Please Remember the Alamo

Talk about deja vu.

After playing close to the vest throughout the regular season, Penn State opens up the playbook for a non-BCS bowl game, plays solid defense against a spread, and has tongues wagging about next season.

The Nittany Lions first (Outback Bowl) and last (Alamo Bowl) games of the 2007 calendar year produced similar results and future expectations.

Forgive me if I don't get too excited. Fool me once...

While it was good to see Coach Paterno get his 23rd bowl win (remarkable), fans have to wonder why they didn't see more imagination during the season both offensively (a second QB in spots) and defensively (more stunting and more-than-four-in-a-pass-rush). Where was this against Michigan, Illinois, Ohio State, and Michigan State?!!! I'm not saying the Lions would have won every one of those games, but from this view:

1) Michigan was ripe for the picking with a less-conservative offensive game plan (throw on a down other than 3rd before you get to desperation time).
2) Ohio State's Todd Boeckman looked like Carson Palmer and had a clean uniform because the Lions failed to produce a pass rush (which might have been helped by a blitz scheme--does Penn State have one?)
3) Michigan State's Brian Hoyer (he of the abysmal Champs Sports Bowl performance) was also allowed all day to engineer the come-from-behind passing attack that subdued State.

You'll notice, the only loss I left out of the mix was at Illinois. I actually think the coaching staff had a good plan and was probably less conservative in Champaign than any city not named San Antonio this year. The defeat to the Illini can be blamed on poor execution on special teams (Benn kick return) and offensively (Quarless drop and Morelli's four turnovers).

Coaches will blame the lack of a bye week, a young team, and other factors for not implementing new wrinkles on both sides of the ball. That doesn't wash. Think about all the practice time (official and unofficial) these guys put in during the off-season. Are we expected to believe there's not enough time to work on some things that would confuse an opponent until bowl practices? Come on.

So, diehards can hope Clark is Michael Robinson-reincarnate and that the 2005 playbook (borrowed from Austin, TX) is still around. There was some evidence of that at the Alamo Dome on Saturday night. If that's the case, the Lions do seem to have enough talent to truly contend for the Big Ten title and get into the national picture. But then, last year's Outback Bowl had us believing 2007 would hold something special...didn't it? Proceed with caution.

And coaches, please remember the Alamo.

Craziest Season in Memory

Some observations on the end of the most unpredictable college football regular season:

Les wants more green, than Blue.

Wannstedt celebrates his new deal by guiding Pitt to the latest major upset, 13-9 over #2 WVU in the Brawl. The Panthers overcame the 'Eers and the zebras.

Mizzou's loss to Oklahoma was shocking to almost no one. The Tigers fall from #1 to a non-BCS bowl.

Bowden gets a "contract for as long as he wants". Not good news for Prez Spanier and any trustees that want some kind of succession plan from JoePa in the near term.

Buckeyes will play for the title again and the Big Ten will likely have two teams in the BCS (Illinois). Anyone want to call the conference weak now?

Heisman? Looks like Tebow as Daniel (uneven performance) and White (injury-plagued effort) couldn't deliver in their final chance on the national stage. Colt Brennan? Nah. Nobody will have seen him enough in the East, Midwest, and South to give him the votes.

I don't think we'll ever see a playoff, but the interest in major college football is still off the charts...so I won't lose sleep over it.