger picture in mind, because the last thing they want to do is to forget that college football is not the NFL; keeping and maintaining a dynasty as hard as it is in the NFL is now becoming harder in college football because of the competitiveness amongst coaches when it comes to recruiting, the time a coach has to turn around a program or keep a program at it's pinnacle, and the overall competition and upsets that occur from year to year (ex. Appalachian State).

If Weis and his staff can continue to build this year's team for the future and continue to recruit the talent that they have been, then they should be back in the Top 25 polls real soon. The alumni and donors at Notre Dame have to maintain their support for the program and be willing to undergo a hard season such as the one they are enduring now, if they want to see the Fighting Irish back in a BCS Bowl Game. The same goes for NBC, who broadcasts all of Notre Dame's home games, because even during seasons like this one Notre Dame can still attract more viewers than other notable Top 25 games based on their history. But this isn't to say that Weis and Notre Dame aren't pressured to turn the program around by next year.

The Move to Dolphin Stadium: RIP OB

As everyone in the Miami area and many sport fans around the world know, the Orange Bowl is one of the most historical stadiums in the country. It was built in 1935, and when you walk into the stadium for Hurricane game days you might think there have not been many improvements since then. It has survived countless hurricanes and there is a special place the Orange Bowl has in every University of Miami fans’ heart. The Hurricanes won 58 straight home games. “The U” has won three of their five national championships there. Is the move to Dolphin Stadium as big of a deal as we are making it out to be? Aren’t we as spectators of a top Division I program better off being able to watch a game in a stadium suited for today and not thirty years ago? A lot of people say yes, but some of those people and others are sad to say goodbye to the Orange Bowl on November 10, 2007.

I have gone through a similar experience during my childhood. I am from Philadelphia, and when I was growing up Veterans Stadium was the stadium the Philadelphia Phillies and Philadelphia Eagles played in. This was the only stadium these teams had played in during my lifetime. There was a ton of history behind this stadium as well. It was one of the most feared houses in all of professional because the fans were so brutal. It was also well known for the horrific playing surface. Teams would fear playing on the turf because there were patches that assisted in plenty of broken ankles and knees. “The Vet” was a piece of crap, but it was ours. The Philadelphia fans were proud of Veterans Stadium. We were excited to get two new stadiums, one for football and one for baseball, but a little piece inside every Philadelphia sports fan hurt a little. This is similar to how I feel saying goodbye to the Orange Bowl.

I, for one thing, am a little upset to say goodbye. I have said since my freshman year how big of a dump the Orange Bowl is. It sucks to stand on these uncomfortable bleachers for three hours. It sucks having no room to walk and to not have a state-of-the-art scoreboard. I also can not imagine being handicapped and having to navigate around the Orange Bowl. It says it has handicapped seating for 282 people, but anyone who has been to the Orange Bowl will find that hard to believe. It also sucks that there is no parking there, and the process to get to the Orange Bowl is that: a process. You have to take the metrorail to Culmer Station, and then pick up a bus from there. It would take 20 minutes to drive to the Orange Bowl, but it takes about 45 minutes to an hour to get there by public transportation. There is absolutely no parking unless you want to pull into someone’s driveway for $50. Dolphin Stadium, on the other hand, is one of the newer stadiums in the country, and is making a ton of renovations. These renovations are expected to be done in 2009 and will make Dolphin Stadium one of the premier stadiums in the country. Currently, Dolphin Stadium has one of the largest areas for parking in the country. This would make tailgating and parking much more convenient than the Orange Bowl. It also had a huge plasma high-def scoreboard. With the renovations coming in 2009 this will be THE PLACE to watch games.

So you are probably wondering: why are you upset to say goodbye? A question I have is: what is Miami football known for? One might say running out on to the Orange Bowl Field with the smoke from the helmet. Another might say a tradition of excellence for over 25 years. The Orange Bowl is where the history of Miami football lives. All memories we have has been at the O-Bowl. Besides the campus in Coral Gables, I would consider the Orange Bowl our second home. Our players and recruits live to run out of the helmet tunnel. The students and spectators live to see the players run out of the helmet tunnel. This is where the bad boys of Jimmy Johnson’s era pummeled every opponent. The orange seats, the “U” at midfield, and the sign that reads “the City of Miami Welcomes You to the Orange Bowl” all bring a smile to your face. It feels like we are leaving the house we grew up, and have our childhood memories in, for one that is bigger and better. It might be an upgrade, but it is still not that house that made us who we are today.

November 10, 2007 will be a mixed emotion event for all University of Miami fans and players. We are saying goodbye to our home for the last 72 years, and moving to a bigger more beautiful home. I am glad to say I had the opportunity to spend three seasons in the Orange Bowl, and will be the first graduating class in Dolphin Stadium. Orange Bowl- you have given us millions of memories. We will miss you. Rest in Peace.