College Confidential

Competing coaches in Armed Forces Bowl impressed by updated TCU stadium

The reunion angle ruled today’s news conference at the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl, but with a unique twist.

Although the competing coaches have extensive experience taking teams to TCU’s Amon Carter Stadium, both Air Force’s Troy Calhoun and Rice’s David Bailiff found familiar landmarks missing in the wake of a $164 million stadium overhaul that caused the bowl to be played in Dallas, rather than Fort Worth, the past two seasons.

And that’s a good thing for everyone involved with the Dec. 29 contest.

“I thought I was going to have to duck to get into the visitors locker room. Then, I realized it wasn’t there any more,” said Bailiff, reflecting on lessons learned during his three seasons on the TCU staff (2001-03). “This is just a fabulous venue. It’s completely reinvented itself. You walk around and you go ‘wow’ every time you turn the corner.”

Calhoun took teams to the last three Armed Forces Bowl games played in Fort Worth (2007-09) and played a regular-season season game at TCU in 2010, before stadium renovations began.

“I didn’t recognize the place,” Calhoun said.

In many ways, that is a good thing. Not only are bowl officials happy to be back in Fort Worth after playing the past two seasons at SMU’s Gerald J. Ford Stadium, executive director Brant Ringler said he is confident that eye-catching stadium renovations will forever remove the issue of frozen seats and frozen restroom pipes that marked the chilly 2004 contest between Cincinnati and Marshall.

“Now, I don’t feel like we’re going to have any problem like that,” Ringler said. “This is our home venue. We’re ecstatic to be back here.”

Calhoun praised architects for doing “a great job of blending” the stadium into the existing campus landscape. Bailiff, TCU’s defensive coordinator under coach Gary Patterson during the 2002 and 2003 seasons, acknowledged a warm feeling as he toured the facility Tuesday.

“You take a little ownership at every program you’ve been in. And so, when I walk in here, I feel a little pride that I was a small part of it,” Bailiff said. “It’s exciting to come back and see what this university’s done. This is one of the finest college venues I’ve ever seen.”

SOME NOTES ABOUT THE GAME ...

Seats for military: Ringler said bowl officials have distributed more than 10,000 complimentary tickets to military veterans and active duty personnel who have made requests and additional seats under that promotion are still available. For information, visit www.ArmedForcesBowl.com or call the bowl office at 817-810-0012. Public sale tickets, ranging from $20 to $150, are available online.

Fresh look: Air Force (6-6) will wear specially designed uniforms in Fort Worth inspired by the B-2 Spirit and F-22 Raptor aircrafts. The helmet logo is the top view of a B-2 Spirit aircraft.

Closing surge: Rice (6-6) won five of its last six games to become bowl-eligible despite having only seven seniors on its roster.

“Early in the season, we were losing close football games where all we needed to make was one more play,” Bailiff said. “We found that play late in the year.”

Tale of the Texans: Air Force has 17 players from Texas on its roster, including RB Broam Hart from Alvarado (29 carries, 100 yards, 1 TD). Rice has 87 Texans, including eight from Tarrant County high schools: K Chris Boswell, WR Christian Fletcher, LB Michael Kutzler, CB Ryan Pollard, QB Michael Poynter, C Nate Richards, OL Spencer Stanley and LB Chandler Watkins.

Twitter: @Jimmy_Burch

_ Jimmy Burch

Best college FB team in Texas? Sagarin Ratings say Aggies, then Horns; both ranked in Top 10 nationally

After Saturday’s losses by Texas and TCU, there are no more undefeated major-college football teams in the Lone Star State. But several have only one loss. So, which team is best?

While voters in both the Associated Press and coaches polls sided this week with Texas (4-1), the No. 15 team in both polls, the Sagarin College Football Ratings selected Texas A&M (4-1). And the computer-generated rankings have the Aggies ranked sixth in the nation, two spots ahead of Texas, in A&M’s first season as an SEC member. TCU (4-1) is 19th.

The Sagarin Ratings, used in BCS calculations, also have five SEC schools ranked among the top seven teams in the country: No. 1 Alabama, No. 2 South Carolina, No. 5 Florida, No. 6 A&M and No. 7 LSU.

A pair of Big 12 teams ranked in the Top 10 of both voter polls, Kansas State and West Virginia, come in at No. 12 (K-State) and No. 15 (West Virginia) with Sagarin. K-State is behind No. 11 Oklahoma, a team the Wildcats (5-0) defeated in Norman, Okla. West Virginia (5-0) is behind No. 8 Texas, a team the Mountaineers defeated in Austin.

Below is a look at where college football teams from Texas, as well as Big 12 schools, fell in this week’s Sagarin College Football Ratings:

6. Texas A&M (4-1)
8. Texas (4-1)
11. Oklahoma (3-1)
12. Kansas State (5-0)
15. West Virginia (5-0)
19. TCU (4-1)
22. Oklahoma State (2-2)
26. Texas Tech (4-1)
30. Baylor (3-1)
32. Iowa State (4-1)
68. SMU (2-3)
92. Houston (2-3)
107. Kansas (1-4)
123. UTEP (1-5)
127. North Texas (2-4)
129. Rice (1-5)
136. UTSA (5-0)

_ Jimmy Burch

Fields earns first MWC honor after stellar game vs. Rice

TCU forward Amric Fields was named the Mountain West Conference Player of the Week after scoring 18 points and grabbing six rebounds in the Horned Frogs’ 78-74 win over Rice.
Fields, a sophomore, matched a season high with 18 points, shooting 7 of 11, including 2 of 5 from the 3-point arc. He also had two assists, two steals and a blocked shot in 22 minutes.
His 3-pointer gave TCU the lead late in the win against Rice. It’s Fields first MWC honor and the Frogs’ first this season. TCU (9-5) hosts UT Pan American (5-13) at 7 p.m. Wednesday at Daniel-Meyer Coliseum.

Texas A&M remains a Top 10 football team in Sagarin rankings; Big 12 schools hold seven of Top 15 spots

Texas A&M has a two-game losing streak, a 5-4 record and received zero votes in the latest Associated Press Top 25 college football poll.

But the Aggies remain a Top 10 team in the estimation of the Sagarin college football rankings, one of six computer-based ranking systems used to tabulate the BCS standings.

A&M, which lost leading rusher Christine Michael to a season-ending knee injury in Saturday’s 41-25 loss to Oklahoma, is No. 9 in the latest Sagarin rankings, published today in USA Today.

The Sagarin rankings REALLY like the Big 12, with seven league schools ranked among the nation’s top 15 teams. In order, the Big 12 members fall this way in the Sagarin rankings, with season records in parentheses:

3. Oklahoma State (9-0)
4. Oklahoma (8-1)
8. Texas (6-2)
9. Texas A&M (5-4)
12. Kansas State (7-2)
14. Missouri (4-5)
15. Baylor (5-3)

That places seven Big 12 teams ahead of Houston (9-0), the Lone Star State’s lone undefeated college team. The Cougars, who are 11th in the latest BCS standings, checked in at No. 18 in the Sagarin rankings. Sagarin’s top seven does closely mirror the BCS, with No. 1 LSU on top in both systems and Alabama at No. 2 in Sagarin (third in BCS). The rest of Sagarin’s top seven shows OSU, Oklahoma, Boise State, Stanford and Oregon.

Then we get to Texas at No. 8 – eight spots ahead of the Longhorns’ BCS position – with Texas A&M at No. 9, one spot ahead of an Arkansas team that defeated the Aggies, 42-38, on Oct. 1. The Razorbacks (8-1) are eighth in the BCS standings.

Other placements for Big 12 and Texas-based college teams in the latest Sagarin rankings:

31. TCU (7-2)
40. Texas Tech (5-4)
43. Iowa State (5-4)
45. SMU (6-3)
46. West Virginia (6-3; Big 12 member-to-be in 2012)
78. Rice (3-6)
81. UTEP (4-5)
83. Kansas (2-7)
85. Sam Houston State (9-0 in FCS)
127. North Texas (3-6)

_ Jimmy Burch

Would TCU Or Boise State Go Undefeated in the SEC?

Stuff You Can't Live Without In Preparation to Sit And Watch Texas Colleges this Weekend

10. TCU Needs To Start Rolling People Right Now
I can't help it - coach Gary Patterson may revile the idea of style points, but these things are a necessity if you don't play in an AQ league. The TCU-schedule bashing is just beginning, regardless of outcome until the Frogs play Air Force and Utah. The Frogs really need Oregon State to start winning, the same as SMU and Baylor.
Even if that happens, TCU's detractors will start drinking herbal tea to take care of their vocal chords as they dispel the idea that Boise State and TCU would go undefeated in the SEC.
10.45 Would TCU or Boise State Go Undefeated in the SEC?
The question is valid. The answer is probably no. How do we know that? Because few teams, if ever, do in that semi-pro conference. But ...
10.34 I'm Tired of This Argument
In some leagues the conference schedule is weaker than other years. Take, for instance, the Big 12. The conference appears slightly down this season, so would TCU or Boise State go undefeated against the Big 12 this season? Given how UT, TT, A&M look, I wouldn't say no. Or what about The Big East or ACC? No one can convince me that this Boise State team or that TCU team could not run the table in those pretender leagues this season. You can throw Utah in the conversation, too, when it comes to winning the Big East or ACC.
10.01 Calm Down - This Isn't a Rip Job on TCU or Boise
Only a very few teams can go undefeated in a football season, in any conference, in any league. This is strictly a percentages argument.

9. The Save Todd Dodge's Job March Must Include a Win Saturday
The Mean Green are coming off a big win last week against Florida Atlantic on the road; they are home this week against 1-2 Louisiana-Lafayette. UNT is a 4.5 favorite this week. UNT is 4-3 against La-Laf. but lost the last two at Fouts Field.
9.433 QB Riley Dodge Really Needs to Run Out of Bounds More, or Just Be Willing to Eat Sacks.
The Mean Green are down to its third QB - Dodge. If he goes down, it will be up to SO Chase Baine.

8. SMU Can Begin To Make a Push To Win C-USA.
The Ponies are better than I thought. That doesn't mean they're great, but they have a decent core that should only improve. Expect them to handle Rice easily this Saturday. SMU's "big" game will be on Oct. 23 against a Houston team that has plenty of reasons to quit, but hasn't.
8.01 It's Been A Long Time Since SMU Opened a Conference Season 3-0.
If the Ponies win this game, they will, and their next game against Tulsa, they will be 3-0 in a conference season for the first time since 1986. This 3-0 is a lot cheaper than that 3-0, too.

7. UTEP Is Going to Save Mike Price
The head coach of the Miners was thought to be pretty much fired before the season started. But the Miners are going to be 4-1 after they beat a winless New Mexico team on Saturday on the road. Now, if the Miners lose, fire up the "Fire Mike" talk.
7.45 Expect the Miners' O to be Better
SR QB Trevor Vittatoe has been decent, but the return of RB Donald Buckram from a preseason bruised knee injury could make the Miners a threat to the top spot of the conference. He played last week for the first time this season and rushed 13 times for 59 yards.

6. TT Needs to Open a Venti Sized Container Of Whoop A#@ in Ames
The Red Raiders are at a season-defining juncture over these next two weeks - at Iowa State and against Baylor in Dallas. TT is 5-1 against ISU in Ames since the two teams joined the Big 12.
Tech needs to win these next two games to dispel the notion, which I firmly believe, that the Red Raiders are down and headed for a major transition period.
A loss in either two games and the good people in Lubbock and across Red Raider Land may quickly tire of TubberBall.

- Mac Engel

Follow me on Twitter

@MacEngelProf

Nothing the Big 10 Did Over the Weekend Should Count

SUNDAY MORNING HANGOVER FROM COLLEGE FOOTBALL ... 

* TCU coach Gary Patterson said after his team’s win against SMU it was like “Alabama-Auburn”. Do you think Alabama coach Nick Saban will say, “It was like TCU-SMU” after the Tide play the Tigers in November?

(OK, it’s a cheap shot, but I wouldn’t be doing my job if I didn’t take it. It’s sports. Have fun, people.)

* A huge win for UNT coach Todd Dodge against Florida Atlantic. The Mean Green, who have been beset by injuries unlike no other team in Division I, are 1-3 and 1-0 in the Sun Belt.

Dodge was down to his third-string QB, Riley Dodge, who won all of those games for his dad when the pair were at Southlake Carroll High School. Riley completed 10-of-15 passes for 146 yards and a pair of touchdown passes. He also ran 11 times for 67 yards.

TD lives to coach another day.

* Texas State is 3-1 for the first time since 2005 after it defeated Southern Utah, 42-28. The Bobcats, ranked No. 23 in the I-AA poll, ran for 224 yards.

* Now that Houston is without QB Case Keenum for the season with an injury, the Coogs may be a running team. RB Bryce Beal ran for 123 yards and four touchdowns in UH’s 42-23 win against Tulane. The Coogs are starting a true frosh QB, Terrance Broadway.

* BYU’s last season in the MWC isn’t terribly memorable, mostly the Cougars aren’t very good. BYU lost at home against future MWC member, Nevada, 27-13. True frosh QB Jake Heaps made his first start for the Cougars, and was 24-of-45 for 229 yards.

* Boise State better watch out - Nevada can play. The Wolfies are 4-0, and host the Broncos on Nov. 26.

* Lamar returned to reality. The first-year program was blown out at Stephen F. Austin, 71-3. SR QB Jeremy Moses threw for 353 yards and four TDs, and went over the 10,000-yard mark for his career.

* I have no idea what to make of CUSA. I know no one cares, mostly because the conference has no top 25 team now that UH QB Case Keenem is out. But for the sake of TCU’s strength of schedule, it needs SMU to win that conference. Even if the Ponies win though, the voting masses won’t care anyone beat the CUSA champs’ because no one is clearly better than the other.

* Alabama is the best team in the nation, but I don’t like its chances of running the table again in the SEC. Alabama’s next two games are vs. No. 9 Florida, and at No. 12 South Carolina. On Nov. 6, the Tide play at No. 15 LSU. And, of course, the Tide finish with Auburn. The Tide have to lose eventually, right?

* How much money is being spent on the ad campaign for the new Wall Street movie? I'm seeing that ad in my sleep.

* We don’t know exactly how good Oregon is because it plays in the Pacific Time zone. It’s more proof how badly you need to be in the Central or Eastern time zone, or be Los Angeles, to really get noticed. That said, the Ducks are a serious threat to reach the BCS title game.

* UTEP’s win against Memphis gives the Miners a 3-1 start, their best since 2005. It’s just the sixth time in the last 46 seasons the Miners are won three of their first four games. Lots of tradition in El Paso. But it could save Mike Price’s job.

The game was won after the Miners drove the ball 95 yards in the final minutes to set up Dakota Warren’s 18-yard FG.

* After handling Rice in rain-filled game, Baylor is halfway to six wins to qualify for the What Else Is There To Do In This Town Bowl. Can the Bears get there?

* The Big East is awful. Period. It’s only ranked team, however, No. 22 West Virginia, actually showed itself quite nicely in a 20-14 loss at No. 15 LSU.

* Auburn QB Cameron Newton may be better than Arkansas QB Ryan Mallett. Not as a pro, but as a collegian.

* Did any athletic department stuff their bank account on the backs of its football team more than San Jose State? The Spartans traveled to play at Alabama, at Wisconsin and at Utah; they lost those three games by the combined score of 131-20. If they didn’t clear $2 million off those three losses something is wrong.

* Suspend the idea that the best RB at Alabama is backup Trent Richardson. He’s good, but JR and defending Heisman winner Mark Ingram is better.

* Texas A&M’s best chance to beat Arkansas in two weeks is to get pressure on Hogs QB Ryan Mallett and hope he throws picks the way he did against Alabama.

But the way the Tide ran on the Hogs should give Aggies hope that Christine Michael and Jerrod Johnson can score points.

* Texas’ big home loss to UCLA has to have the people in Lubbock worried. This was the same Texas defense that dominated the Red Raiders.

* Oklahoma had to be looking forward to next week’s game against Texas. The Sooners probably should have lost at Cincinnati on Saturday night, but they were the better team.

* I’ll keep saying this - Nebraska is going to win the Big 12 title game in its last season in the conference. And no one will be grinning any bigger than Tom Osborne.

* The Big 12 North is almost as bad as the Big East. In fact, the whole Big 12 is a bit down this year.

* What the Big 10 did this weekend was shameful. The conference finished a collective 8-2, all at home, against a schedule that was so weak and so lame that fans should have been admitted for free.

The opponents were: Northern Illinois, Central Michigan, Bowling Green, Northern Colorado, Ball State, Austin Peay, Toledo, Eastern Michigan, Akron, Temple.

The eight teams that won did so by the combined score of 385-109. Two teams scored 70 points.

Lost in these stupid numbers is that two of schools from this “power” conference actually managed to lose. How?

Purdue should be kicked out of the conference after losing 31-20 to Toledo in West Lafayette. And Minnesota coach Tim Brewster all but signed his “fired” papers after the Gophers lost 34-23 to Northern Illinois.

* TCU needs more style points. Every margin needs to be at least 20 points.

 

- Mac Engel

How about a rematch?

College Station will be in the college baseball spotlight tonight.
Two of Texas' best will face off when Texas A&M (30-6) hosts Rice (27-10) at 6:30 p.m. at Olsen Field. It's a rematch of last year's Houston Super Regional, which saw Rice sweep the Aggies.
Texas A&M, however, enters tonight with a 13-game winning streak, and is ranked No.8 in the latest USA Today/ESPN Top 25 poll. The Owls are right above them.
"It doesn't matter who we play, I think the kids are just eager to get back out and play,'' Aggies coach Rob Childress said this morning. "Rice has got a great program, and it will be a great test for us. It's a big RPI game for both teams. We're focusing on the weekend as well, but Tuesdays are just as important to our guys."
-Trae Thompson

Last hurrah??

With the season Aaron Luna's having, could he be gone for the majors next year?
You've got to wonder. The Rice junior left fielder, and Southlake Carroll grad (pictured), is again putting up big numbers. Luna has started in all 28 games this year, and is hitting .350. In 100 at-bats, he has 35 hits, 27 runs scored and 22 RBIs, plus a .500 on-base percentage.
Here's a look at his last five games...
Southern Miss - 1-4, 1 run
Southern Miss - 2-5, 2 RBI
Southern Miss - 1-4
Houston - 2-2, 1 run, 1 RBI
Texas State - 1-5, 1 run   

Owl watching

FRISCO - Went and checked out six innings of tonight's game between Rice and Dallas Baptist at Dr. Pepper Ballpark. Also got to see former Southlake Carroll star Aaron Luna, who is now playing leftfield for Rice. In three at-bats, Luna was walked twice then popped out in foul territory. Left after that. Kinda cold.
-Trae Thompson