Fixing the BCS

Every other sports writer has already taken a stance on this and in the past I have let it be known that I am not a huge fan of the BCS. However, I decided to put my money where my mouth is and propose, the best solution EVER for determining a champion.

1. Use a +1 System: The college football season is long enou

gh as it is so I don't think adding an 8-team playoff and three more games for each team is the right move. Take the Top-4 teams in the BCS rankings and have them play semi-finals and a final. This would keep the schedule on par with the current Bowl Schedule. These four teams would play in 2 of the BCS Games and then would meet in the BCS Championship, one week later. It would also fit into the NCAA Model. Almost every other sport has a Final Four and this would keep with that tradition.

2. Determine the Semi-Finals Based on BCS Standings and Tie-Ins: I don't think the BCS Committee would go for this, but it is the best plan. Only 2 o

f the 4 BCS Games would be used as semi-finals and those would be determined based on BCS Ranking. Each BCS Conference currently has a tie in. Here is my proposal. I would add Big East (Cincinnati) Mountain West (Utah), WAC (Boise State) and Other (Notre Dame) into the tie-ins. I added those in Italics. It would also be important to add one more bowl game (Cotton) to the BCS to keep it at 10 teams. The Cotton Bowl is moving to the new Cowboys Stadium so it is in a professional stadium and would make the most sense. It would get the BCS At-Large berths as it would be the youngest BCS Bowl Game.

Rose: Big Ten and Pac 10

Fiesta: Big 12 and WAC/MWC

Orange: ACC and Big East

Sugar: SEC and Conference-USA/Independents

Cotton: BCS At-Large Teams

Then I would look at the BCS Rankings. Currently, Florida is #1 and assuming they beat Alabama, Texas would be #2. In my system, that would make the Sugar and Fiesta as the two bowls for the semi-finals. #3 (TCU) would then play #2 and #4 (Cincinnati) would play #1. I would also propose that only one team from each conference can play in the semi-finals, meaning that Alabama would be out. In my scenario, Florida would have already beaten them in the SEC Championship and in my opinion that would have been their chance.

The other bowls would play as normal. We are supposed to believe that strength of schedule is taken into account in the BCS Rankings, so even if 2 teams are tied in record, you would assume the team with a tougher schedule would receive the edge through the BCS Rankings. This year's schedule would then look like this:

Semi-Finals:

Sugar: #1 Florida vs. #4 Cincinnati

Fiesta: #2 Texas vs. #3 TCU

Other BCS Bowls:

Rose: Oregon vs. Ohio State

Orange: Alabama vs. Georgia Tech

Cotton Bowl: Boise State vs. Iowa

The winner of the semi-finals would then play on January 8th in the Championship, creating only one more week of games. The Championship would then rotate as it currently does.

3. This will not ruin Tradition and Importance: Let's look at the Rose Bowl. Some would argue that it would not have the same importance if it isn't a semi-final Bowl. I disagree. The Rose Bowl has built up the tradition of Pac-10/Big Ten. This game would not either be a semi-final (if one of those teams finishes in the Top-2) or it would be a traditional match-up.

4. Get rid of Pre-Season Rankings: You would have to in order to give every team a fair chance. It wouldn't make sense to allow a team (Florida) to start at #1 and just stay there. Make them work for it. Is Florida really better than Texas? We don't know, but Florida started the year #1 and hasn't lost so they stay #1. That needs to change.

5. Why will this work? This would give every team a chance to make it in the Top 4. It would create only one more week of games and hopefully allow the semi-finals to change hands. I don't think the NCAA can expect fans to pay for 3 more games, but to pay to watch a semi-final and the finals, I think that is doable financially for die-hard fans.

We have seen parody over time. USC has been great (Rose Bowl), Florida has been great (Sugar), Texas and OU have been great (Fiesta) and Cincy is coming on (Orange). Each of those Bowl Games would have an equal chance to make the semi-finals.

What do we think?

MIDTERM TODAY

Blog Closed Due to a Midterm:

Possible Post Coming Later.

Best Team in Football

Being born in 1987, I didn't really follow the Vikings until 1998. I remember that year for many reasons. It was the first time I watched every game. It was a team that went 15-1 and it was a team that was fun to watch. That team had a pro-bowl QB, a pro-bowl RB and two pro-bowl WRs. Let's also not forget that the '98 Vikings also had a stellar offensive line, a rising offensive coordinator and a head coach that gave some fans headaches. Until this year I thought that was the best Minnesota Vikings team ever.

As I watch this years team play, I am finding it harder and harder to find a weakness. Many people said all this team needed was productive QB play to be a Super Bowl contender... I'm starting to believe them. The defense does not allow teams to run and they have been improving in the passing game week-in and week-out. I know that the Seattle Seahawks are not one of the better teams in the NFL but even so, the Vikings looked invincible.

Brett Favre dissected the Seahawk secondary. I remember finding open men or men that were about to be open on my TV and seconds later Favre would find them for a much needed gain or TD. 22/25 with 4 TD's? One incompletion was one where Sidney got hit helmet-to-helmet and dropped and another was a screen thrown at Visante's feet.

Percy Harvin continues to make catches, shift his feet and score. Visante Shiancoe has forgotten how to drop passes (even catching one from T-Jack) and Sidney Rice continues to amaze. Rice made two unbelievable catches including his jump-ball in the endzone. Even Bernard Berrian, a forgotten man has found a niche as a slant man. I think in time, Berrian will turn a short slant into a HUGE gain. If we really are looking at a championship team, we can't forget that even Nafu Tahi had a productive 6-yard catch this week.

Adrian Peterson had some more productive runs this week. He didn't reach 100 yards, but he doesn't need to in order for this team to win. I think we saw something that is so important to this team progressing in the playoffs that we often overlook it. Its name is Chester Taylor. When we bring in Chester it keeps the D honest. It allows for an easier passing game, it allows Chester to run and I think it makes Adrian Peterson even more productive. Chester makes defenses adjust their game plan and it allows AP to take advantage when he comes back in.

Brett Favre was sacked a couple of times early and there was a Phil Loadholt false-start to begin the game, but the O-Line is one of the best in the NFL. Bryant McKinnie didn't let anyone come near Favre and it almost allows Favre to pretend he has 12-men on the field with him.

Then there is the defense. In one of the worst-offensive, best-defensive plays of the year, the Seahawks brought in Seneca Wallace who ran into a wall of Viking defenders and he ran out-of-bounds for a 9-yard loss. The linebackers are running in coverage, and the secondary has improved. Karl Paymah led to the only Seattle TD and after that play I noticed a lot more Asher Allen. Asher Allen has a nose for the ball. Even Hussain Abdullah had a sack today.

This was the game that showed dominance. I watched a little bit of almost every game on NFL RedZone. Indy looks beatable. The Saints have struggled in the past. Cincy lost to Oakland, Dallas is a dud and the Steelers lost to the Chiefs. It's unfortunate that we lost, because we look like we could be the best team in the league. If I had to make power rankings they would be as follows:

1. Minnesota Vikings

2. New England Patriots

3. New Orleans Saints

4. Indianapolis Colts

Those are the four teams that should be in their respective Championships.

Mauer's Marketability

Mark Rosen just reported on KFAN that he has heard that after the 2010 season, the Boston Red Sox are in position to offer Joe Mauer a 7-year, $175 Million contract and that the Twins have started negotiations at 4-years. He then followed it up by saying that he would be very surprised if Mauer DID NOT sign an extension with the Twins.

What don't the Twins understand? First, Joe Mauer is your future. With Joe in Minnesota, you will have crowds come watch the team. Second, Justin Morneau was given a 6-year extension. Scott Baker was just given a 4-year extension. You give 4-years to Scott Baker, you give 6 or 7 to Joe Mauer. Joe Mauer is the hometown boy.

Joe Mauer may be the most important sports figure to play in Minnesota since Kirby Puckett. I don't just mean the most important Minnesota Twin, but he is the most important sports figure in Minnesota. Over the last five years, we have seen an exodus of players form Minnesota. The Twins survived losing Torii Hunter and Johan Santana. The Timberwolves survived the departure of Kevin Garnett. The Vikings made it though losing Randy Moss and the Wild are still playing despite losing Marian Gaborik. Losing Joe Mauer may be too much to handle.

I truly feel that Joe Mauer will give the Twins some form of "hometown discount", but they need to step up and make a play. You cannot let him leave. This team is built around Mauer and by letting him leave, you're just setting yourself up for failure.

Big Ten Bust

After going to grab the mail today, I found an interesting note in The Sporting News. They were ranking the Top 25 Football Broadcaster. Their #1 Broadcaster was CBS' Gary Danielson. One thing he said was that he never thought any conference would pass the Big Ten in popularity, but that the SEC has already passed and will continue to pull away from the Big Ten.His reasoning was simple. The Big Ten created The Big Ten Network which led the SEC to a 15-year deal with ESPN. He said "recruits watch ESPN not BTN." He could not be more correct. Even fans enjoy watching ESPN more than BTN. It's also hard to forget that BTN had so many troubles starting up that fans couldn't even watch their teams in 2007.

I will say that I enjoy the fact that every Gopher game is on TV (either carried by ESPN or BTN), but ESPN just seems to have a more professional form of broadcasting. ESPNs graphics look professional, ESPNs broadcasters sound more professional (aside from Wayne Larrivee and Gus Johnson) and they have things to watch when there aren't games on.

The best way for the Big Ten to catch up is to add a 12th team and create a championship game. This would draw more people to the Big Ten Network. It would create excitement and intrigue from a league that has been dominated by Ohio State and Penn State for the last few years. Some may argue that a Championship game would take away the importance of each game. I disagree. It is what makes Texas and Oklahoma so much more exciting. Whichever team wins doesn't just get the Big XII Championship, but instead gives them an advantage to get to the big game.

The Big Ten went out on a limb when they created this network. They will need to adjust to life as the #2 conference quickly or risk falling even further.

There is no "MOY" in Team

Yesterday, Mike Scioscia was name AL Manager of the Year. I will not disagree that Scioscia did a fantastic job leading his team to the AL West Championship after the death of pitcher Nick Adenhart, but I want to know when Ron Gardenhire will get his due? As you read this, you may be surprised at who has won the award, how they finished and then what happened to them the following year.

In 2001, Tom Kelly led the Twins to a 85-77 record after 8 straight losing seasons. He didn't win the award because Lou Pinella led a steroid-filled Mariner team to 116 wins. That year, the award should have gone to Kelly. I think that 2001 may have hurt Gardenhire's chances of ever winning Manager of the Year. So you may ask...What has he done?

2002: In Gardenhire's first year he picked up where the 2001, Tom Kelly-led Twins left off. The Twins opened the season with a Jacque Jones HR in Kansas City and symbolically ended the season after Adam Kennedy's 3rd HR during the 5th Inning of ALCS Game 5 in Anaheim.

Gardenhire took a bunch of young players, who experienced winning for the first time in 2001 and led them to 94 wins and a Division Championship. He lost the award that year to Mike Scioscia. Scioscia led the Angels to the Wild-Card with 99 wins (and won the World Series). Assuming the award isn't given outbased on post-season success, we can assume he won the award based on the 24 game improvement from 2001. What Happened Next: In 2003, the Angels only won 77 games and missed the playoffs.

2003: The Twins won their 2nd consecutive AL Central crown with a 90-72 record. The award that year went to Kansas City Royals manager Tony Pena.

The Royals went from losing 100 games in 2002 to winning 83 in 2003. Interesting... In 2001 Kelly took a team that lost 93 games in 2000 and turned them around, yet he didn't win. What Happened Next: In 2004, the Royals lost 104 games and missed the playoffs. Pena was fired in 2005.

2004: The Twins won their 3rd consecutive AL Central Crown with a 90-72 record. Does this sound familiar? The Rangers Buck Showalter took

a team that lost 91

games in 2003 and transformed them into an 89 win team and a 3rd-place finish. What Happened Next: The pattern continues as the Rangers went 79-83 in 2005. Showalter was fired in 2006.

2005: The Twins finished 83-79 and in 3rd Place,

so based off recent history, you would think Gardenhire should have won Manager of the Year. He did not. That honor went to Ozzie Guillen of the White Sox. I can't really argue this one as the White Sox won the World Series and they had the best record in the league. What Happened Next: The curse continued as the White Sox won 90 games in 2006 and finished in 3rd Place.

2006: If there was one year that Gardenhire really deserved to win this award, then this would be it. The 2006 season started off with a horrible 25-33 record. Out go Kyle Lohse, Tony Batista and Juan Castro and in comes Nick Punto and Jason Bartlett to the rescue. By July 26 the Twins had won 44 of 52 games, but were still 8.5 games behind the Tigers. After being down by as many as 12 games, the Twins battled back, tied the Tigers and ultimately won the division on the lat day of the season (thanks to a KC sweep). Who won the award that year? Jim Leyland. He took the Tigers from 91 losses in 2005 to 95 wins in 2006. Gardy did his best managing job in 2006 and even though the Tigers were a surprise, it shouldn't matter who had a hotter start to a season because the Twins finished with a better record. What Happened Next: In 2007, The Tigers took a step backwards to 88 wins, and then saw 88 losses in 2008.

2007: This was not a good season for the Twins. Free Agent talks clouded the

entire season. It was the last season of Torii Hunter and Johan Santana and Gardy witnessed his first losing season as a manager. Eric Wedge who won the award, deserved it. What Happened Next: The Indians backtracked to .500 in 2008, and then to 97 losses in 2009. Wedge was fired after the season.

2008: The winner was Joe Maddon and he deserved it, but Gardy did turn his team around mid-season and took them to Game 163. What Happened Next: The 2009 Tampa Bay Rays went 84-78 and missed the playoffs.

Now we get to 2009. Gardy should get a medal for what happened to him this year. He lost his catcher for the first month and his MVP 1B for the last one. He was handed a bullpen with Sean Henn, Bobby Keppel and Jesse Crain and a rotation that included starts from Armando Gabino and Phillip Humber. He witnessed his franchise pitcher lose his mojo, his supposed ace become "Moon-Shot Scott" and dealt with countless injuries. Gardy and his troops fought back and took Game 163 from the Tigers, clinching his 5th Central crown in 8 years of managing.

As I wrote these little recaps, I realized that maybe it is better that he hasn't won the award. There may actually be a curse of AL Manager of the Year. The last manager to win the award and make the playoffs the following year was Joe Torre of the Yankees. Just so you are aware, the last time an NL Manager won the award and then made the playoffs was Bobby Cox who won the award in both 2004 and 2005. So what's more important... winning awards or making the playoffs? I guess I'll take the latter.

Filling the Gaps

I know that I am not a defensive genius, but I really think the Minnesota Vikings will show their true colors when Antoine Winfield returns from injury this week against the Seahawks. Since Winfield exited the game against Baltimore, the Vikings pass defense has been sub-par at best. Many have blamed that on a lack of tackling and that our safeties are not that good. I will not disagree with the tackling part, but I would like to look at a different angle on the safeties.

When Winfield is in the game, Madieu Williams and Tyrell Johnson can stay in their gaps and zones. They don't have to try to cover for others, which I think they have been doing. Benny Sapp has played up from his normal level, but when Karl Paymah comes into the game, it is like watching the Golden Gophers try to stop Penn State on 3rd down. Karl Paymah is a quality special teams player, but he should NOT be on the field in any base or nickel defense. I would even play Asher Allen ahead of him. I have seen a number of replays of runs where Paymah either missed a tackle or just didn't get their fast enough. I think that his poor play makes the safeties look worse than they are. The safeties have to come from out of position to make a play because Paymah misses tackles that Winfield would make. They don't always make the play, hence getting beat or missing tackles. It's almost like when your closer goes down in baseball.

Everyone in the bullpen has to play a different role, a role that they are not used to. In this case, Winfield is the closer and the rest of the defensive backfield has to adjust. As I said before, Benny Sapp has played well and his increase in playing time will ultimately benefit this team in the end.

The "Wall of America" with Allen, Williams, Williams and Edwards are doing their jobs. EJ, Lever and Greenway are doing their jobs and Cedric Griffin is doing his job. I think when Antoine returns this weekend you will see an improved defense. Now, would TJ Houshmandzadeh rather be playing with Brett Favre, or against Antoine Winfield?