|
| ||
Sport Sections |
||
|
|
||
| | |||||||||
| Wednesday, October 18 Sometimes coaches just don't get it By Lee Corso Special to ESPN.com | |||||||||
| I thought coaches knew football. Why is Washington still ranked ahead of Oregon in the coaches poll? Oregon is first in the Pac-10 and beat Washington easily; those of us who saw the game know it wasn't as close as the score indicated. There's no question the Ducks should be ranked ahead of the Huskies. Karl Smith, Salem, Ore.
Darin Hess, Oregon, Ohio I don't agree. There is no prejudice against Big Ten teams that lose one. Michigan has lost two, so they've dropped significantly and Ohio State has only lost one, and they only dropped a little bit. The Buckeyes have a chance to come back if they win the rest of their games. Do you think Penn State will ever be the same again? Wendell Waters, Westtown, Penn. Remember one thing, this is Penn State's eighth year in the Big Ten, and they've only won one Big Ten title. Penn State will not be a dominant force year in and year out in the Big Ten because there are too many good football teams. The Lions were great when they played Eastern teams, but now that they play in the Big Ten, forget about it. They will never dominate the Big Ten. Why doesn't the media ever talk about N.C. State? What about Philip Rivers? Justin Ramsey, Wallace, N.C. Philip Rivers had a poor to average game last week. People were talking about him before, but when he has a below average game, people will stop talking. N.C. State is one of the great stories in the country this year, along with South Carolina and Oklahoma -- they're all Cinderellas.
Paul Zupke, Toledo, Ohio Forget about it. You have to be a lot better than the Ducks to beat them at Autzen, and Arizona isn't a lot better than the Ducks. Can Don Nehlen get his 200th win this weekend against Notre Dame? If the Mountaineers win the rest of their games, will they be in a New Year's Day bowl? Scott, Charleston, W.Va. I doubt if they'll be in a New Year's Day bowl, because it'll be tough for them to win the rest of their games and they have a lot of injuries. I was very impressed with the Mountaineers up until half time of the Virginia Tech game. Nehlen has done a great job, but I don't think they can beat Notre Dame, they're too banged up. The Miami-Virginia Tech game is shaping up to be "the" game of the year. Assuming both are undefeated, who is your pick and why? Tom Willard, Richmond, Va. I'm not going to pick that game until the week they play; you'll have to write to me then. But it is not the game of the year; the game of the year is Nebraska at Oklahoma. Is there a better defensive line in college football than there is at TCU? Robert Hall, Janesville, Wis. Yes, Memphis State. The Tigers have the best defensive line in the nation, the best front seven. TCU is very good, but it's hard to judge them because they don't play great football teams. Did Nebraska's thumping of Texas Tech give any indication that they can stop Oklahoma? Adrian Beverage, Oklahoma City, Okla. I don't know if they can stop Oklahoma, but it looks like they'll be able to keep the ball away from the Sooners. No one is going to stop the Sooners entirely. They throw too much and Josh Heupel is too accurate; but if you keep the ball away from them and Heupel is sitting on the bench, then the Sooners can be stopped. Since there are five teams in the Big Ten with one conference loss, who do you think will go to the Rose Bowl? Chris Bick, Toledo, Ohio I had originally picked the Ohio State Buckeyes, but after they lost to Minnesota, it appears to be a wide-open race. But I still go with the Buckeyes. How can a quarterback like Drew Brees be on or near the top of every passing category in the nation, yet his quarterback rating is only 23rd in the country? Steve Bauer, Redford, Mich. There is a complicated system involving pass efficiency, number of throws, number of yards. It's a very complicated, computerized system that takes a lot of factors into account. Frankly, I don't understand it either. Is there a national title waiting for the Tennessee Volunteers in the next four years? Jonathan Wood, Tullahoma, Tenn. Tennessee will be back. I knew they'd take a dip because they lost so many players to the NFL. But do not worry, the Vols will be back. What do you think happened to Arkansas this year and do you think they have a chance to be good next year? Corey Taylor, Riso, Ark. They had a lot of injuries this year. There is no question in my mind the Razorbacks will bounce back. Houston Nutt is a tremendous football coach, their only problem was injuries. How is the BCS going to deal with an undefeated TCU team? Josh Flurry, Cleburne, Texas They'll put them in the Mobile bowl. The strength of schedule category will kill them when it comes to the computerized rankings in the BCS. If the Gators play like they have against LSU and Auburn do you think they can beat Florida State? Travis, West Palm Beach, Fla. Absolutely. But they played those two games at the Swamp. They have to go to Tallahassee to take on the Noles; it's tough to win there. What would it take for you to change your pick for the Kansas State vs Nebraska game? Craig Patak, Lincoln, Neb. I can't do that. I picked two teams at the beginning of the year, Florida State and Kansas State. Last year, I picked Florida State and Virginia Tech and got lucky. You never know, this year, I could still get lucky. It's not fair to change your pick after they've started playing. But that doesn't mean I'm counting the Huskers out, I just won't be right if they win. South Carolina is 6-1, bowl eligible, has defeated Mississippi State and Georgia, yet still lingers behind these teams and others with inferior records. What will it take for the Gamecocks to be taken seriously? Peter G. Mavros, Greenville, S.C. They have to win a few more games. I do take them seriously, and I don't understand why other people don't vote for them higher. I put them up there in the Top 15. | ALSO SEE Not so fast: Questions for Corso AUDIO/VIDEO   Joey Harrington lays it in nicely for Josh Line on a 23-yard TD pass.avi: 1189 k RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1 Maurice Morris takes the shovel-pass from Joey Harrington and rumbles into the end zone.avi: 1180 k RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1 | ||||||||
|
Copyright ©2000 ESPN Internet Ventures. Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and Safety Information are applicable to this site. Click here for a list of employment opportunities at ESPN.com. |
