Headed Towards BCS Chaos

This will be the year that will cause changes to the college football postseason. Again on Saturday Night another #1 team, this time Ohio State, went down. The only two unbeaten teams at the end of the season very well could be Boise State and TCU. There are still 14 teams who play in BCS Conferences with either one loss or less. I don’t think there is anyway come December that at least seven teams don’t have cases to play for the title. The other thing that will be a factor is five conferences will make claims their teams are the best. We have title contenders spread out across every region of the country. A lot can happened between now and then, but instead of clearing up it could get cloudier.

Join Are College Football Pick'em Group

We’re only one week away from the start of the college football season. Remember: Pitt opens up against Utah next Thursday Night. PSU starts next Saturday against Youngstown St. I created a group for ESPN’s free college Pick’em Game. All you have to do is create an entry and search for the “Kittanning Paper” group. Similar to what we did with the NCAA poll last spring. Each week we’ll pick the winners of 10 games. I encourage you to check it out.

Will Notre Dame Move Forward Under Kelly

I know a lot of eyes will be on Notre Dame and their new head coach Brian Kelly. Everyone knows Kelly is going with the spread offense, but forget about offense the Irish need defense. This year under new defense coordinator Bob Diaco, they’re moving to a 3-4 defense. Their defensive recruiting class was not highly rated, so unless someone emerges out of no where, they’ll probably struggle. While the buzz word on campus is “new”, I have the feeling their same “old” defense will again be their downfall. By the time they play Pitt in early October, I think we’ll know if Kelly is man or not.

More College Football Reshuffling?

It looks like the college football world won’t be completely reshuffled, at least for now. I think we were one school away from all the dominos falling. As of now all that has changed is Colorado moving to the PAC-10, Nebraska joining the Big10, and Boise State headed to the Mountain West. The world of collegiate conferences is complex and confusing especially in football where less than half the Divison-1 basketball schools have top level football programs.

It’s also crazy to think the Big East, which is centered in economic hub of country, is always in jeopardy of breaking apart. If Temple ever had a good football program they would probably be in the Big East. Buffalo could also be an option. I could see the Pac-10 going after one more school, and the Big 12 trying to add a couple schools. TCU, SMU, Houston, Memphis to name a few. Now the large conferences might start looking towards the smaller conferences instead of each other.

09-10 College Football Champions: Boise St. & Alabama

As we know but sometimes forget, there is no NCAA College Football Champion. There is something called the BCS Championship, but what is that anyway. If the BCS can name a champion, so can RizzoSports.com, which we've been doing in recent years. Until College Football comes up with a better system, (the simple +1 game if needed would work) most years we're left with confusion. The BCS uses sports writers, can anyone think of a more biased group? Here at RizzoSports.com we're unbiased and fair, we'll at least more so the sports media. We're not picking based on who we think would win if team x played team y. Last year we named Utah as lone Champions of College Football, this we again have co-champions.

2009-2010 RizzoSports.com College Football Champions

Alabama - 14-0

Boise St. 14-0

BCS Title Game Pick: Texas to Win

We’re going to pick Texas to win the BCS Title Game tonight. Just to be different, so many people are picking Alabama, we’re going to go with Texas. You have to remember it’s been so long since these teams last played, therefore anything can happen. There is a chance Alabama could come out a little rusty, same for Texas we’ll see. The longer layoff in theory favors the underdog. If Alabama can throw the ball well, then they’ll beat Texas. However we’re picking Texas in an upset.

2009-10 College Football Bowl Picks

Brian goes 10-4 to take the lead. We'll Pick the two final games tonight on RSW!!!!

On Tuesday night December 22, myself and Brian Sakowski will pick the winners of the following major college football bowl games. We'll hold off until the January 5th show to pick the winners of the Orange and BCS Bowls. If you can't watch on local cable remember you can watch live online at 7:30pm on familylivetv.com. We invite you to either post your selections or email them to us at rizzosports at gmail. Thanks to everyone who followed our college football picks all season long.

Meineke Car Care Bowl - 12/26 (4pm ESPN)
North Carolina vs. Pittsburgh

Emerald Bowl - 12/26 (8pm ESPN)
USC vs. Boston College

Gaylord Hotels Music City Bowl - 12/27 (8pm ESPN)
Clemson vs. Kentucky

AdvoCare V100 Independence Bowl - 12/28 (4pm ESPN)
Georgia vs.Texas A&M

Champs Sports Bowl - 12/29 (8pm ESPN)
Wisconsin vs. Miami (FL)

Pacific Life Holiday Bowl - 12/30 (8pm ESPN)
Nebraska vs. Arizona

Brut Sun Bowl - 12/31 (2pm CBS)
Stanford vs. Oklahoma

Chick-fil-A Bowl - 12/31 (8pm ESPN)
Tennessee vs. Virginia Tech

Outback Bowl - 1/1 (11am ESPN)
Auburn vs. Northwestern

Konica Minolta Gator Bowl - 1/1 (1pm CBS)
Florida State vs. West Virginia

Capital One Bowl - 1/1 (1pm ABC)
LSU vs. Penn State

Rose Bowl Game presented by Citi - 1/1 (5pm ABC)
Oregon vs. Ohio State

Allstate Sugar Bowl - 1/1 (8pm Fox)
Cincinnati vs. Florida

AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic - 1/2 (2pm Fox)
Mississippi vs. Oklahoma State

Tostitos Fiesta Bowl - 1/4 (8pm Fox)
TCU vs. Boise State

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FedEx Orange Bowl - 1/5 (8pm Fox)
Georgia Tech vs. Iowa

FedEx BCS National Championship Game 1/7 (8pm ABC)
Alabama vs. Texas

Mike - (40-25 / .615) Pitt, USC, Clemson, Georgia, Miami, Arizona, Oklahoma, VT, Auburn, WVU, Oregon, LSU, Oregon, Florida, Okla St. TCU
Brian - (35-20 / .636) Pitt, USC, Clemson, Georgia, Miami, Nebraska, Oklahoma, VT, Auburn, WVU, PSU, Oregon, Florida, Okla St., TCU
Sean - (40-25 / .615)

It's pretty much a dead heat, and anything can happen during bowl season.

The BCS Proves Nothing Again!!!

The BCS hasn’t worked again. As we have seen since the establishment of the BCS, rarely do you have only two clear best teams by the end of the regular season. I would either have a playoff, or drop this fake champion BCS system altogether. The BCS should have initially been a plus one game in most seasons. Looking back at the history of the BCS, this would have proven the best team in college football. For example the year we had USC and Texas unbeaten, just put them in the BCS title game. Last year it would have worked better as a plus one game, Utah vs. Florida.

Anyway the real reason I’m writing is to showcase some of the flaws this year. However as most you know, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that this year nothing will be proven. A lot of people are missing the main points of the argument, which are as follows.

1. The preseason rankings which we have argued about before created a preconceived notion that Texas is somehow better than TCU or Cincinnati. If Cincinnati or TCU was ranked #2 to start the season, I see nothing that Texas did to clear justify them jumping to #2 in all the polls.

2. The Computers favor Cincinnati, 4 of the 6 BCS computer rankings favor Cincinnati. Computer rankings are a less biased then sports writers, trust me. Brian Cook at TSN gets this point too. If all of the voters clearly see Texas as the second best team, would an advance computer formula easily be able to prove the same?

Another related side story is Brian Kelly and the Big East are bird brains. For this reason I don’t want Brian Kelly at Notre Dame, as he has proven he doesn’t know how to handle PR. Brain Kelly should have been on an all out attack, saying his team is favored by the computers and had a tougher schedule in the final weeks of the season. Case in point if Brian Kelly knew what he was doing after the Pitt game instead of saying - Go Cornhuskers. He should have said. –

What a game we just beat one of the toughest teams in the country on their home field to go undefeated and win the Big East Title. There is non question that after today’s performance Mardy Gillard should win the Heisman. What a clutch performance. It would be a sin against the city of Cinncinnati and college football, not to allow this team to compete for a National Title.

But he didn’t, and Big East apparently can’t even get their own coaches to vote Cincinnati ahead of Texas. The real loser is the Big East as they look like whimps, because the coaches and sports writers voted TCU a team from non Big East conference ahead of their undefeated champions. Go back to PR school Big East!

For that matter TCU should have ran their mouths about Texas being so lucky not to be facing them. Anything to make people think you deserve to be there. TCU you did an equally horrible job making a case for yourself.

I do credit Texas, because they certainly made people feel they deserved to be there. There massive fan base also doesn’t hurt.

So thank you again BCS for proving….hmmm NOTHING! Texas, Cinncy, and TCU all should be competing for a national title. Cincinnati and TCU have ESPN, Brent Musburger and their inexperienced coaches and PR staffs to thank for their lack of second place votes.

At least the BCS system does give us a final match-up between the two most politically advantageous and popular schools, along with something for us to complain about. It just rarely proves anything.

College Football Picks - Week 14

Well WVU knocked off the Panthers, I knew that was going to happen but for some reason still picked Pitt. This week the Panthers have a chance to redeem themselves and earn a BCS birth at the expense of Cincinnati. The rest of the Conference Championship games include the game of the decade, Alabama vs. Florida.

Oregon St. @ Oregon
Cincinnati @ Pitt
Flordia vs. Alabama
Texas. vs. Nebraska
Georgia Tech vs. Clemson


Mike - (2-3)(37-23) - Oregon, Pitt, Florida. Texas, Georgia Tech
Brian - (3-2)(31-19) -
Sean - (2-3)(39-21)

09-10 BCS Solution - College Football Playoff

We could have finally have a true National Champion this year in College Football. Despite all the current chaos, there is an easy solution to sorting this all out. It basically evolves around using the BCS game as a plus one game this year. Don’t be fooled this is absolutely feasible, and a couple people have the power to make it happen.

I’m putting this out there now because hopefully momentum and pressure will build and this will be made a reality.

This idea or plan could easily be a reality, as a couple of key people with Fox and the individual bowls could make this happen. I’m talking about only 6 key people and if they sign off on it, we could finally have a real College Football National Champion.

That’s why I’m encouraging fans, bloggers, and media to take up this plan, and put pressure on those key people to make this happen.

Here is the plan, it’s very simple, and essentially controlled by Fox, which also puts this in their best interests. (think about the ratings and excitement) It’s also perfect that BCS game scheduled for Thursday.

1. First don’t put any team in the BCS title game yet.

2. The winner of the Alabama vs. Florida game goes Sugar Bowl – Friday 8:30 on Fox. If Cincinnati defeats Pitt they’re in the Sugar Bowl vs. Florida, if not it’s Boise State.

3. I’m assuming Texas will defeat Nebraska. (You could take the 4th undefeated team and place them here if Texas loses.) Put them in Cotton Bowl – Saturday 2pm on Fox. TCU plays Texas in one of biggest football game in history of the state of Texas.

4. Take the winner of the Sugar and Cotton Bowl and put them in Thursday’s Final in Pasadena.

These two playoff games our not scheduled opposite any other bowl games and both already scheduled for Fox, therefore no other bowls could really complain about them overshadowing their games

Why would Alabama / Florida / Texas, give up a guaranteed spot in the BCS game for a playoff? – First the extra money, and secondly would anyone turn down the chance for college football immortally, and that is what you would have with the first ever playoff and true National Champion.

Of course this plan only works if there are 4 or 5 undefeated teams. If there are five undefeated teams, Boise State, would be left out of the playoff, which can be easily justified when compared to the other four undefeateds.
So here is what this plan would look like.

Playoffs:

Sugar Bowl – Alabama / Florida winner vs. Cincinnati or Boise State should Cinncy lose to Pitt.

Cotton Bowl – Texas vs. TCU

BCS Game – TBD

Other BCS Bowls

Rose Bowl – Ohio State vs. Pac 10 Champions

Fiesta Bowl – Undefeated Boise St. or a one loss Cinncy vs. the loser of the SEC Title Game

Orange Bowl – ACC Champion vs. At Large.

Again this plan is simple and feasible, and if we can get a two key people behind, we could have a historic College Football Champion.

Thanks for your support!!!

College Football Picks Week 13

Pitt vs. WVU is the marquee game locally. As Penn State is now just waiting for a bowl bid. There are a lot of rivalry games this weekend, so an upset is possible.

Pitt @ WVU
Alabama @ Auburn
Oklahoma St. @ Oklahoma
Florida St. @ Florida
Georgia @ Georgia Tech


Mike - (5-0)(35-20) - Pitt, Alabama, Okla. St. Florida, Ga. Tech
Brian - (4-1)(28-17) -
Sean - (2-3)(37-18)

College Football Picks - Week 12

Pitt is off this week after a big win against ND. Could one of the undefeated teams go down in a major upset? We'll see.

Ohio St. @ Michigan
PSU @ Michigan St.
Air Force @ BYU
Cal @ Standord
Orgeon @ Arizona


Mike - (4-1)(30-20) - OSU, PSU, BYU, CAL, Oregon
Brian - (5-0)(24-16) -
Sean - (5-0)(35-15)

NAVY, ARMY or Air Force in a BCS Bowl?

One day removed from Veteran’s Day, the question is: “Can a Service Academy reach a BCS Bowl?” Unfortunately, under the current system, the answer is no.

A lot of people still remember the days when Army dominated college football. Navy’s 7-3 record with a chance for 10 wins is probably the best you’ll see.

Two simple reasons: First, the size of players — now 6’6 325lb — isn’t quite what the Navy Academy is looking for. However, the top reason is the NFL! The lure of millions in pro football has talented players going elsewhere. I suggest if a player can get drafted after graduation from a service academy, they can play in the NFL, but must also work as a recruiter. I also suggest the mega-rich NFL match any service academy graduate’s salary with donations to helping injury veterans.

College Football Picks Week 11

Pitt is in the top 10, but now their schedule finally gets tough. This is a great week of college football games, with many other games worth watching. Sean continues to leads the pack, as we come down to crunch time.

WVU vs. Cincinnati
Indiana vs. PSU
Iowa vs. Ohio St.
Notre Dame vs. Pitt
Utah vs. TCU


Mike - (3-2)(26-19) - Cincinnati, PSU, Ohio St. Notre Dame, TCU
Brian - (2-3)(19-16) -
Sean - (3-2)(30-15)

College Football Picks - Week 10

The whole College Football World seems to waiting for that BCS Title Game showdown of Florida vs. Texas. However Alabama wants to crash the party, and could move a step closer to that with a win against LSU. Closer to home everyone will be talking about the big Ohio St. Vs. PSU game.

Syracuse vs. Pitt
Oklahoma vs. Nebraska
Ohio St. vs. PSU
LSU vs. Alabama
Navy vs. Notre Dame


Mike - (3-2)(23-17) - Pitt, Oklahoma, Ohio St. Alabama, Notre Dame
Brian - (3-2)(17-13) -
Sean - (3-2)(27-13)

College Football Picks Week 8

Notre Dame almost pulled off the upset, but in the end it wasn't enough. This week Pitt will have a real challenge as South Florida comes to town. While Penn State travels to Michigan.


PSU vs. Michigan
South Florida vs. Pitt
Tennessee vs. Alabama
TCU vs. BYU
Aubrun vs. LSU

Mike - (4-1)(17-13) - Michigan, Pitt, Alabama, BYU, LSU
Brian - (n/a)(11-9) - Michigan, So. Fla, Alabama, TCU, LSU
Sean - (4-1) (20-10)

Remember you can post you picks too.

College Football Picks Week 7

After a week off we're back, and there are some great games this week. Including Notre Dame looking for an upset of USC. Locally Pitt and PSU will have solid opponents.

Minnesota vs. PSU
Rutgers vs. Pitt
USC vs. Notre Dame
South Carolina vs. Alabama
Oklahoma vs. Texas

Mike - (4-1)(13-12) - PSU, Pitt, ND, Alabama, Texas
Brian - (n/a)(11-9)
Sean - (3-2) (16-9)

Remember you can post you picks too.

College Football Picks - Week 5

It was the worst picks in history of college football as I went 0-5. Pitt and PSU were both upset, and Oregon was really upset Cal. We'll see if week 5 will get any better. Both Pitt and PSU need wins to keep their seasons together.

PSU vs. Illinois
Pitt vs. Louisville
Oklahoma vs. Miami
LSU vs. Georgia.
USC vs. Cal

Mike - (0-5)(9-11) PSU, Pitt, Miami, Georgia, USC
Brian - (1-4)(11-9)
Sean - (3-2) (13-7)

Remember you can post you picks too.

College Football Picks - Week 4

PSU will get their first quality team of the season when Iowa comes to town on Saturday Night Football. We're really interested in who wins the South Fla vs. Florida St. game.

Iowa vs. PSU
Pitt vs. NC State
Miami vs. Va. Tech
South Florida vs. Florida St.
Cal vs. Oregon

Mike - (4-1)(9-6) PSU, Pitt, Miami, Florida St., Cal
Brian - (4-1)(10-5)
Sean - (4-1) (10-5)

Sean - from Sean's Ramblings was again 4-1, remember you can post you picks too.

Week 3 College Football Picks

Okay, we're being nice this week, and giving you one an easy pick with the PSU game, the rest of the games should be tough calls. Pitt will have their first test of the year against Navy, we'll see how it goes for the Panthers.

Temple vs. PSU
Navy vs. Pitt
Nebraska vs. Va. Tech
Cincinnati vs. Oregon St.
WVU vs. Auburn

Mike - (2-3)(5-5) PSU, Pitt, Va. Tech, Cincinnati, WVU
Brian - (3-2)(6-4)

Sean - (2-3) (6-4)

Sean - from Sean's Ramblings was 4-1, remember you can post you picks too.