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Changing my tune Posted: Thursday October 31, 2002 12:34 PM
Sports Illustrated senior writer Ivan Maisel will answer your college football questions every Thursday. Click here to send a question. My Tuesday column on teams celebrating after a big win contained a significant inaccuracy: Alabama players didn't sing a vulgar version of Rocky Top at midfield of Neyland Stadium; the Tide sang it in their locker room. I misinterpreted the file I received on the game to mean that the Alabama's celebration at midfield included the song. I made a mistake, and I have corrected the column to reflect the correct information. To clarify one point: I was not offended by the vulgarity of the Rocky Top parody. I was offended by the taunting inherent in singing the song at midfield; that would have been classless. But it never happened, and I apologize to Alabama players for the false accusation. On to your questions ... While the Alabama team may have gone overboard with a vulgar rendition of Rocky Top, you failed to mention that the history of the rivalry includes Peyton Manning's leading the UT band in Rocky Top at Legion Field and five years of We Own Alabama to the tune of Sweet Home Alabama. So I say, much like you mentioned Kentucky did to Georgia, Tennessee started this one.
Yes, Robert, you are right. Tennessee players sang their own parody, but just because Johnny jumped off the top of Neyland Stadium doesn't mean you should, too. I'm sure Tennessee did so in response to something Alabama did; these things have a way of going on longer than reruns of Cheers. Now that Notre Dame has dismantled a Florida State team that had two weeks to prepare and was playing at home, are you on the bandwagon?
I'm sorry, I just started up my DVD of Rudy. Did you ask a question? Coming off of last week's performance against Notre Dame, is it fair to say that Chris Rix is Florida State's version of Ron Powlus? The Irish secondary is good, but wasn't Rix supposed to be better than he has shown, especially in his second season?
Powlus never showed the upside potential that Rix has demonstrated. He also never made the mental mistakes that Rix continues to make. And Powlus's teammates liked him; Rix's teammates didn't voice much concern when Bobby Bowden made the decision to start Adrian McPherson this weekend. Has your opinion of N.C. State changed since the Wolfpack's declawing of Clemson on national TV?
Has my opinion changed? Yes. The Wolfpack are better than I thought. Do they belong on a par with the other unbeatens? If other unbeatens means Bowling Green, yes. If it means Oklahoma, Miami et al.? Nope. I was just wondering if you remember a time in recent history when neither Nebraska, Florida State, Florida, Tennessee nor Michigan was in the top 10? What a horrible football season this has been for Tennessee fans. In your opinion, what is the Vols' problem? Do you think they can turn this around, or is the program hopelessly lost forever?
In the polls that came out on Sept. 23, 1985, none of those five teams was ranked in the top 10. Was that the last time? I think so. As for your followup question, Audra, try to get a hold of yourself. Tennessee is not becoming Vanderbilt. The Vols have had an injury-plagued season. If they were healthy, they wouldn't be 4-3. Hang in there. I guarantee that any of the 11 other schools in the SEC would be happy if Phil Fulmer were its coach. I enjoyed your story on Air Force head coach Fisher DeBerry. Why has Air Force enjoyed more success than the other two service academies?
If you ask Army and Navy, it's because Air Force has looser admissions standards, but that gets DeBerry's dander up. Here are two reasons: 1) DeBerry's coaching and the continuity of having the same system in place for nearly two decades; 2) geography -- DeBerry is much closer to talent-laden Texas and California than the other academies. In Texas, especially, where the military is held in such high esteem, the lure of attending a service academy is strong. Everyone in Michigan has been calling for Lloyd Carr's departure following the big loss to Iowa. Do you see Carr or any other Division I-A coaches being shown the door soon?
Carr is not the Big Ten coach in your state who is having the most problems; Bobby Williams of Michigan State holds that honor. That said, Carr must be befuddled by what has happened. Michigan hasn't had a running game since Anthony Thomas graduated two years ago, and Thomas, while good, wasn't great. What I found astounding about the Iowa loss was the way the Hawkeyes dominated both lines of scrimmage. That has to be troubling for Wolverines fans. Still, they all need some perspective. Nothing against Ron Zook, but how do you think things would be different in Norman and Gainesville if Bob Stoops had left Oklahoma for Florida last year?
I'm guessing that Georgia vs. Florida on Saturday would mean a lot more than it does. The most fascinating part of your question is whom Oklahoma would have hired. I'll have to think about that one. I think the Big Ten needs to add a team and have a conference championship game very soon. I know most people seem to think Notre Dame is the best fit, but I disagree. I think the school that should be added is Cincinnati. It has a large student body (35,000); has all of the same graduate programs as Notre Dame; is located within the Big Ten's region; matches up well in all of men's and women's sports, including football (see: tough games vs. Purdue, Wisconsin and Ohio State the past few years); and most important, the men's basketball program is getting fed up with Conference USA because its newest members have poor basketball programs that consistently bring down the league's strength. Being a member of Big Ten would also mean fewer travel expenses and provide a larger fan base and more interest for the rest of UC's sports. To me, Cincinnati seems the perfect fit for the Big Ten. What do you think is the likelihood of this happening?
David, your argument has merit on an athletic basis, but the decision would never get that far. There exists an organization called the Association of American Universities. Its 63 members are considered -- by themselves, of course, as well as others -- the pre-eminent research and academic schools in the nation. Cincinnati is not a member; all 11 Big Ten schools are, and Notre Dame is expanding its research capabilities to improve its candidacy. This may not mean much to you, but it means a lot to university presidents, who make decisions about conference membership. Implore your guys at UC to get into the AAU, and then you can make your case on athletic criteria. Although a Big 12 fan, I watched the Notre Dame-Florida State game with interest. It struck me that one thing that might have been overlooked in all the hoopla around the Irish's finally beating a solid team is the abysmal officiating, perhaps because it affected both teams. I noticed these were Big Ten officials, toward whom even the normally reserved Joe Paterno has directed his ire. Is it just me or are Big Ten officials taking a lot more criticism than other conferences' this year?
It's not you, Pat. The Big Ten officials have received the most criticism, and deservedly so. No one is held in higher esteem in the sport than Big Ten supervisor of officials Dave Parry. He told me Saturday in Ann Arbor that his officials have, on the whole, graded higher this season than in the last several years. However, when they've screwed up, they've really screwed up. Where is Brad Banks in the Heisman race? No one is talking about him. Remember that he missed one game because of injury, so his season totals are somewhat lower.
Through no fault of Banks, the country is just now finding out who he is. Too late for a Heisman run; I guess he'll have to make himself content with being an All-Big Ten quarterback, a statewide hero and, possibly, playing in the Rose Bowl. Poor kid. Why isn't West Virginia's Avon Cobourne getting any recognition? He is the most consistent running back in the country right now. He is only the fifth person in college football history to have four straight 1,000-yard seasons. Is it because he is not on a ranked team?
Josh, no one has taken West Virginia seriously this season (especially, you may have noticed, Miami). Those who have taken a look at the Mountaineers think of Rich Rodriguez and his spread offense as a passing vehicle. Cobourne, as a result, has been an afterthought. It would help if one of WVU's five victories had come against a Division I-A team with a winning record. Cobourne must gain yards against four tough run defenses: Temple, Boston College, Virginia Tech and Pittsburgh. If he manages that, he'll get attention. Sports Illustrated senior writer Ivan Maisel covers college football for the magazine and is a regular contributor to CNNSI.com. Click here to send him a question or comment.
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