The thing that stinks about the BCS Selection Show is that, while it's always fun to see mysterious computer rankings unveiled to the public on national television, it's not like March Madness' seeding process, because we more or less already know who's going to end up where. To wit: most of what FOX had to offer in the way of entertainment involved fast-paced graphics, a little screaming, and ultimately the exact matchups we all thought we would see.
The Sooners and Gators were named as the pair of teams that will compete for the BCS championship and nearly unalienable right to almost absolutely proclaim themselves the best team in the nation. But, all skepticism aside, it's worth noting that this will be a pretty spectacular game to watch, provided you enjoy seeing lots of offense.
Talk about disappointing -- Nick Saban and the Crimson Tide went undefeated all season long until they finally lost a game to the Florida Gators ... in the pre-postseason SEC championship game. And, as a result of all their hard work, the Tide get to play Utah, who, as a non-BCS conference team, is back in the BCS mix again. This time they're without Urban Meyer, and pardon me for being a jerkstore, but an upset Alabama team (with only one loss and somehow unable to play for the championship) is going to throttle-job them.
Of all the press releases I expected to read in preparation for this weekend's Sprint Cup activity in the "Valley of the Sun's" Phoenix International Raceway, I surely didn't expect this one:
As grand marshal, Stewart will not only lead this year's Fort McDowell Fiesta Bowl Parade, but will also serve as a special guest at the 38th Annual Tostitos Fiesta Bowl on Monday, January 5, 2009, where he will participate in the pre-game festivities and coin toss.
I'm not really sure why Stewart was chosen to be the grand marshal, but hey, it's a little bit of free publicity for the Fiesta Bowl and the corresponding parade while NASCAR invades the Phoenix area this weekend.
For Stewart fans, it means the chance to see the two-time champion during NASCAR's off-season on one of college football's bigger stages.
Win or lose, this is probably the best half of football West Virginia has played all year if you consider the competition. By far, this is the most dynamic the Mountaineer offense has been all year. Even though they have had to settle for field goals mostly, the passing over the middle and runs that went between the tackles have already surpassed anything the team did during the regular season.
More importantly, this is also the best the defense has looked all year. I think it's pretty safe to say that interim head coach Bill Stewart has given this team new focus and allowed them to play. Too many times this year, the Mountaineers looked tight and unsure of themselves. Like if someone was standing over them screaming and complaining about every miscue. Yes, I'm looking at you Rich Rodriguez. But tonight, the team is loose and is executing the way we all expected them to this year.
I got the feeling when #19 Vaughn Rivers was running his mouth during the coin toss (something I never thought I would see) that the Mountaineers might not be able to back it up. But nothing could be further from the truth.
With Steve Slaton most likely out for the rest of the game you might think that the Mountaineers would be in trouble. But West Virginia has seen this movie before in last years Gator Bowl. Pat White and company haven't missed a beat with Noel Devine and Owen Schmitt taking over for Slaton. The only question is if they can keep it up through the second half.
Halftime stats worth noting:
Rushing: WVU 159, OU 10 Passing: WVU 96, OU 90 Kick Return Yards: WVU 2/41 yards, OU 5/167
An intrepid Canadian college football fan has made a great video spoofing the "OMG screen went black!" series finale to The Sopranos. We all know what happened in last year's wild Fiesta Bowl, but somehow this video leaves you hanging just the same. Brilliant and funny at the same time.
Take special notice of the agonizing parallel parking efforts, played back suspiciously at about 3/4 speed.
The thing that stinks about the BCS Selection Show is that, while it's always fun to see mysterious computer rankings unveiled to the public on national television, it's not like March Madness' seeding process, because we more or less already know who's going to end up where. To wit: most of what FOX had to offer in the way of entertainment involved fast-paced graphics, a little screaming, and ultimately the exact matchups we all thought we would see..jpg)
Of all the press releases I expected to read in preparation for this weekend's 
Win or lose, this is probably the best half of football West Virginia has played all year if you consider the competition. By far, this is the most dynamic the Mountaineer offense has been all year. Even though they have had to settle for field goals mostly, the passing over the middle and runs that went between the tackles have already surpassed anything the team did during the regular season. 
