See You Later Mr.College Football!

While on my way to the Diamond Resorts International Celebrity Golf tournament, I got a text. I knew what is was about, and if was the first of many.

It said "We lost him."

Mr. College Football, the legendary Keith Jackson, had passed away late Friday.

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Jackson was a member of the inaugural Hall of BAHL class in 2011, where I wrote the following:

"By far, college football is my favorite sport. I rarely missed televised games as a child, and calling the play by play describing the color and pageantry of NCAA College Football was ABC's Keith Jackson. 

Mr. College Football, Jackson had a unique way of bringing the game to viewers who watched from couches across the fruited plain. Jackson respected and promoted the traditions, coaches and players and rivalries which make the game special. 

Terms of endearment to the game such as "Whoa Nelly", "The Big Uglies" and "Fumble" will never be forgotten, nor will Jackson. Keith Jackson, a big man at 6'4 275, is a bigger man in the annuals of America's greatest game, NCAA College Football."

I had the opportunity meet Keith Jackson at a "Legend's Luncheon" held when Florida State played Notre Dame in Orlando in 1994. It was an honor to meet Jackson, who was larger than life in many ways.

Like so many expressed who have commented via social media since his passing on Friday, Jackson meant so much to those of us who grew up cherishing the color and pageantry of those autumn Saturday afternoons, where with all due respect to Alabama's university slogan, where legends were made.

Keith Jackson was often imitated across the college football landscape, with many a "fumble" uttered from Jacksonville to Omaha, but few were as beloved at our Keith Jackson.

Alabama coach Bear Bryant and ABC's Keith Jackson

Top 25

College Football

Final 2012 Top 25

1.      Alabama, 13-1, 2
2.      Oregon, 12-1, 4
3.      Notre Dame, 12-1, 1
4.      Georgia, 12-2, 5
5.      Texas A&M, 11-2, 7
6.      Ohio State, 12-0, 6
7.      Stanford, 12-2, 9
8.      South Carolina, 11-2, 11
9.      Florida State, 12-2, 13
10.    Florida, 11-2, 3
11.    Clemson, 11-2, 15
12.    Kansas State, 11-2, 8
13.    Louisiana State, 10-3, 10
14.    Louisville, 11-2, 24
15.    Northwestern, 10-3, 18
16.    Oklahoma, 10-3, 12
17.    Nebraska, 10-4, 23
18.    Vanderbilt, 9-4, 21
19.    Utah State, 11-2, 22
20.    Texas, 9-4, NR
21.    Oregon State, 9-4, 15
22.    Northern Illinois, 12-2, 20
23.    Michigan, 8-5, 17
24.    Wisconsin, 8-6, 19
25.    Baylor, 8-5, NR

OUT: Southern Cal (25) and UCLA (16) 

VOTES:  Boise State, Oklahoma State, UCLA, San Jose State, Penn State, Cincinnati, Arizona State, Tulsa, Michigan State, Texas Christian and Arkansas State.

BCS NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP

BAMA runs wild/Photo By MIKE SEGAR/REUTERS
 

For all the fanfare leading up to title matchup over two traditional power, the game was over almost before it began.  Alabama was able to push the Notre Dame front seven around and run the ball down the throat of the Fighting Irish, and that was the ball game.  Bama won the line of scrimmage decisively on both sides, and Notre Dame could not generate anything measurable on offense.

Yes, the officials got in the way of the Irish early, but it would not matter, thankfully.  This was a whipping, but this is not about a Notre Dame team that did not belong; this was about an Alabama team, that when focused and on game, are stout and the class of the college game.

Nick Saban and The Crimson Tide have won three of the last four titles, matching the run Nebraska had in the mid 90's.  Credit the Tide, who have earned your respect.  Sadly for the rest of us, stopping this runaway train anytime soon seems unlikely.  Sweet Home Alabama!

Oh, by the way, ESPN's Brent Musburger, who made news a few years back sounding off on the beauty of the FSU Cowgirls, got into some hot water again last night as he went off on how hot Alabama quaterback AJ McCarron's girlfriend, former Miss Alabama and Auburn alum Katherine Webb is.  In the aftermath, Miss Webb is becoming a household name, with her Twitter account growing exponentially in followers.  I have to admit, Musburger is right on target regarding Miss Webb; she is absolutely stunning.



BOWLS

Duke fumbled twice inside the Cincinnati 5, and gave the game away.....Baylor is on a winning streak and jumped all over a decent UCLA team behind Nick Florence.....Va.Tech roared back and dunked Rutgers in the Russell Athletic Bowl in Orlando..... Minnesota played well, but could not stop Texas Tech....West Virginia, a major disappointment, were physically beaten by Syracuse in a snow storm Pin Stripe Bowl... Texas unleashed Alex Okafor, got some big plays and shocked Oregon State.....Michigan State got a late kick to beat TCU...Vanderbilt controlled NC State and is a sleeper for 2013.....USC failed to show up, as many expected, and got taken out by Georgia Tech as the preseason number one Trojans limped home failing to not only finish in the final AP Top 25, but even receive votes.....In the best bowl game, Clemson got LSU at the gun.  Clemson coach Dabo Sweeney said the Tigers fought for every blade of grass out there, and he was nothing short of correct.  It was hard fought, and this much needed win for Clemson could pay later dividends.....Okie State bombed outclassed Purdue....Northwestern beat SEC Miss. State and are better than most think...Wisconsin fought hard, but could not stand up to Stanford in the end....Florida failed to take Louisville seriously and paid the price, getting stung in New Orleans which will leave a lingering bad taste in the mouth of Gator nation....Oregon ran all over K-State and smothered KSU's Collin Klein...Johnny Football and A&M bombed Oklahoma in the Cotton, and one has to wonder what has become of once powerful OU under Bob Stoops.....Ole Miss is emerging and dumped Pittsburgh.

In the Outback Bowl in Tampa, South Carolina got by a Michigan team that came to play. In a play late in the game, in perhaps the worst example of poor officiating we have sadly been witnessing recently, the officials awarded Michigan a first down when everyone but the three blind mice could see the Wolverines were short.  Take a look:




Many teams did not have the stomach to overcome a bad call late in a game, as witnessed after a Nebraska fumbled driving late in a tie ball game with Georgia over in Orlando.  But do not include the Gamecocks and Jadeveon Clowney in that discussion, because when the zebras dealt them a body blow, the Cocks took it out on their opponent.  In a truly outstanding individual play, take a look as South Carolina's Clowney take matters into his own hands.



Hope your team is not on the Gamecock schedule next fall, beacuse blocking this guy may be a mountain even Alabama cannot handle.  Needlesss to say, Clowney will be 2013 preseason All America and the favorite for the defensive player of the year, if not the Heisman Trophy.

Runzaway Victory

The Nebraska Cornhuskers, reeling from getting nothing short of embarrassed in the Big Ten Championship game by Wisconsin, were selected to make a return trip to beautiful downtown Orlando to face the highly ranked Georgia Bulldogs in the Capital One Bowl.

Would Nebraska limp down and absorb another beating at the hands of Georgia, who was four yards away from facing Notre Dame in the BCS Championship?

In watching the practices, the Big Red seemed to embrace the challenge.  Kenny Bell and Taylor Martinez, although enjoying the trip, were very focused come practice time.

All the fanfare associated with the game was well attended by the fans, including a pep rally.



After a shaky start, which included a blocked punt for a safety and a touchdown pass leading Nebraska to fall behind 9-0, the Big Red seemed to be ready to win the game.  The 'Huskers led 24-23 at the half as Taylor Martinez and Rex Burkhead kept the Junkyard Dawgs off balance.



Taylor Martinez on the scramble

Nebraska stormed out of the half to build upon the lead 31-23 and were poised for more when Ameer Abdullah fumbled the ball away after securing a short yardage first down at the Georgia 39.  From the vantage point of the stands and the Husker sideline, it appeared Abdullah was down, and if he was not, Nebraska recovered the ball. The play was not reviewed, and Georgia got the ball.

From that point on, Georgia and quarterback Aaron Murray, from nearby Tampa Plant, made plays when it counted coming from behind to beat Nebraska 45-31.

There was some kind of officiating going on out there by the crew from the Big XII (really?), absent consistency and collectively perhaps the worst I have seen.  From seeing highlights of other games on the day, the Capital One Bowl was not alone in poor officiating.

 

Unlike last year, with Nebraska ahead as quarter four began, the Big Red could have won the game.  Georgia is every bit as good as advertised, and in the end, took control with their superior talent stepping up and making plays.

 

Nebraska, as usual, had plenty of offense to win the game.  The Big Red is hard to defend with a strong running attack, a fleet footed quarterback who is much better than most everyone give him credit for and a group of receivers who are quite good.  Even the much maligned offensive line performed well.

 

It is on the stop side where the problems for Nebraska begin and end.  This is the strong suit of NU Head Coach Bo Pelini; therefore, the lack of execution by this unit cannot be further tolerated.  In the 2012 losses, the highly touted Blackshirts gave up zip codes of yardage and pinball machine points.  In fact, in each of the losses, Nebraska put up over 30 points, and when you do that, you fully expect to win.

 

I happen to like the defensive staff, and maybe it is a lack of talent that is the main issue.  The secondary has been strong most of the year, but they looked awful against Aaron Murray, no RGII to be sure.  With players playing out of position, the defensive line played better than I anticipated.

 

As the Omaha World Herald points out, there is some sunshine peeking out of the clouds, and 4 loss seasons getting punked in bowl games against I don't care who are dark clouds.  The 2013 offense could be special behind Martinez and the schedule is very forgiving.  If Pelini can get a handle on the defense, and his history says he can, Nebraska may have a Rosey season.

 

If not, with Tom Osborne having retired, some real hard questions will demand answers, not time.  I am hopeful those questions will not need to be asked.

Seminole Uprising

It has been a rough year for Florida State football, knocked out of national and ACC title consideration right out of the gate this fall. FSU did respond by winning the State championship for a second straight year, beating both in state rivals Miami and Florida.

As the bowl matchups were announced, Florida State got selected to play in the Champs Bowl, here in Orlando, against the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame. Instant sellout. If you are not in the BCS, it does not get much better than this.

In preparation for the matchup, here is some fanfare from last seasons Chick-fil-a Bowl by the world renowned Florida State University Marching Chiefs. Go 'Noles!

Sixteen is Sweet

Congratulations to Leonard Hamilton and the Florida State Seminoles basketball team in reaching the NCAA Tournament's Sweet Sixteen in convincing fashion by smothering Big East Champion Notre Dame.

Florida State is the nation's best on defense, and when they can put some offense together, as they did last night, they can defeat anyone in the tournament. Behind Bernard James (pictured left/AP Images), a proud member of the USAF, who is young in roundball years and reminds me of a poor man's James Worthy and senior Derwin Kitchen, the 'Noles may just tomahawk chop themselves to a championship!

Nebraska Secures Stability in Big Ten

In December, The Big Ten Conference released a press release signaling their hopes to expand, which seemed to center around two goals; landing Notre Dame and securing two divisions which would culminate in a conference championship game. Instantaneously, Missouri chancellor Brady Deaton made public proclamation that the Missouri Tigers were more than interested. That left Nebraska Athletic Director Tom Osborne contemplating a turn of events that could lead The University of Nebraska, and it's storied football program, vulnerable.

Colorado had always been flirting with the PAC 10 conference, so with Missouri obviously seeking greener pastures, the Big XII North Division becomes real shaky. During the Big XII meetings, one item could have given the whole situation some clarity about the league remaining in tact going forward, and that was the television rights. The University of Texas, who thinks they are the big fish in the pond, and they are, was set on doing their own television deal and would not commit to assigning the media rights to the conference for the long term. If you are looking to preserve the Big XII, that was the wrong answer.

During this time period, Nebraska and The Big Ten Conference began discussing a possible relationship. Given the turmoil brewing around the Big XII, Nebraska appeared set to making the move. Seemingly before a deal was finalized, Colorado, the "declared" rival of Nebraska, announced their intention to move to the PAC 10. At this point, although Nebraska appeared set to move anyhow, the Cornhuskers had no alternative now. On Friday, Nebraska was accepted as the 12 member of The Big Ten. "The Big Ten offered stability," UNL Chancellor Harvey Perlman said, "the Big 12 could not offer." CBS Sports.com writer Dennis Dodd sums up the events quite nicely.

I have never been a big fan of Big Ten football and I think teams from this conference are usually overrated. Therefore, from a football standpoint, I am not real happy. But this was about much more than football, and overall this is an outstanding move by the University of Nebraska. Nebraska football will be fine, and while UNL has a good academic reputation (even in the sports teams), the University will benefit in a big way academically. On the gridiron, I think Nebraska will win quite frequently and annually challenge for the conference title.

Unfortunately, as a college football traditionalist who appreciates the color and pageantry of the game and who is not looking for a playoff system, this is bad news for the game. The shifting of teams has only just begun, and the ripple effect of these moves will be titanic. As with anything while we are still a nation of capitalists, there will be winners and losers. Among the teams that may come out short are Kansas and their storied basketball program, Missouri who helped get this started by dreaming ahead of themselves and Iowa State and Baylor, who are sadly looking homeless.

Perhaps the worst of this is what appears to be the death knell of the battle of the Big Reds, Nebraska vs. Oklahoma. The formation of the Big XII made this game a non annual tilt anyhow, but the teams could have always continued the rivalry by meeeting in the Big XII Championship game on off scheduled seasons. Now Nebraska gets another red team to deal with, Wisconsin. I just can't curb my excitement.

At the end of the day, due to the confluence of events, this was a move The University of Nebraska had to make. Look out Man, Woman and Child, here come the 'Huskers. The Big Ten is impressive, but There is no place like Nebraska!