Scene:
Vista, California. Stefan McClure stands behind a microphone, ready to raise his voice to the heavens and announce which school and therefore which football program will be graced with his presence and immense talent. As the moment of truth nears, McClure reflects on everything he has been through to get to this point...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"At the ripe age of 5...months, my father would toss me a Nerf football as I laid in my crib. I had never felt something come to me so naturally as did my skills at catching the ball. The sport was in my blood."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"While playing Pop Warner football, I was the quarterback. Why? Because at that age the best athlete is the quarterback. I was the best athlete, so naturally I played quarterback. Watch me juke the jock-strap off of this 6-year-old!" (Takes off and humiliates 6-year-old.)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Growing up in Vista has been great for me. I get to show everyone how awesome at football I am. There are so many people around here to see me. Maybe I should think about what college I will go to. After all, there will be so many of them that will offer me a scholarship!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Holy crap! I'm back-peddling faster than this fool can run! Damn I'm good at football!"
(Snatches an interception from the arms of a would-be receiver and races down the sideline for a touchdown.)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
One year later...
(Continues intercepting passes from far inferior receivers and quarterbacks and racing down sidelines for touchdowns.)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
(Reads recruiting ranking on rivals.com.)
"Oh man! Only four stars! I got jipped!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"I was right. There are a lot of colleges that want me to come play for them. There have been hundreds of coaches in my living room, pleading for me to join their team. There would have been more, but I got screwed out of my fifth star by those recruiting rankings! Haters..."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Alright! At the US Army All-American Bowl!"
(Snatches an interception and races down the sideline for an almost touchdown.)
"Damn! We still lost!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
(Visits schools that are recruiting him. On trip to Ann Arbor, Michigan, his left eyelid freezes shut.)
"Holy crap it's cold here! -5 degrees and snow flurries just aren't for me! Sorry Brady Hoke!"
(Bolts for airport as soon as he can, scratching Michigan off of list while in transit.)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"I need to make a decision. My self-serving press conference/announcement is tomorrow morning. I didn't get a normal 'in-home' visit with Cal coaches. Heck, I didn't even take an official visit to Berkeley. That Coach Petersen from Boise State is the nicest guy I have ever met, but just being on campus at Cal, getting that feel in my heart where I know that could be the place, that's mainly why I feel that it is the place for me. I feel like I can go help contribute to what they're doing the next couple years. I would really like to get a really expensive California education for free! Who cares that I could start as a true freshman at Boise State, play in BCS Bowl Games, and get a great education at the same time. What about UCLA? Rick Neuheisel is kinda' creepy up there (shutters). It's settled then. To Berkeley I go. Besides, I like hemp-smoking hippies who live in trees!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
(Mind snaps back to the present, the microphone is ready.)
"I'm going to be a California Golden Bear! I have something to offer and that was one of the main reasons I picked them. Plus, you can't pass up the education. It's really the depth chart, the schooling, it's a good conference with tough games every week and it's far away from home, but still close enough that my parents will be able to make some home games."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
(Snatches an interception from the arms of a would-be Oregon receiver and races down the sideline for a touchdown.)
"Too bad our offense sucks."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The not-so-distant future...
(McClure and the rest of the Golden Bears finish yet another 5-7 season in the most underwhelming, underachieving fashion.)
"Hey, at least we almost beat Oregon..."
(Goes home and watches Boise State beat Texas in the 2013 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl.)
Showing posts with label BCS Bowls. Show all posts
Showing posts with label BCS Bowls. Show all posts
Friday, January 28, 2011
Monday, January 3, 2011
Happy New Year - I Love College Football!
I don't know about you, but my holiday break is over and that means I am back to the grind of everyday life. So as I sit here at work, where I like to blog (I know, I should be working...It happens), I have realized something. I, Bronco Chase, have not posted many fruitful or enlightening nuggets for you my faithful readers for a few weeks. For that I apologize and promise to do better. As a token of my remorse I offer you this; a smorgasbord of stories, information, comedy, and heartbreak all combined into one amazing post. I hope you enjoy it and I hope even more that you can find it in your heart to forgive a wretch like me. I am aware that there are still bowl games to watch. However, the 7 match ups that are left happen to be spread out across 8 days. That means there is time to kill and that there are posts to add on this blog. Sit back and read...
The coaching carousel has begun, just as it does every year around this time. It does seem that things have been even crazier than normal. It must be the impending doom of humanity via Nostradamus and that dang Mayan calender. It's driving people nuts. Here is what we know so far:
-Florida ripped Will Muschamp from the grasps of Texas' defense and the baffling title of "coach-in-waiting." I think he will be great for the Gators. Muschamp is a fiery individual and that will bode well in Florida. Plus, he is actually from Gainesville. Along with that, he has somehow pried Charlie Weiss from the NFL's Kansas City Chiefs as his offensive coordinator. It's an all star cast down there.
Tell us how you really feel Mr. Muschamp
-Pitt had hired themselves a pretty good, emerging head man in Mike Haywood. He had resurrected a terrible Miami (OH) team from 1-11 to 9-4 and had earned a MAC Championship to show for it. Too bad he was arrested and charged with felony domestic abuse shortly after landing what many would consider a dream job. He was subsequently fired before he even had a chance to do much of anything. All this took place in a period of about 3 weeks. Nice work, Mr. Haywood. On the bright side, he left the Panthers with an undefeated record.
I know Mike, tell me about it!
-Maryland was on the cusp of hiring the pirate-crazy and eccentric former Texas Tech head coach Mike Leach. Apparently they got cold feet last minute and went a different direction. They jacked Randy Edsall from UConn less than 24 hours after the Huskies were embarrassed by Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl. Congrats Terrapins. I guess Maryland is a better job than Connecticut...
This man scares me
-Miami hired Al Golden from Temple. That is a good hire as well.
-Michigan will most likely fire Rich Rodriguez after another mediocre season and a blow out loss in a bowl game.
It could be worse, I guess...
-West Virginia's Bill Stewart retired. I imagine Rich Rod wishes he had never left the comfy confines of Morgantown to navigate the choppy waters of Ann Arbor.
-Stanford's Jim Harbaugh is the hottest coach in the nation. Everybody wants him, including the San Francisco 49ers. His alma mater Michigan is waiting until after the Orange Bowl to try and pry him away from the Cardinal. It will be interesting to see what he decides to do.
-Everybody wants Coach Pete from Boise State as well. I don't see it happening. At least not yet.
The Big 10 had a terrible New Year's Day. 5 teams from that vaunted, glorious conference all lost their bowl games, some in amazing blow out fashion. Here's the breakdown:
TCU 21, Wisconsin 19 (Rose Bowl)
Texas Tech 45, Northwestern 38 (TicketCity Bowl)
Alabama 49, Michigan State 7 (Capital One Bowl)
Florida 37, Penn State 24 (Outback Bowl)
Mississippi State 52, Michigan 14 (Progressive Gator Bowl)
That is a huge blow to the reputation of the Big 10. Also, Ohio State's Gordon Gee and his "Little Sisters of the Poor" comment are now eating copious amounts of crow. How does that taste?!
Should this man really be talking about football?
Congratulations to TCU for their Rose Bowl victory over the Wisconsin Badgers. This is huge for them and for all non-AQ schools. It was a great game, hard fought, and the Horned Frogs were the better team. They play great defense. They deserve to be in a BCS conference. Boise State, you are next (I hope)!
Nice work Gary Patterson. Even the Gatorade is purple!
UConn may be the worst team to ever participate in a BCS Bowl Game. Maybe not quite the worst, but they are pretty high up there. Here is my list of the worst teams to ever defile a respected and important(?) BCS Game.
3. UConn Huskies, 2011
2. Hawai'i Rainbow Warriors, 2008
1. Pitt Panthers, 2006
I see two teams from the Big East on the list. I'm sensing a problem with that conference. TCU will own them.
That is all I have for now. I understand that it was bit choppy, but I had a lot of things to cover and get out of the way. Tomorrow will be more detail orientated and informative. Make sure you watch the Orange Bowl tonight. It will be a good one. I am personally cheering for the Hokies. Although, I don't like their chances.
The coaching carousel has begun, just as it does every year around this time. It does seem that things have been even crazier than normal. It must be the impending doom of humanity via Nostradamus and that dang Mayan calender. It's driving people nuts. Here is what we know so far:
-Florida ripped Will Muschamp from the grasps of Texas' defense and the baffling title of "coach-in-waiting." I think he will be great for the Gators. Muschamp is a fiery individual and that will bode well in Florida. Plus, he is actually from Gainesville. Along with that, he has somehow pried Charlie Weiss from the NFL's Kansas City Chiefs as his offensive coordinator. It's an all star cast down there.
Tell us how you really feel Mr. Muschamp
-Pitt had hired themselves a pretty good, emerging head man in Mike Haywood. He had resurrected a terrible Miami (OH) team from 1-11 to 9-4 and had earned a MAC Championship to show for it. Too bad he was arrested and charged with felony domestic abuse shortly after landing what many would consider a dream job. He was subsequently fired before he even had a chance to do much of anything. All this took place in a period of about 3 weeks. Nice work, Mr. Haywood. On the bright side, he left the Panthers with an undefeated record.
I know Mike, tell me about it!
-Maryland was on the cusp of hiring the pirate-crazy and eccentric former Texas Tech head coach Mike Leach. Apparently they got cold feet last minute and went a different direction. They jacked Randy Edsall from UConn less than 24 hours after the Huskies were embarrassed by Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl. Congrats Terrapins. I guess Maryland is a better job than Connecticut...
This man scares me
-Miami hired Al Golden from Temple. That is a good hire as well.
-Michigan will most likely fire Rich Rodriguez after another mediocre season and a blow out loss in a bowl game.
It could be worse, I guess...
-West Virginia's Bill Stewart retired. I imagine Rich Rod wishes he had never left the comfy confines of Morgantown to navigate the choppy waters of Ann Arbor.
-Stanford's Jim Harbaugh is the hottest coach in the nation. Everybody wants him, including the San Francisco 49ers. His alma mater Michigan is waiting until after the Orange Bowl to try and pry him away from the Cardinal. It will be interesting to see what he decides to do.
-Everybody wants Coach Pete from Boise State as well. I don't see it happening. At least not yet.
The Big 10 had a terrible New Year's Day. 5 teams from that vaunted, glorious conference all lost their bowl games, some in amazing blow out fashion. Here's the breakdown:
TCU 21, Wisconsin 19 (Rose Bowl)
Texas Tech 45, Northwestern 38 (TicketCity Bowl)
Alabama 49, Michigan State 7 (Capital One Bowl)
Florida 37, Penn State 24 (Outback Bowl)
Mississippi State 52, Michigan 14 (Progressive Gator Bowl)
That is a huge blow to the reputation of the Big 10. Also, Ohio State's Gordon Gee and his "Little Sisters of the Poor" comment are now eating copious amounts of crow. How does that taste?!
Should this man really be talking about football?
Congratulations to TCU for their Rose Bowl victory over the Wisconsin Badgers. This is huge for them and for all non-AQ schools. It was a great game, hard fought, and the Horned Frogs were the better team. They play great defense. They deserve to be in a BCS conference. Boise State, you are next (I hope)!
Nice work Gary Patterson. Even the Gatorade is purple!
UConn may be the worst team to ever participate in a BCS Bowl Game. Maybe not quite the worst, but they are pretty high up there. Here is my list of the worst teams to ever defile a respected and important(?) BCS Game.
3. UConn Huskies, 2011
2. Hawai'i Rainbow Warriors, 2008
1. Pitt Panthers, 2006
I see two teams from the Big East on the list. I'm sensing a problem with that conference. TCU will own them.
That is all I have for now. I understand that it was bit choppy, but I had a lot of things to cover and get out of the way. Tomorrow will be more detail orientated and informative. Make sure you watch the Orange Bowl tonight. It will be a good one. I am personally cheering for the Hokies. Although, I don't like their chances.
Friday, December 17, 2010
Bronco Chase's Bowl Picks, 1st Edition
So it begins! The bowl season is finally upon us. I love this time of year and my only complaint is that it is gone too fast, much like the college football regular season. We start this weekend with three bowl games. When Saturday is over we will still have 32 to watch. Make sure you catch them all! I have picked winners and losers for all 35 games this year and I will be posting them periodically. There are a few things that you should know; if the word "prediction" has stars, then it is an upset. It will look like this:
*Prediction*:
Also, I have analyzed some of the games with a write up, but not all of them. I wrote on all the bowls were WAC teams are involved and the BCS Bowls. The others just have when, where, the bowl name, who's playing, and a score prediction. Finally, I am including these bowls in my season long record, which is currently at 65-17. That's not too shabby. I am putting it all on the line here and we will see how it works out for me. There, now you are ready for my picks!
I have the opportunity to go to the Humanitarian Bowl with a friend of mine and of course I am taking advantage of said opportunity. I will see all the action on The Blue first hand and will enjoy every second of it. Now, let's be honest. These three games are not the most exciting. There are much better bowls coming up later on. Troy vs. Ohio is a snooze fest, but you might as well watch it anyway. What else are you going to do? Anyway, let's get to it and
December 18th at 12 PM
New Mexico Bowl
Albuquerque, New Mexico
(6-6, 5-3 MWC)
vs.
(6-6, 3-5 C-USA)
Line: BYU favored by 12
Prediction: Cougars 31, Miners 28
December 18th at 3:30 PM
uDrove Humanitarian Bowl
Boise, Idaho
(10-3, 8-0 MAC)
vs.
(8-4, 5-3 WAC)
Line: Huskies favored by 1
The Huskies’ head coach bailed and went to Minnesota. They hired Wisconsin defensive coordinator Dave Doeren, but he won’t make the trip to The Blue because he wants to finish what he started with the Badgers in the Rose Bowl. This Northern Illinois team in talented, but the lack of stability at the top plus a coach leaving is not good for bowl preparation and focus. On the other hand, Fresno State has had yet again another middle-of-the-pack season after recruiting very well and having plenty of talent on the roster. You get the feeling that the Bulldogs are tired of playing in the same bowls over and over and want something better; they want to be Boise State. The New Mexico Bowl and the Humanitarian Bowl two times each will do that to you. The Bulldogs will bank on a healthy Robbie Rouse to carry the rock a lot and the Huskies will do the same with their running back Chad Spann. The team that wants to be here will win.
Prediction: Huskies 35, Bulldogs 28
December 18th at 7 PM
R + L Carriers New Orleans Bowl
New Orleans, Louisiana
(8-4, 6-2 MAC)
vs.
(7-5, 6-2 Sun Belt)
Line: Troy favored by 2
*Prediction*: Bobcats 28, Trojans 27
Record coming in: 65-17
Check back in soon! I will post my next batch of Bowl Picks on December 20th, including the Maaco Bowl Las Vegas! Enjoy the holidays and as always, Go Broncos!
*Prediction*:
Also, I have analyzed some of the games with a write up, but not all of them. I wrote on all the bowls were WAC teams are involved and the BCS Bowls. The others just have when, where, the bowl name, who's playing, and a score prediction. Finally, I am including these bowls in my season long record, which is currently at 65-17. That's not too shabby. I am putting it all on the line here and we will see how it works out for me. There, now you are ready for my picks!
I have the opportunity to go to the Humanitarian Bowl with a friend of mine and of course I am taking advantage of said opportunity. I will see all the action on The Blue first hand and will enjoy every second of it. Now, let's be honest. These three games are not the most exciting. There are much better bowls coming up later on. Troy vs. Ohio is a snooze fest, but you might as well watch it anyway. What else are you going to do? Anyway, let's get to it and
December 18th at 12 PM
New Mexico Bowl
Albuquerque, New Mexico
(6-6, 5-3 MWC)
vs.
(6-6, 3-5 C-USA)
Line: BYU favored by 12
Prediction: Cougars 31, Miners 28
December 18th at 3:30 PM
uDrove Humanitarian Bowl
Boise, Idaho
(10-3, 8-0 MAC)
vs.
(8-4, 5-3 WAC)
Line: Huskies favored by 1
The Huskies’ head coach bailed and went to Minnesota. They hired Wisconsin defensive coordinator Dave Doeren, but he won’t make the trip to The Blue because he wants to finish what he started with the Badgers in the Rose Bowl. This Northern Illinois team in talented, but the lack of stability at the top plus a coach leaving is not good for bowl preparation and focus. On the other hand, Fresno State has had yet again another middle-of-the-pack season after recruiting very well and having plenty of talent on the roster. You get the feeling that the Bulldogs are tired of playing in the same bowls over and over and want something better; they want to be Boise State. The New Mexico Bowl and the Humanitarian Bowl two times each will do that to you. The Bulldogs will bank on a healthy Robbie Rouse to carry the rock a lot and the Huskies will do the same with their running back Chad Spann. The team that wants to be here will win.
Prediction: Huskies 35, Bulldogs 28
December 18th at 7 PM
R + L Carriers New Orleans Bowl
New Orleans, Louisiana
(8-4, 6-2 MAC)
vs.
(7-5, 6-2 Sun Belt)
Line: Troy favored by 2
*Prediction*: Bobcats 28, Trojans 27
Record coming in: 65-17
Check back in soon! I will post my next batch of Bowl Picks on December 20th, including the Maaco Bowl Las Vegas! Enjoy the holidays and as always, Go Broncos!
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