"The Play" Is Still The Greatest Event In College Football History

24 years after the day of the event, "The Play" is still the most well-known single event in college football history, and makes the already rich rivalry between the University of California at Berkeley and Stanford University all the more magical.

If you've never seen "The Play" it's captured in a video which can be seen with a click on the title of this post and is part of a webpage on its history. The video, unlike others, starts with Stanford's finaly scoring drive, led by John Elway, and features a run by my good friend then-Stanford (later LA / Oakland Raiders) Fullback Michael Dotterer to set up the field goal which would have got Stanford the win...had "The Play" not occured.

Jimmy Clausen Commits To Notre Dame To Be Coached By Charlie Weis - Video

Who's Jimmy Clausen? Sports Illustrated calls him "The Kid With The Golden Arm." His high school coach at Oaks Christian School in Westlake Village, Calif. calls him "The Le Bron James of Football." He wears the number 7, like John Elway. And now, he's going to Notre Dame.

In this video, Jimmy Clausen explains that the reason he selected Notre Dame over all the other colleges going after him was simple: the resume of Charlie Weis.

Virginia Tech Kicks Marcus Vick Off Team - Associated Press

Virginia Tech quarterback Marcus Vick was dismissed from the team Friday, the result of numerous legal transgressions and his unsportsmanlike conduct in the Gator Bowl.

University president Charles Steger announced the dismissal on the same day that coach Frank Beamer met with Vick and his mother in their Hampton Roads home, the school said in a statement. Beamer informed them of the decision during the meeting.

Vick, the younger brother of Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick, was suspended from school in 2004 for several legal problems. The junior came under new and intense scrutiny this week after replays showed he stomped on the left calf of Louisville All-American defensive end Elvis Dumervil during the Jan. 2 bowl.

No penalty was called on the play and Vick claimed its was accidental. He further hurt his cause by claiming to have apologized to Dumervil, but the Louisville player said no such apology was ever offered.

On Friday, it was revealed that Vick had been stopped for speeding and driving with a revoked or suspended license in Hampton on Dec. 17, Cpl. James West said. Vick's license had been taken away in August 2004 when he was cited for reckless driving and marijuana possession in New Kent County.

Steger suspended Vick from school at that time, and warned that any additional problems would effectively end his time as a member of the Hokies' football team.

"The university provided one last opportunity for Vick to become a citizen of the university and readmitted him in January 2005, with the proviso that any future problems would result in automatic dismissal from the team," Steger said Friday.

Beamer said in a statement that he was disappointed with the outcome. "We wanted what's best for this football team and Marcus," he said. "I certainly wish him the best."

School officials said in a statement that there would be no further comment until a news conference Saturday. Beamer, Steger and athletic director Jim Weaver, who said the stomping embarrassed the university, were all expected to attend.

Vick said before the Hokies' 35-24 comeback victory in the Gator Bowl that he planned to return for his senior season. Now, his choices are to declare for the NFL Draft by the Jan. 15 deadline or transfer to a Division I-AA school so he can play next season.

Vick entered this season knowing he would face hostility from opposing fans, mostly stemming from his drug arrest and another for serving alcohol to underage girls during the 2003 school year.

He said he was ready for it, but reacted to chants of "rapist" and "child molester" at West Virginia on Oct. 1 by making an obscene gesture in the direction of the crowd. He met with Beamer following that incident and apologized to the team.

In the ACC championship game against Florida State, he drew an unsportsmanlike conduct flag for spiking the ball after a touchdown run with the Hokies trailing, and following the 27-22 loss, walked by reporters after the game without commenting, saying he didn't have to.

He finished that game 26-for-52 for 335 yards with one interception and a fumble near his goal line that teammate Duane Brown recovered. Vick threw one scoring pass and ran for two more touchdowns, but also was sacked six times for minus-35 yards.

On the field, he was often dazzling, but sometimes tried to do too much.

The Hokies started 8-0 and were No. 3 in the polls when they hosted Miami on Nov. 5. But Vick threw two interceptions and fumbled the ball away four times in a 27-7 loss.

This season, he was runner-up to Wake Forest's Chris Barclay as the conference's offensive player of the year, and was voted the first team quarterback on the all-conference team.

In 24 career games, the last 13 starts, Vick was 207-for-346 for 2,868 yards, 19 touchdowns and 15 interceptions. He also rushed 184 times for 492 yards and six TDs.

A little known fact: 33 percent of ND Football Coach Weis' staff is African American

Yep. That's right. For all of the criticism Notre Dame received about the way it handled Head Coach Tyrone Willingham, his replacement Charlie Weis quietly assembled a staff that's 33 percent black, including his offensive coodinator.

I'll double check, but I think that may be a higher percentage than for Willingham's staff.

Willingham or Weis, the problem's the same for Notre Dame: a lack of speed

After their 37 to 20 pasting by Ohio State in the Fiesta Bowl, many Notre Dame fans are waking up to the fact that the team's basic problem -- a lack of speed and athletic skill on a par with the top BCS competition -- still remains.

Notre Dame Head Coach Weis had the players Tyrone Willingham recruited, and my theory -- that they were simply responding to a new voice and a different scheme, which is why the went 9 and 2 -- holds. The coup de grace will be when Notre Dame fails to sneak up on their opponents next year and posts a 7 and 4 record.

In other words, I'm predicting the same slide that Ty experienced during his short tenure. Weis brought in the plays and approach he established in New England and now the NCAA's richer for it. Next year, they can't sneak up on opponents, because there's a "book" on what they do now.

Let's see how Weis and the alumns get along in 2006.

Texas QB Vince Young's on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno

On this evening's The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Texas QB Vince Young -- one day after his team's victory over USC in The Rose Bowl -- explained that he's going to sit down and "pray with my posse, talk to my Mom, and then sit with Coach (Mack) Brown, and see what the NFL guys say about me" before he decides whether to enter the NFL Draft.

A Young Man's Game: Texas' Vince Young Powers The Longhorns Over USC for National Title

In an exciting, edge-of-your-seat contest, Texas Longhorn's QB, Vince Young willed his team to victory over USC in the Rose Bowl, capturing the College Football National Championship.

I've got to admit I missed a good chunk of this game because I was at a going away event in San Francisco's Tenderloin District, and at a place -- Olive -- with no television!

So, some of us marched over to some bar called GRB and caught it there. I went back to Olive after USC scored making it 37-26 in their favor in the fourth quarter. I must admit to total shock that Texas came back to win -- good, as I was rooting for them.

Young is 6'5 and about 235, and reminds me a lot of Tennessee Titans QB Steve McNair. Should Young come out of Texas for the NFL Draft, he will upset the current "favored" list of first picks: USC's Reggie Bush and Matt Leinart.

In my view, Young is a true first round pick. I think the Texans would pass on him, and take Reggie Bush, because they have David Carr -- but, I can't see such a major hero as Young being allowed to leave the state. Maybe the Dallas Cowboys will trade up to get him, or perhaps the Texans will take him, and trade Carr.

BCS head Big-12's Weiberg: Football playoffs could be done, but we've chosen not to

BCS Coordinator Kevin Weiberg. Click on link for SBS' BCS solution.
By Howard Fendrich
ASSOCIATED PRESS

2:27 p.m. December 7, 2005

WASHINGTON -- A playoff system could be used in major college football and the so-called "plus-one" model for determining a national champion should be reconsidered, the head of the Bowl Championship Series told Congress on Wednesday.

When House Subcommittee on Commerce Trade and Consumer Protection Chairman Cliff Stearns, R-Fla., pointed out that lower divisions have playoffs for football, BCS coordinator Kevin Weiberg said: "It certainly, congressman, is possible to have a playoff at the Division I-A level, as well. We have chosen not to go down that path."

Between jokes about needing tickets for bowl games and remarks about more important matters they could be addressing, lawmakers on the subcommittee – which examined steroids in professional sports earlier this year – made clear they are not interested in pursuing legislation.

But they did want to know why Division I-A football is the only college sport without a playoff system.

"Why can't it do it? Why can't it do it?" asked Rep. Joe Barton, R-Texas. "We're not going to introduce a playoff bill after this hearing. But I hope this hearing causes discussion. I would like to see the NCAA and the major conferences and the BCS come together on their own to develop a playoff system."

There are 28 bowls, and four are in the BCS: the Rose, Orange, Fiesta and Sugar. Those take turns hosting a championship game between the Nos. 1 and 2 teams in the BCS standings, based on two human polls and computer ratings.

The "plus-one" concept, where the fifth game of the BCS format would be a championship game with two teams advancing from the first four bowl games, was considered in 2004.

Weiberg, the commissioner of the Big 12 and one of six witnesses Wednesday, testified that the "'plus-one' model is one that deserves review. It is not one, as of yet, that has had full opportunity for review."

He said he's open to changing the current setup but noted that school presidents would have to approve playing extra postseason games – something they have shown no inclination to do.

Weiberg is in his final season as BCS coordinator. Southeastern Conference commissioner Mike Slive starts a two-year tenure in 2006.

Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany, Rose Bowl management committee chairman William Johnstone and other witnesses offered several arguments against playoffs: They would abandon tradition, diminish the importance of the regular season, lower the economic impact of some bowls, and create academic conflicts.

"The bowls are not perfect, and the Bowl Championship Series is not perfect," Football Bowl Association chairman and Alamo Bowl CEO Derrick Fox said. "But a playoff system is dangerous."

Barton questioned the concern about academics, citing a recent report that said 41 percent of this year's bowl-bound college football teams fall below the NCAA's new academic benchmark.

"Let's don't use (academics) as an excuse not to have a playoff system – and then ignore it," Barton said.

He also wondered aloud whether money is the biggest reason there isn't a playoff.

"Doesn't it really boil down to that the major bowls ... don't want a playoff system because you think it's going to impinge on the money that the big bowls make?" Barton said.

Delany responded that "an NFL-style football playoff would provide three to four times as many dollars to the Big Ten as the current system does. There is no doubt in my mind that we are leaving hundreds of millions of dollars on the table."

The BCS was created in 1998 by the six most powerful conferences. Since then, the system has been tweaked to make it easier for teams from smaller conferences to qualify for the top games.

Rose Bowl: Heather Locklear says "Trojans suck - especially at football!" (no kidding!)

The link is in the title post above and the picture she autographed while an actress on Melrose Place is the one you see here.

Texas Longhorns staying at the Century Plaza Hotel in LA

that news according to Orangebloods.com ....

Rose Bowl: USC favored by 7 over Texas

The USC Trojans are favored to beat the Texas Longhorns by 7 points for the National Championship. (You can get tickets with a click on the title post.)

Cal clips BYU in Las Vegas Bowl

Following last year's suprise loss to Texas Tech in the Holiday Bowl, the Cal Bears bested BYU in this year's Las Vegas Bowl.

Here's the AP account of the game:

By GREG BEACHAM AP Sports Writer

LAS VEGAS Dec 23, 2005 — Marshawn Lynch had no time for a loose shoelace. He was too busy carrying California to a victory in the Las Vegas Bowl and during his second touchdown run, his untied shoe stayed on him better than any BYU tackler. "I almost, almost slipped," Lynch claimed of his 23-yard sprint in the second quarter.

Anybody who watched his performance in the Golden Bears' 35-28 over Brigham Young probably wouldn't believe him but everybody got a look at the wealth of offensive talent coming back to Cal in 2006.

Lynch rushed for career highs of 194 yards and three touchdowns to win the MVP award, and DeSean Jackson caught two scoring passes before Cal's defense held off Brigham Young on Thursday night in an entertaining meeting of two programs with big aspirations for next season.

Steve Levy passed for 228 yards in his second career start for the Golden Bears (8-4), who hung on against BYU's fourth-quarter comeback in a high-octane game featuring 915 total yards.

"We didn't want to go into this offseason with a negative, because we grew up so much this year," said Jackson, who capped his impressive freshman season with six catches for 130 yards. "They're an up-and-coming team, but so are we."

Cal took a 21-point lead into the final quarter after Lynch's 35-yard scoring run and Jackson's exceptional 22-yard diving TD catch in the third. But BYU quarterback John Beck responded with scoring passes to Jonny Harline and Todd Watkins, whose 9-yard grab with 5:35 left cut Cal's lead to seven points.

The Bears improbably tried a 50-yard field goal with 2:20 to play, and Tom Schneider's kick was well short. But the Cougars moved just 7 yards before Beck's arm was hit by Cal lineman Phillip Mbakogu, and Daymeion Hughes intercepted the wobbling pass to seal the Bears' second bowl victory in three postseason trips under coach Jeff Tedford.

"It was great to see a reflection of how much we've improved with this young team," Tedford said. "This effort was typical of our team. It doesn't surprise me."