Rex Hudler

QUOTE(danman31 @ Dec 2, 2007 -> 02:31 PM) What, and everyone else didn't too? Everyone's consensus #2 is LSU and they lost to 2 unranked teams, that's nothing spectacular either. It goes back to the argument of eliminating preseason polls because LSU was going to get first crack at every opportunity. Maybe if people reevaluated things they would have been different. There's really nothing that sets any of the 2 loss teams apart. There is no clear cut argument because everyone f***ed up. If Hawaii would have at least dominated Washington I would have tried to argue them over LSU, but they should have lost their game so I can't make that argument. LSU lost two games in triple OT. They kicked the crap out of Va Tech. I'd say that sets them apart from the other teams.

QUOTE(Jenksismyb**** @ Dec 2, 2007 -> 02:02 PM) This is what cracks me up about trying to pick the best conference. How do we know the SEC was good? How do you know the Big 12 was solid? Seems to me the big 12 is just as good as the big ten - a couple of "top" teams (even though only one team truly proved its better - OU) and the rest were crap. The SEC was the same way. Rankings mean diddly crap because at the beginning of the year the SEC had some highly ranked teams, who then played and beat up each other. So even if Team A sucks and beats Team B who also sucks, if Team B happens to be ranked then it looks like a "good loss" to a "good team." With no reference whatsoever, its hard to compare conferences and decide who is better - unless there's a top matchup, like a Texas-OSU, in the non-conference part of the schedule. And after this season I'm officially just as good at predicting how good/bad teams are than the "experts." I think this season more than any other has proven that there are no "dominant" programs - with the reduction in scholarships more talent is going to mid-level teams, opening up more and more chances to beat "top" teams. Very simply, I have seen both conferences in depth. The SEC is much better than the Big Ten this year. The depth of the SEC is what sets it apart.

QUOTE(aboz56 @ Dec 2, 2007 -> 01:11 PM) Busy blogging I suppose...Just actually got that PM you sent me regarding Zeller yesterday, that's how long it's been since I've been on here. No s***. Welcome back. We need some intelligence on this board amidst all the Illini fans dumbing things down. ;-)

QUOTE(aboz56 @ Dec 2, 2007 -> 01:07 PM) I thought SIU forgot about getting the ball to Falker in the second half. For them to win, he had to have a better game than he did. They also had no answer for Gordon once he got going. Aboz, where the hell ya been?

I'm not saying that the Rose won't pick Illinois, but a Georgia - USC matchup is a lot more intriguing than Illinois - USC. I think when all is said and done, the Rose will stick with tradition, but there is nothing forcing them to do so.

Guys let's remember one thing about the BCS. It's sole purpose when it was created was to put the two best teams in the Championship game, that's it. It was never designed to make sure the #6 team gets rewarded with a BCS bowl appearance. They have tweaked the system in the past years to help make it more balanced and to give the non-BCS schools a chance to be involved (and keep the government out of it), but the bottom line is those matchups are not the main purpose of the BCS. While some may argue, I think after everything that has happened, that OSU and LSU are the two most deserving teams. There are no great teams this year. None. So you take the best two of the survivors of a really strange season. The season was nuts, but I think the BCS worked again. There are no real strong arguments out there for any teams other than LSU and OSU to be in the title game.

QUOTE(Gene Honda Civic @ Dec 2, 2007 -> 02:24 AM) It's virtually assured.... Their other choices are ASU (they don't want a Pac 10 conference game), Hawaii (No chance), Kansas (Hawaii of the midwest), WVU (coming off a loss to Wanny). The only danger is if UGa is in the championship. OSU will be one, giving Rose the first replacement pick... and the most lucrative matchup would be LSU-USC, which might be better than the championship game) What's preventing the Rose Bowl from picking Georgia instead of Illinois??

QUOTE(whitesoxfan99 @ Dec 2, 2007 -> 12:04 AM) If Hawaii wins they are in a BCS game. I was working on the assumption they were going to lose tonight. Might still happen that way, but Hawaii isn't going away quietly. So if Hawaii wins, who loses out? Illinois? Arizona State?

Here is my breakdown based solely on guessing, not having read anything about what specific bowls may do: BCS Championship - OSU vs. LSU Rose - USC vs. Illinois or Georgia Sugar - Georgia or Illinois vs. Missouri or Kansas (Illinois/Missouri rematch?) Fiesta - Oklahoma vs. Arizona State Orange - VA Tech vs. West Virginia Somebody tell me where I am off, please.

QUOTE(Brian @ Dec 1, 2007 -> 10:48 PM) I just don't think OSU is that good, but neither is anyone really else in college football. OSU had a weak schedule, especially their non conference opponents. Does BCS still take into account strength of schedule? The computer polls, which account for 1/3 of the BCS formula do to some extent. There are six different computer polls and all have different measures for their rankings. The bottom line is there are no great teams in college football this year. There are a lot of good teams that can play great on a given day, but aren't elite. Everybody is saying that OSU is getting rewarded for "being in the clubhouse". I think that is a BS argument because they played the same amount of games (not counting the conf champ game teams). They just did so without a bye. USC ends their season two weeks later than the Big Ten, but play the same amount of games. There is no unfair advantage. OSU, while their schedule was weaker this year, won their games. If you are comparing one loss teams, you take OSU in a hurry over Kansas. When comparing two loss teams, LSU wins all the comparisons, even with USC.

Good effort by the Hoosiers. SIU, as Brian referred to, really needs scorers. I thought IU played very well defensively tonight, but the game would have been much closer if SIU could have hit more shots. There is no reason SIU should be that cold at home. IU contested and blocked a lot of shots, but there were open looks as well.

I still think Ohio State and LSU will/should end up playing for the Championship. Once again, I think you can say the BCS worked. That said, who in the hell does a Michigan fan root for???

I do think you would see LSU jump back into the NC game in that scenario.

Pretty good first half for IU. It started sloppy early, but IU got into a bit of a rhythm. Going to the zone kept them out of major foul trouble. Give me more of the same in the 2nd half and keep knocking down key shots and all will end well for the Hoosiers.

QUOTE(southsideirish71 @ Dec 1, 2007 -> 08:06 PM) I am in East Tennesee this weekend for a road trip of installs at some of our locations in the south. Its pretty amazing how into it the Knoxville area is. Everyone was wearing Orange and the local TV was covering the SEC championship game like the Bears playoff games. In Chicago we get some college pride, however nothing like this. It was pretty amazing to see. Well time to find something to eat. Maybe something with a bar so I can see the rest of the Mizzou game. Welcome to the South, ssi71

Harvard beat Michigan today Butler just kicked the crap out of Ohio State Hope this isn't an omen for the Hoosiers!

20 minutes to game time for the Hoosiers and Salukis! My pre-game thoughts: Very tough game for an IU team that is still trying to figure out who they are. They struggle on defense, especially on the interior. They too often resort to one-on-one play relying on excellent individual skills. That however can lead to bad shots and turnovers. Playing under control is imperative if the Hoosiers expect to win. Indiana is also susceptible to foul trouble inside. Their depth is young and not real strong. DJ White needs to have a solid game and stay out of foul trouble or IU will struggle to stay in the game. We all know what Eric Gordon can do so I won't go into a lot of detail here, but he certainly has the ability to be the difference maker. Other keys for IU are Jamarcus Ellis and Armon Bassett. Armon will have to be able to handle the SIU ball pressure D. If he can drive and dish and hit some shots off of ball rotation it will give the Hoosiers a huge boost. Ellis plays both inside and outside. He's a slasher that can create problems for SIU. If he plays with composure and doesn't get flustered by the defense, IU will have a very good chance to win. He will hit the boards and take some pressure off the bigs inside. Lastly, anything positive they can get from Lance Stemler will help. Lance has played well lately, staying under control. If he plays out of control, IU might be in trouble. If IU can be solid on all those fronts, they could walk out with a 10-point win. I suspect SIU will keep that from happening and IU will have to squeak out a close one if they are to come away with a win. An SIU win would certainly not surprise me in the least. Anyone have thoughts from the SIU side??

It certainly seems at this point they are going to have to figure out who "better" is.

I got up to 297 words per minute last night....... Of course, I got 295 of them wrong! I guess I am not much of a typist, because after several tries I was averaging about 60 words correct and 1.5 wrong.

QUOTE(Soxbadger @ Dec 1, 2007 -> 02:45 PM) Hes not going to Michigan. The point was to see who would pay the most, Michigan or LSU. Now its being reported that LSU and Miles will agree to a new contract. My guess is that he leveraged the UM job for a huge pay day at LSU and gets to keep the much easier job. I don't think it was about money at all. I think it was more about the process.

QUOTE(Brian @ Dec 1, 2007 -> 02:20 PM) I was told SIU/IU was on ESPN tonight and now that doesn't seem to be the case. This could be both good or bad, depending on the outcome. Dern it! Sorry you got some misinformation. The game has always been scheduled for ESPNU.

Miles just seemed to have put the nail in the coffin in a pre-game interview with CBS' Tracy Wolfson. He said he is the coach at LSU and will be the coach at LSU. She asked him if that meant next year and he said absolutely. Either he is completely an idiot or he is staying. Some may argue both, but I will just state I now think the door is closed.

QUOTE(thedoctor @ Dec 1, 2007 -> 01:41 PM) translation: "it was really crappy timing that the word of me going to michigan broke on the same day we're playing in the sec championship, particularly considering my d-coordinator is going to nebraska, too. so, i'm lsu's coach today, but sometime in the next few weeks i'll be coaching at michigan. i'll probably drum up some tears at that time, too, you know, just to take the edge off." LOL well done. I am not convinced he is definitely going to be in either place come the end of next week. I'll be curious how he handles his post-game press conference this afternoon.

The full text of his statement.... "There was misinformation on ESPN and i think it's imperative that I straighten it out. I am the head coach at LSU. I will be the head coach at LSU. I have no interest in talking to anybody else. I got a championship game to play, and I'm excited about the opportunity of my damn strong football team to play in it. And that's really all I'd like to say. It's unfortunate that I had to address my team with this information this morning. With that being done, I think we'll be ready to play. There will be no questions for me. I represent me in this issue. Please ask me after. I'm busy. Thank you very much. Have a great day."

Does anyone that saw that press conference think the door is still open? He certainly didn't slam any doors closed. If you didn't see it, his words were (I'm paraphrashing): There was an erroneous report on ESPN today that I need to address I am the coach at LSU I will be the coach at LSU I have no interest in talking to anyone else I have a Championship football game to play I am excited to coach my damned strong football team today I am upset that I had to address my team this morning due to this report He did not answer any questions. The LSU Chancellor and AD were there and they left the table with him and did not address the media either. Interesting