FOXSports.com: Fresh air for college football

[TyBull]

On the Mark: Fresh air for college football

Mark Kriegel / FOXSports.com

Posted: 37 minutes ago

The first BCS poll is out. That can only mean one thing: it's whining season.

The target of most people's ire seems to be the second-ranked University of South Florida, which is in Tampa and didn't even have a football program until 1997. As best I can tell, that's South Florida's great sin, its lack of a long and venerable gridiron history. Among the sport's most learned mandarins is an attitude that the teams that have always been ranked should always be ranked. Having been neither crowned nor sanctioned, South Florida's claim is somehow considered illegitimate.

The Bulls, as they call themselves, are said to be the favorites of computers, as opposed to humans, who, as we all know, are incorruptible. Still, South Florida is undefeated, and that's no bull. The way quarterback Matt Grothe runs around, he looks like Fran Tarkenton with muscles. With a victory Thursday night over Rutgers (yes, that Rutgers), it's not too difficult to imagine South Florida playing for the national championship on Jan. 7 in the Superdome.

Traditionalists (translation: fans of the long-established favorites) might consider the possibility blasphemous. But I offer a little advice here: break with tradition, stop complaining and enjoy. This is shaping up to be the best college football season that ever was.

Sure, the BCS is flawed. The system of polls and bowls always has been. So what? The regular season is what you get in lieu of a tournament; and fortunately this season has come to resemble college basketball's hugely entertaining playoff. For once, it has the capacity to surprise.

College football season usually begins with a series of ritualistic blowouts, then grinds toward a usually debatable conclusion. But this year began with Appalachian State beating Michigan. This year, you got Kentucky outplaying LSU, which didn't play badly, and Stanford over USC.

Notre Dame, whose glorious history has earned the university its very own network contract, is 1-6.

South Florida is 6-0.

Perhaps, with an 85-scholarship limit and the crack-down on benefits afforded to "walk-ons," the game is actually muddling toward a less imperfect state. Perhaps the balance has tilted just a little, emphasizing coaching, not just recruiting. Teams like South Florida and Kentucky and Appalachian State may not be stocked with the same talent as USC, LSU and Michigan, but they're nothing if not well-coached.

Last year's surprise was Boise State. This year promises even more. Hey, how many people had South Florida-Rutgers penciled in as a crucial night?

Maybe this ends up with the Bulls and, say, Boston College in New Orleans. It may sound crazy, but it's not.

Then again, the NCAA could still screw it all up. The dons of collegiate athletics could impose sudden sanctions if their crack investigators ever discover that Tampa isn't really in South Florida.

On the Mark

OK, so maybe the Bengals don't make the playoffs. Look at the bright side: they can get those community service obligations out of the way a month early.

Rex Grossman put up better numbers than the NLCS.

Do Wes Welker and Kevin Curtis understand that they're, you know, white guys?

Speaking of white receivers, Hall of Famer Don Maynard was presented with a replica of his 1962 Titans jersey at halftime of the Jets-Philly game.

Of course, in the interest of historical accuracy, it had a Reebok logo.

By the way, the '62 Titans finished with five wins and nine losses (by an average deficit of almost 22 points) before going into bankruptcy.

Six weeks into the current season, Jets fans would consider that a huge moral victory.

Nice to see Testaverde playing again. But does this mean Steve DeBerg wasn't available?

Everybody's talking about Jay Glazer's latest scoop  the video of Joey Porter and his pals bumrushing Levi Jones in a Vegas casino.

Personally, I'd be more impressed if Glazer came up with the tape that Isiah Thomas has on Chuck Dolan.

The way baseball is going, pretty soon they'll just shoot all the scouts, hire the RAND corporation and run the whole thing as a fantasy league.

Reggie Jackson told Jack Curry of the New York Times that David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez compare favorably to Mantle and Maris, maybe even Ruth and Gehrig.

Surprised he didn't say, "Me and the other guy."

It was 12:44 a.m. ET when Game 2 of the ALCS went into extra innings. Don't feel so bad for the kids who weren't allowed to stay up that late. Feel bad for the kids who were. Their parents are crack heads.

Amazing to think that Terrell Owens isn't leading the Cowboys in receptions. More amazing: he hasn't complained about it yet.

Guess it's not a contract year.

The only way I'm moving back to New York is if Tony La Russa gets the Yankees job. I want to be there when it all falls apart.

Let's go all the way back to the Oakland A's. How many points does his baseball IQ drop if there had been drug testing?

Is he still a genius? Or just an out-of-work lawyer?

By the way, the long-awaited Mitchell Report on performance-enhancing drugs is rumored to mention as many as 70 names.

Seventy?

That's a half-assed job right there.

Little Leaguers in Williamsport get more name recognition than the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Then again, they're better under pressure.

Cold and wet at Lambeau Field for the Packers-Redskins showdown. Could've been worse, though. They could've been playing baseball in Denver. Can't wait for the first World Series snow delay.

Out here in Los Angeles, people are still trying to come to terms with the idea that Pete Carroll was overlooked, once again, for the Nobel Prize.

Texas A&M coach Dennis Franchione sold inside information to potential gamblers in his newsletter, available to select boosters for a mere $1,200 a year.

He was reprimanded  as opposed to a student-athlete, who'd be indicted and forced to roll over on his friends.

Haven't been feeling great lately. Probably a little Asdrubal.

FOXSports.com's Alex Marvez is taking his wife to UFC 77 in Cincinnati.

Who says romance is dead?

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