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Season - Midway Point
The preseason football hype has grown in recent years to a level never imagined in the days when Bryant and the General roamed the sidelines. The plethora of media outlets available in the information age, combined with the internet as a medium for mass communication by fan bases, has created a monster. For better or for worse, this era of information overload has unarguably fed fan furvor, increasing both the passion - and the lunacy, of NCAA football.
The media pundits and neural network of fan interchange has created a new dynamic, where optimism can evolve rapidly into mass hysteria. It could be argued that it is exactly this dynamic which has created the fluidity of coaching changes. Whereas two decades ago a weak season or two would not cost a coach his job, in this age a coach will be disposed of without thought of past accomplishments - if fan perception swells into mass hysteria. Take for instance the Tennessee Volunteers. The Vols have always been an up and down program. Even the venerable General had 4-4-2 and 5-5 seasons sandwiched between SEC titles and winning seasons. The Fulmer era is the longest period of sustained excellence by one coach in the history of the program. While Neyland did win several national titles, he coached during an era when SEC football (and football nationally) was not as competitive. Fulmer's record is second only to Neyland's in terms of total wins and winning percentage, yet he finds himself on the hot seat just one season removed from playing in the SEC Championship game. Auburn is going through the same thing with Tuberville. Tubby's record is almost even with Pat Dye, and his winning percentage is better than Shug Jordan - by a fair margin.
All of this leads to the examination of fan and media driven prophesies entering the 2008 season. Without further ado...
(6) Clemson is an NFL team in College clothing. That was the mantra in preseason. Thunder and Lightening did not need an offensive line as far as the media (and Clemson fans) were concerned.
(5) West Virginia fans will forget about Rich Rodriguez - this according to Mark Schlabach from ESPN, with the talent WVU has returning, Bill Stewart will lead The Mountaineers to a Big East title. This could turn out to be correct, but for the wrong reasons. WVU made a hire based on emotion instead of logic when they pulled the trigger on Stewart, and the Mountaineers have looked decidedly mediocre this season. If the Mountaineers win the Big East, it will be due to the conference being weak, not because of their prowess on the gridiron.
(4) Related to #5, Rodriguez will turn things around in a hurry at Michigan, and will be ready for Ohio State by the end of the season. This gem was expounded on several sites, and the Wolverine fan base ate it up. It went from being competitive, to "The offensive genius that is RichRod would magically install the spread overnight, and Michigan would dominate. " Now the Wolverines are wondering if they can trade for someone else.
(3) Les Miles is a great coach and can win without the 17 Saban players who started on last year's LSU team. He is just as good of a recruiter.
While recent visitors to the RTB forums have argued that this is still true, one only has to look at the 51-21 dismantling at the hands of Florida to see otherwise. LSU has struggled against Auburn and MSU - two of the worst offensive teams in the league. The points scored against the LSU defense by those two teams are their respective high outputs against teams from BCS conferences.
(2) Alabama is a middle of the road SEC team. That nugget started before the season, and continued after the Clemson blowout. Instead of recognizing Alabama's accomplishment, pundits said that Clemson was bad - in almost the same breath that they had proclaimed them the best team in the land. After Alabama beat Clemson, Tulane, and WKU, the pundits and rivals said that Alabama had not played anyone yet - an SEC road game at Arkansas would put them to the test! After the 49-14 dismantling of the Hogs, the pundits and fans said the same thing...Alabama hasn't played anyone yet - there is no way they can survive a road trip to the black-out! After Alabama played the most dominating half of football in recent memory and then coasted to the end, the pundits said that Alabama still had not played anyone, and UGA was overrated. While a lackluster effort in the win over UK didn't help, the "middle of the pack in the SEC" Crimson Tide team stands alone as the only undefeated team in the league. Somehow I feel that if Alabama wins out and plays team X in the BCS and wins the NC, people will still say that we haven't played anyone because team Y should have been in the BCS Championship.
And the #1 failed prophesy...
It comes to us courtesy of The Auburn Tiger fans. They have provided plenty of fodder for the #1 spot. Many of them are still in denial that Saban is a good coach, with some going so far as to make fun of Alabama this week because Texas jumped us in the polls - talk about Nero fiddling! Other Auburn nuggets that fought for this top spot include the infighting any time an older fan suggests that Alabama is on the rise. The younger fans attack them mercilessly, not realizing that a probation strapped Alabama team would not last forever (as they thought).
But here it is...your #1 failed prophesy - courtesy of the Auburnite nation...
Tony Franklin is an offensive guru who is much better than that WAC loser Alabama hired. The fanatical fervor of the War Eagle nation reached its peak in anticipation of the "Spread Eagle," the most feared force in the Jungle at Jordan Hare since the piped in cricket noises. Someone forgot to tell them that Auburn's entire personnel base was recruited for a west coast / power oriented offense, and they didn't have a spread QB.
Alabama's offense has flourished under first year OC Jim McElwain, leading the SEC in rushing at the mid way point - after ranking 8th in 2007. Bama offensive production is up a full touchdown from 2007, in spite of having already faced four defenses ranked in the top 50, including two in the top 20. Unlike his now unemployed Auburnite counterpart, McElwain did not try to fit a square peg in a round hole, and he was given the support he needed to make the offense work.
There you have it, six failed prophesies of the 2008 football season. There are, of course, countless others. Feel free to use this thread to add your own!
The preseason football hype has grown in recent years to a level never imagined in the days when Bryant and the General roamed the sidelines. The plethora of media outlets available in the information age, combined with the internet as a medium for mass communication by fan bases, has created a monster. For better or for worse, this era of information overload has unarguably fed fan furvor, increasing both the passion - and the lunacy, of NCAA football.
The media pundits and neural network of fan interchange has created a new dynamic, where optimism can evolve rapidly into mass hysteria. It could be argued that it is exactly this dynamic which has created the fluidity of coaching changes. Whereas two decades ago a weak season or two would not cost a coach his job, in this age a coach will be disposed of without thought of past accomplishments - if fan perception swells into mass hysteria. Take for instance the Tennessee Volunteers. The Vols have always been an up and down program. Even the venerable General had 4-4-2 and 5-5 seasons sandwiched between SEC titles and winning seasons. The Fulmer era is the longest period of sustained excellence by one coach in the history of the program. While Neyland did win several national titles, he coached during an era when SEC football (and football nationally) was not as competitive. Fulmer's record is second only to Neyland's in terms of total wins and winning percentage, yet he finds himself on the hot seat just one season removed from playing in the SEC Championship game. Auburn is going through the same thing with Tuberville. Tubby's record is almost even with Pat Dye, and his winning percentage is better than Shug Jordan - by a fair margin.
All of this leads to the examination of fan and media driven prophesies entering the 2008 season. Without further ado...
(6) Clemson is an NFL team in College clothing. That was the mantra in preseason. Thunder and Lightening did not need an offensive line as far as the media (and Clemson fans) were concerned.
(5) West Virginia fans will forget about Rich Rodriguez - this according to Mark Schlabach from ESPN, with the talent WVU has returning, Bill Stewart will lead The Mountaineers to a Big East title. This could turn out to be correct, but for the wrong reasons. WVU made a hire based on emotion instead of logic when they pulled the trigger on Stewart, and the Mountaineers have looked decidedly mediocre this season. If the Mountaineers win the Big East, it will be due to the conference being weak, not because of their prowess on the gridiron.
(4) Related to #5, Rodriguez will turn things around in a hurry at Michigan, and will be ready for Ohio State by the end of the season. This gem was expounded on several sites, and the Wolverine fan base ate it up. It went from being competitive, to "The offensive genius that is RichRod would magically install the spread overnight, and Michigan would dominate. " Now the Wolverines are wondering if they can trade for someone else.
(3) Les Miles is a great coach and can win without the 17 Saban players who started on last year's LSU team. He is just as good of a recruiter.
While recent visitors to the RTB forums have argued that this is still true, one only has to look at the 51-21 dismantling at the hands of Florida to see otherwise. LSU has struggled against Auburn and MSU - two of the worst offensive teams in the league. The points scored against the LSU defense by those two teams are their respective high outputs against teams from BCS conferences.
(2) Alabama is a middle of the road SEC team. That nugget started before the season, and continued after the Clemson blowout. Instead of recognizing Alabama's accomplishment, pundits said that Clemson was bad - in almost the same breath that they had proclaimed them the best team in the land. After Alabama beat Clemson, Tulane, and WKU, the pundits and rivals said that Alabama had not played anyone yet - an SEC road game at Arkansas would put them to the test! After the 49-14 dismantling of the Hogs, the pundits and fans said the same thing...Alabama hasn't played anyone yet - there is no way they can survive a road trip to the black-out! After Alabama played the most dominating half of football in recent memory and then coasted to the end, the pundits said that Alabama still had not played anyone, and UGA was overrated. While a lackluster effort in the win over UK didn't help, the "middle of the pack in the SEC" Crimson Tide team stands alone as the only undefeated team in the league. Somehow I feel that if Alabama wins out and plays team X in the BCS and wins the NC, people will still say that we haven't played anyone because team Y should have been in the BCS Championship.
And the #1 failed prophesy...
It comes to us courtesy of The Auburn Tiger fans. They have provided plenty of fodder for the #1 spot. Many of them are still in denial that Saban is a good coach, with some going so far as to make fun of Alabama this week because Texas jumped us in the polls - talk about Nero fiddling! Other Auburn nuggets that fought for this top spot include the infighting any time an older fan suggests that Alabama is on the rise. The younger fans attack them mercilessly, not realizing that a probation strapped Alabama team would not last forever (as they thought).
But here it is...your #1 failed prophesy - courtesy of the Auburnite nation...
Tony Franklin is an offensive guru who is much better than that WAC loser Alabama hired. The fanatical fervor of the War Eagle nation reached its peak in anticipation of the "Spread Eagle," the most feared force in the Jungle at Jordan Hare since the piped in cricket noises. Someone forgot to tell them that Auburn's entire personnel base was recruited for a west coast / power oriented offense, and they didn't have a spread QB.
Alabama's offense has flourished under first year OC Jim McElwain, leading the SEC in rushing at the mid way point - after ranking 8th in 2007. Bama offensive production is up a full touchdown from 2007, in spite of having already faced four defenses ranked in the top 50, including two in the top 20. Unlike his now unemployed Auburnite counterpart, McElwain did not try to fit a square peg in a round hole, and he was given the support he needed to make the offense work.
There you have it, six failed prophesies of the 2008 football season. There are, of course, countless others. Feel free to use this thread to add your own!
