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Ticked off Trev Getting some things off my chest, including SI's No. 1
Hope everyone's had a good summer. Or as good as is possible this time of year. I mean, how bad is sports when football's not on? You basically have to suffer from February until now. It's just horrible! I live for training camp and two-a-days. But even with college football season almost here, I'm not entirely happy. There're a few things bugging me that I need to get off my chest. Just call it my summer random thoughts ...
Not down with the BeaversLet me just say, I've been getting calls from my friends making fun of me, saying things like "I can't believe you have Oregon State No. 1." Well, I don't. I don't know ahead of time who Sports Illustrated is picking No. 1 any more than you do. Let me tell you something: Oregon State ain't No. 1! The Beavers do return Ken Simonton and Jonathan Smith, but what made that team really good last season was its great defense, and they lost seven starters from that defense. They also lost all their receivers. Believe me, no one at SI consulted me on who they're picking No. 1. Maybe when Oregon State ends up in the Sun Bowl, they'll wish they did.
As long as we're talking No. 1 ...Someone explain to me how a team that went undefeated and beat Florida State in the Orange Bowl is not preseason No. 1. This team could be even better than last year, even without Josh Heupel. Talk to the Oklahoma coaches and you'll find out they're pretty excited. The other team I'd consider is Miami. The 'Canes are going to be great again.
No more Heisman hypeAnother thing that really bothers me is the insane, over-the-top shenanigans of having Oregon's Joey Harrington on that billboard in New York. You can just imagine all the people going by and saying, "Who is that? Why is this guy wearing green-and-yellow? Is this the XFL?"And maybe that's the point. But in a time when athletic departments are canceling sports due to budgetary problems, Oregon boosters find $250,000 for a guy who has no shot at winning the Heisman. Let a guy win it on the field. I'm sick of this ever-growing Heisman hype. I was getting Deuce McAllister postcards every week the first month of last season, until he got hurt and then suddenly they stopped. Let the players' numbers speak for themselves. How much money did Florida State spend on Chris Weinke last year? Zero. And I know the argument is that Florida State plays on TV every week. But Barry Sanders won the Heisman playing for Oklahoma State, a bad Big Eight team, and people still found out about him.
Supplements a real problemI think it's time that colleges and high schools really need to be careful and start watching these things. A recent survey showed nearly 60 percent of athletes take some sort of dietary supplement, and I can see why.We never had these things when I played, so I walked into the local GNC the other day to find out what was going on. It's dumbfounding to see the products that are on the shelf now, all containing a little disclaimer at the bottom saying something to the effect of, "We're not responsible if you die." How did we get to the point where it's OK for 12- and 13-year-old kids to walk in and buy this stuff off the store shelves? I'm almost positive a lot of the problems we're seeing, including some of the recent football deaths, are because of adverse effects from these supplements for the people who use them.
BCS still stinksFinally, I found it quite ironic when the BCS came out last month with a new formula to make sure Miami would have played for the national championship. It just goes to prove what I was saying all last winter: The 2000 season was a farce and a fluke, and there should be an asterisk next to Oklahoma because they didn't play the second-best team.But don't get too excited, college football fans. It's not any better, it doesn't assure the two best teams will play for the title. Every year, they'll gloat if they get lucky and it works out, they'll make adjustments if it doesn't. The biggest issue is the conference championships. They count if you're not playing a team you played during the season. They don't if you are. It's ludicrous! The commissioners should just come out and admit this isn't the right system, but it's all they're going to do. Say, "We know a playoff would be the true way, but we're not going to do that." Just admit it, because everybody already knows it. Trev Alberts is a college football analyst for CNN/Sports Illustrated.
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