The 2013 class of the College Football Hall of Fame was officially announced today and it includes some of the most dominant players the game has ever seen. QBs Vinny Testaverde, Danny Wuerffel, and Tommy Frazier were a combined 101-12-1 in their college careers. Ron Dayne rushed for over 7000 yards including bowl games, but even his NCAA official number of 6,397 is the best of all time. The class also features the great Tedy Bruschi.

But easily the most illustrious member of the 2013 class is our own Orlando Pace, the man who redefined offensive line play and launched the greatest Heisman campaign known to man:

In addition to his gridiron, acting and kitchen skills, Pace also played some hoops in high school. You already know how well-decorated he was in his college career, but let’s review anyway: two-time first team All-American, two-time Lombardi trophy winner (still the only player to win twice), 1996 Heisman finalist as an offensive lineman (which is probably impossible today) and did not allow a sack in his final two years as a Buckeye.

I don’t think I’m being hyperbolic when I say that one day there should be a national trophy named for this man, as dominant as a player could possibly be at a crucial but thankless position. When you can get the enormous fanbase of a traditional powerhouse loaded with skill position talent to cheer for line play, then you are indeed a special kind of player.

Congrats, Mr. Pace. No one deserves this more.

ABC/ESPN recently made selections for their portion of the 2013 Big Ten night game schedule, and not surprisingly, the Buckeyes will be featured prominently.

Urban Meyer wanted more games under the lights at the Shoe for recruiting purposes, and the Worldwide Leader In Doing What Urban Meyer Wants obliged. Ohio State will host two night games on Disney channels this season (Wisconsin on 9/28 and Penn State on 10/26) as well as a road game against Northwestern (10/5).

In addition, the Big Ten Network will most likely want to feature Ohio State at night as well, although the options are limited. Iowa’s visit on 10/19 is the most likely target and would result in four straight night games for the Bucks. Perhaps they’ll take a stab at something from the non-conference slate, but with the Cal game on the road (and therefore unavailable to BTN), there isn’t an obvious competitive matchup (although, you never know).

And then there’s the November portion of the schedule. There seems to be some confusion as to whether or not there is an actual policy against November night games in the Big Ten, but the “not” link is from this year and quotes Delany as being “supportive” of the idea.

Personally, I would 100% support moving The Game to a permanent prime-time slot, although to be perfectly honest, I wish every game could be at night.

While the university presidents still have to vote, the new Big Ten division alignment starting in 2014 is being widely reported as official. Gone are the confusing alignment (which never really achieved the competitive balance it was designed for) and the arrogant-sounding division names (which never really gained even the minimal acceptance Jim Delany thinks they did).

Instead, the divisions will be called the “East” and the “West,” and will be made of the eastern-most teams (East) and the western-most teams (West). I know it sounds crazy, but it just might work. Oh, and this might surprise you: The Big Ten will actually be the only conference with geographically-named divisions that adheres completely to the division names. Conference USA comes close, though.

But let’s stop wasting time. The single most important result of this realignment is that Ohio State and Michigan will be in the same division. This means we no longer have to worry about that looming threat of moving The Game to an earlier point in the season, nor the tempting-but-ultimately-terrible prospect of a repeat edition in the B1G title game. (Well, technically we have to worry about that one for one more season.)

So with Ohio State/Michigan as the annual East season-ending showdown (often, one assumes, with a B1GCG appearance on the line), it would be silly for the conference to not attempt to stage a similar battle on the other side. Nebraska/Wisconsin makes the most sense to me at this time, although Iowa could potentially be in that mix if they ever hired a coach that tried a little bit.

Versatility is why the Urban Meyer offense works. A mobile quarterback takes away the defensive mathematical advantage by forcing teams to account for all 11 players. Read option plays shift that advantage to the offense by eliminating at least one defender without physically blocking him. The result of all of this is space, and Meyer’s goal is to fill that space with an offensive player and the ball.

Of course, that’s not enough for Meyer, so he tries to make sure that player is one of his fastest and most elusive. With a running start and some shifty moves, he can turn space into points in a hurry. No player was better at this than Percy Harvin, the dynamic Florida star who played a hybrid position Meyer refers to as simply “offensive skill,” lining up at receiver, running back and even quarterback at times.

Without the benefit of a full off-season to recruit, Meyer had to find someone to re-purpose for this role in 2012. Fortunately for him, running back Jordan Hall was up to the task and was by all accounts progressing very nicely in the system before suffering a freak foot injury that eventually forced him to redshirt.

To say that Meyer was despondent at the loss of Hall is an understatement. He was so visibly depressed about it, that I began to think we weren’t going to win a game all year. While receiver Corey Brown was tried out at the spot, the whole concept was essentially abandoned in favor of the Miller/Hyde ground attack. With no Hall, Meyer knew he simply didn’t have the personnel to implement the Harvin package. This year’s recruiting class is a testament to his desire to make sure that this is never a problem again.

None of the freshman Offensive Skill candidates enrolled early, so Hall and Brown should be the go-to guys here in the spring. I fully expect Hall to lock down this job and be the hybrid starter in the fall. However, Meyer didn’t go after those youngsters for nothing, and he will want to use any garbage time we may have in 2013 to fast-track some of them for the future.

The Harvin-esque newbies include Middletown star Jalin Marshall, DeSoto (TX)’s Dontre Wilson, Florida speedster James Clark, and Ezekiel Elliott of Missouri. Rest assured that all of these kids know what is expected of them. In fact, Wilson says that Meyer exclusively used Harvin highlights during recruiting.

In retrospect, it may be end up being a blessing that Meyer couldn’t install this piece of the offense in 2012. Okay, so going undefeated makes that an easy claim to make, but it forced the staff to focus on the power run game and allowed them to assess where Miller needs to grow.

Adding the Offensive Skill position back into the rotation now only puts more pressure on defenses who probably still won’t be ready to deal with what Miller and Hyde (and a more experienced supporting cast) are going to do to them. Throw in some rumored new wrinkles (Meyer is reportedly enamored with the 49ers’ pistol inside zone) and the 2013 iteration of the ever-evolving Urban Meyer offense could be truly amazing to watch.

EXPANSION IS BACK!

Remember when there was football season and then the off-season? And then there was football season and conference expansion season? Now there’s just constant expansion all the time, regardless of whether or not there are incredibly important games being played.

Maryland and Rutgers joined the Big Ten last week, but I had some crucial HATING to do at the time. Before I could even welcome them, the ACC added Louisville, the Big East added Tulane and East Carolina and Conference USA added some teams dear GOD MAKE IT STOP!!!!!

Expansion used to fun, that’s what I’m saying. Although, maybe “expansion” is the wrong word for it. Sure, the conferences we care about are expanding, but what’s really going in is consolidation. Take a look at the Big East lineup back in 1998, the first season of the BCS era:

Syracuse
Miami
Virginia Tech
West Virginia
Boston College
Rutgers
Temple
Pittsburgh

With the exception of Temple, who was booted from the conference in 2004 before returning this season, all of those teams will be in one of the other five so-called BCS conferences in the next few years. What’s really happening is consolidation, and maybe it stops with five conferences. The Big Ten, Pac-12 and SEC are as solid as a conference can be right now. The Big 12 has a 13-year Grant of Rights shackling its teams together, and the ACC is prepping to aggressively defend its $50M exit fee as Maryland bolts.

But if the ACC loses, Florida State (the other school that voted against the exit fee) may get out before the conference becomes the New Big East (In 1998 terms, the 2014 lineup will be 57% ACC, 36% Big East and 7% Conference USA). And who knows what happens from there? The Big Ten may be interested in AAU buddies like Georgia Tech, Virginia and Jim Delany’s alma mater UNC. The SEC might like Virginia Tech and NC State to expand its footprint. And if geography goes completely out the window (and why wouldn’t it?), then four 16-team conferences are just the right size to hold the 1998 “BCS” teams (with a little room left for newbies like TCU and Boise State, or if Notre Dame is done with that independence nonsense).

CHAMPIONSHIP GAMES!

Big East of Burden: The ACC’s Louisville and the Big Ten’s Rutgers play in the kind-of Big East championship game, although I don’t really understand or care to understand the logistics of who will win the Big East under various scenarios. Thursday, 7:30pm.

The Last MACtion Hero: Kent State takes on Northern Illinois in a game between two of the MAC’s best offenses and best defenses. GIVE US OUR POINTS!!! Friday, 7:00pm.

Isn’t This Where We Came In?: UCLA at Stanford will play for the second time in six days because I guess this is baseball or something. Friday, 8:00pm.

Why You Gotta Go and Make Things So Complicated?: There is no Big 12 title game, but Texas at Kansas State and Oklahoma at TCU will serve as the deciding contests for the conference’s BCS bid. Saturday, Noon (OU/TCU) and 8:00pm (UT/KSU).

Automatic for the People: For a while, it looked like the SEC champion might actually not make the BCS title game. “Suckers” – Fate. Alabama and Georgia will face off for a shot at Notre Dame, guaranteeing that 85% of Americans will hate everyone involved in the championship game. Saturday, 4:00pm.

You Wreck Me: Georgia Tech is 6-6 and playing Florida State for a BCS spot and it has nothing to do with sanctions. This conference is so stupid. Saturday, 8:00pm.

I Don’t Belong Here… ‘Cuz I’m A Creep: Brett Bielema’s Wisconsin Badgers beat only the worst teams in a not-that-good Big Ten and lost to both of the ineligible Leaders teams. Nevertheless, Nebraska only beat them by 3 the first time, so it might be a good game. And by “good” I mean “televised.” Saturday, 8:00pm.

If this was any other week, I would spend most of this post talking about today’s addition of Maryland to the Big Ten and the rumored addition of Rutgers supposedly coming tomorrow. I would then discuss the shocking upsets of this past weekend that essentially guaranteed at least one SEC team will be playing for the national title. Then I would make jokes about games that I’ll end up watching anyway.

But this is HATE WEEK. And HATE WEEK is for the HATE.

Some people don’t understand the HATE. They say things like, “I want both teams to be good when they play!” and “I don’t like them, but I respect them!” and “Durrrrrrrrrrr!” These people cheered for Michigan to beat Alabama, because they have fallen for the media-driven conference-unity narrative that has completely consumed the SEC. Does it make sense that a Mississippi State fan would ridicule an Ohio State fan because the Buckeyes lost a bowl game to Florida? Does it make sense that a Mississippi State fan would ridicule an Ohio State fan for any reason?

But cheering for M!c#!g@n? I’d rather be the one team shut out of a 123-team playoff than cheer for M!c#!g@n to “help boost our strength of schedule.” I want them to be 0-11 every year when we play. I want to see about a hundred more of these! Every three years, I want them to fire their coach the day after The Game.

And speaking of coaches…

There really couldn’t be a better M!c#!g@n coach for Ohio State fans. He’s a walking punchline. Are fat jokes cheap and sophomoric? Yes, but all is forgiven because Hoke set himself up for every single one of them a long time ago and not just by promising to never not super-size. But by doing this:

That’s right, Hoke married a Homberger. Say it out loud. Say it in your best Hoke voice. Never stop laughing. But, more importantly, never stop HATING.

THE JOY OF BEING WRONG AND THE SHAMEFUL TRUTH ABOUT ALABAMA

Yeah, I hate the SEC. I’m sick of the incessant spin they get from ESPN and the most of the rest of the sports media. They have some good teams, and most years they have at least one great team. But so do all the other major conferences most years. They also, like all conferences, have some awful teams. This season, in fact, there are three SEC teams who have yet to win a conference game and three more who won just two. It’s the exact same mediocrity you’ll find in every single conference.

Alabama just lost their first game of the year, to SEC newcomer Texas A&M, suggesting that perhaps the conference isn’t so impenetrable after all. And while no one was really predicting it (and I mocked the mere thought of it last week), in retrospect this shouldn’t surprise us all that much.

Bama has beaten no one of consequence in the SEC outside of LSU, who had them against the ropes until a miracle game-winning drive. The best SEC team they’ve beaten impressively is Mississippi State, who is currently fourth in the SEC West at 3-3. They have not faced any of the top four teams from the East. Their next two opponents are Western Carolina and Auburn and then (barring upset by one of those miserable teams) Georgia in the SEC championship game. The Bulldogs don’t have a much better resume than the Tide, by the way, so any discussion of the SEC winner still making the BCS title game is simply absurd, unless you’re willing to admit that the entire system is complete sham (which it is, of course).

But if Bama can lose, then anyone can, right? Well, yes, of course anyone can lose, but my point is Bama should not be your guidepost. Oregon has already beaten numbers 2, 3 & 4 in the Pac-12 South by a combined 82 points. They still have to take on numbers 2 and 3 in their own division, but how worried are you, really? The Big 12 does not have divisions any more, but Kansas State has just the #3 and #9 teams in the conference left, with the toughest of those at home. They did struggle with #2 Oklahoma, but there’s a big dropoff from the Sooners to the Longhorns (63-21, anyone?). Notre Dame, of course, does not play in a conference at all, but they have already beaten four teams who are currently in first or second place in their own divisions/conferences. The truth is, based on what the teams had already accomplished, Alabama shouldn’t have been the #1 team even before their loss and they absolutely don’t deserve first consideration if the season ends with fewer than two unbeatens.

So that’s it, Alabama, you had your benefit of the doubt and you blew it.

Bye.

WELCOME BACK, FOOTBALL

WEDNESDAY

It’s MACtion time, and although I’m not as enamored with the conference as others, the Little Brother League is offering up a few good games this week, beginning with Ohio/Ball State at 7:00 on ESPNU and then the West division title match between Toledo and Northern Illinois at 8:00 on ESPN2.

SATURDAY

The MAC East division title match between Kent State and Bowling Green kicks off at noon on that small standard definition TV next to the rum on the shelf behind the bar at your nearest BW-3. Don’t put your good games on Saturday, MAC, it frightens and confuses us.

Rutgers @ Cincinnati is to a good college football game what the Big East is to college football in general.

Western Carolina @ Alabama. I mean, that would just be SOOO awesome, right?

USC @ UCLA will determine the Pac-12 South and therefore which team Oregon will score 60 points on in a couple of weeks. Tune in to see if the Trojans try to toss airless footballs around like frisbees without getting caught.

Duke @ Georgia Tech could actually have an impact on a conference championship race and therefore a BCS game. It could? What is happening in the ACC?

Stanford @ Oregon. I really don’t feel like the outcome is in doubt, but it’s the best game featuring a National Title contender this week, so we might as well watch it, at least until the Ducks are up by four scores.

It’s the bye week, so there’s no game this weekend. And I’m not just talking about Ohio State. There’s not a single compelling game anywhere in the nation. Sure, by Sunday something may have happened that could shake things up, but it’s going to be an upset or an injury or an equipment manager with delusions of grandeur.

You could argue that Northwestern/Michigan and Penn State/Nebraska are meaningful, but they’re not. Nebraska already owns the relevant tie-breakers and Penn State is the only team left on the schedule that can beat the Huskers. If you want to point out that the Wolverines could still win the division with a Brasky loss, you’d also have to admit that that would mean they win in the Shoe. And you don’t want to do that, right?

Syracuse, Texas A&M, TCU, Boston College, California.

Those are the opponents for the five unbeatens in action this weekend. They’re a combined 22-24. Which one do you think is going to shock the world? That’s right. None of them.

You could watch the Carrier Classic featuring the Buckeyes tomorrow night if you have something called the NBC Sports Network. I don’t. I don’t even know what that is.

So until next week, bye.