0 comments by Bart D on 12/7/2015
Let’s get one thing out of the way: there is no such thing as too many bowl games. If you think there are, I don’t want to hear you kvetching in July when it seems like meaningful sports will never occur on your Saturday night, especially that of the football variety. For the most part, […]
STILLWATER, OK – DECEMBER 7: Quarterback Blake Bell #10 of the Oklahoma Sooners walks off the field after the game against the Oklahoma State Cowboys December 7, 2013 at Boone Pickens Stadium in Stillwater, Oklahoma. Oklahoma defeated Oklahoma State 33-24. (Photo by Brett Deering/Getty Images)
0 comments by Bart D on 12/6/2015
The CFB Playoff committee will get on television one final time this season and act as though the end result of picking this year’s playoff participants was akin to splitting the atom, much like a bad auto mechanic using a bunch of terms he thinks the customer doesn’t understand to drive up the price of […]
MADISON, WI – OCTOBER 03: Head Coach Kirk Ferentz of the Iowa Hawkeyes stands on the sidelines during the first half against the Wisconsin Badgers at Camp Randall Stadium on October 03, 2015 in Madison, Wisconsin. (Photo by Mike McGinnis/Getty Images)
0 comments by Bart D on 12/3/2015
I try to be careful around statistics, because I don’t believe much in them when it comes to sports. “Stats are for losers,” says the iconic and legend among mere mortals Bill Belichick. It tends to be more about matchups than statistics, and statistics come out through some of the matchups won and lost. When […]
0 comments by Bart D on 12/2/2015
From the files of, “things I never thought I’d say without losing a bad, bad bet:” the CFB Playoff committee has been (gasp!) not complete rubbish this season. I mean, you have the usual “let’s pretend the SEC is waaaaaay better than it really is” stuff going on, but aside from that, it’s been marked […]
0 comments by Bart D on 11/30/2015
Go down the street and ask most people why they work at the jobs they work at. Odds are, nine out of every 10 answers will be something tethered to the influence and need of the almighty dollar. You may run into that one elderly dude that works 15 hours a week at the golf […]
EAST LANSING, MI – NOVEMBER 30: Michigan State Spartans head coach Mark Dantonio shakes hands with Minnesota Golden Gophers acting head coach Tracy Claeys at the end of the game at Spartan Stadium on November 30, 2013 in East Lansing, Michigan. The Spartans defeated the Golden Gophers 14-3. (Photo by Mark A. Cunningham/Getty Images)
0 comments by Bart D
Minnesota and Illinois are good football jobs, if you want to win. Let me explain. The Big Ten West is overrun by mediocrity right now. If every conference is a lawn, the Big Ten West is that patch you have in the backyard that’s been taken over by crabgrass, but at least it’s not chickweed. […]
CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA – AUGUST 30: Greyson Lambert #11 of the Virginia Cavaliers passes the ball during first half action against the UCLA Bruins at Scott Stadium on August 30, 2014 in Charlottesville, Virginia. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
0 comments by Bart D on 11/29/2015
You know how when you go to the grocery store for a full haul shop and if you’re smart, you put the heavy stuff in the trunk first and not, say, the bread and yogurt? Let’s get the heavy stuff out of the way regarding Virginia football after head coach Mike London resigned this weekend […]
ANN ARBOR, MI – NOVEMBER 28: Quarterback Jake Rudock #15 of the Michigan Wolverines fumbles the ball while being hit by Adolphus Washington #92 of the Ohio State Buckeyes in the third quarter at Michigan Stadium on November 28, 2015 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
0 comments by Bart D on 11/28/2015
Sometimes, you just get your arse kicked in. All year, the story of Michigan had been one of improvement. Some of it, probably, was assumed to be a wider gap than it really was, just because of the natural assumption that Jim Harbaugh was not Brady Hoke. Everything Michigan did well flowed from the belief […]
0 comments by Bart D on 11/27/2015
“In the final analysis, I had to evaluate where Iowa was.” – Nebraska Athletic Director Shawn Eichorst in 2014 before deciding to make the coaching change that ended up with Bo Pelini out and Mike Riley in. As humans, we all “burn the tape” in our lives. You’ll hear coaches mention it when a game […]
0 comments by Bart D on 11/25/2015
Just to reiterate the rules: No, the author does not watch the show because it’s nothing but a cheap ratings grab passed off as some attempt at transparency. So anything said on the show to justify the rankings is not taken into account. Just because you spray yourself with cologne to cover up the smell […]
0 comments by Bart D on 11/24/2015
Your weekly “things to rant about in college football that aren’t worth a full column” is here. Do enjoy. 1. The pressure never fails to show up “Under Pressure” is without question my favorite Queen song, and one of the best lines in it is “Insanity laughs under pressure we’re cracking.” Every year, we look […]
INDIANAPOLIS, IN – OCTOBER 25: Head coach Chuck Pagano of the Indianapolis Colts looks on against the New Orleans Saints during a game at Lucas Oil Stadium on October 25, 2015 in Indianapolis, Indiana. The Saints defeated the Colts 27-21. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
0 comments by Bart D on 11/23/2015
Yo, Miami, if you give me a fourth of what you’re paying Korn Ferry, I’ll go find a coach for you. Or, hell, I’ll just give it to you here: Chuck Pagano. There will be plenty of rumors, innuendo, he-said-she-said over the coming months as the Hurricanes attempt to fill their vacancy. It’s a very […]
0 comments by Bart D on 11/22/2015
When you flood the basement, the rats come out. It was a long time coming for Ohio State — the loss to Michigan State, that is. The other stuff is just a lead-up to it. The fact that Ohio State had ripped off more than 20 straight wins is truly remarkable, even more so when […]
COLUMBUS, OH – NOVEMBER 21: Head Coach Mark Dantonio of the Michigan State Spartans watches from the sideline as his team plays against the Ohio State Buckeyes in the first half at Ohio Stadium on November 21, 2015 in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images)
0 comments by Bart D on 11/21/2015
On Sunday, Michigan State had best be in your top four. It’s been a good while since we’ve seen a win as impressive as what the Spartans put up in a 17-14 shocker of Ohio State whilst their Heisman-contender quarterback hung out on the sidelines all game with a shoulder injury. Michigan State led for […]
BLOOMINGTON, IN – NOVEMBER 14: Jim Harbaugh the head coach of the Michigan Wolverines watches the action against the Indiana Hoosiers at Memorial Stadium on November 14, 2015 in Bloomington, Indiana. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
0 comments by Bart D
If you’d have said Michigan would be in position to win a Big Ten title back in August, you’d have been labeled a Harbaugh Happy Homer. The author knows this, because he lived it. Because of it, these are strange bedfellows this college football makes. Michigan will be relegated to “rooting” for arch enemy Ohio […]
