The Short List: Week 14

As the 2009 regular season comes to a close, the Shortlist to the San Fernando Valley numbers six teams, all of them undefeated and in Shortlist invite consideration as such:

Florida, Alabama, Texas, TCU, Cincinnati, and Boise State.

No teams survived games I called for them to lose last week on the Shortlist to the San Fernando Valley and once again this week, I call for no teams to be excluded, although only Boise State has any real worry on that front this week.

The demarcation line between the traditional powers and the second-class citizens has never stood as in stark a contrast as it does at the present moment in my opinion as the SEC is assured of having one of the Shortlist's coveted two invitations while the outsiders hope for yet another Texas Big 12 Title Game letdown to help them strike a blow for equality amongst the 120 schools. 

 

Unlike last week where I foresaw not one, but two top 10 losses to underdog teams, I don't see it happening this week as I expect multiple undefeated teams to remain at the end of the bowls after New Year's 2010.

Some would decry this kind of treatment to the latter half of the Shortlist as discriminatory and wrong.  I couldn't disagree more, because in any objective evaluation of the teams involved, the SEC duo has traveled a more difficult path to their championship game than the others and deserve the preferential treatment shown as a result.  Texas has by a slimmer margin navigated a slightly more treacherous course than the others and as well deserves reward for that feat.

All the teams left on the Shortlist are assured a slot on the final Shortlist roster except for Boise State, which only needs to eradicate New Mexico State on the blue turf to finish their season undefeated as well, but even if BCS chaos peaks in the final weekend, would TCU and Boise State be worthy of facing the SEC champion with a chance to win the national title on the surface of the Grandaddy of them All in a game over a week after the actual Rose Bowl? 

 

The difference between the best team in the SEC and the rest of the field is almost as pronounced as it's ever been this year I believe from all that I've seen.  Both the non-BCS schools have used upsets of Oklahoma this decade to make their reputations recently but the Sooners are not the modern power their specious 2000 championship would suggest them to be upon first blush.

To me, this season, more than any in the history of the BCS era of the game is begging for a legitimate split national championship to be awarded, but with the characters involved in the drama at this point, that notion is even more a pipe dream than Joe Paterno passing the all-time coaching victories record back to Bobby Bowden is. 

 

TCU, Cincinnati and Boise State have no history to draw on, no contemporary legends to point to as icons of their football prowess to use to appeal to on the college stage in their battle against the entrenched programs they compete with.  They would have even less chance to be successful in a tournament setting I think, but at least the discussion they are included in now gives them a foundation to establish equal footing with the others in the future. 

 

If anything, their trouble lies not in the programs themselves, but in the members of the conferences they associate themselves with.  Damned by their temporal locations and alliances, not by their performance.  Guilty by association of not being equal in the court of football opinion.  An unjust end to outstanding campaigns to this point, but campaigns whose gains this year will, I believe, cause a sea-change in the sport sooner rather than later.

Copyright 2009 by Christopher Whelpton for Canespace.com

Comments

[86Cane]

'Sota...why would U go to the SS anyway? Silly boy.

[canechic]

I have a story, Nicole calls me and says "I am going to the BB game tonight, I am not sure why but it is a big deal everyone is very excited at school". So I explain to her about the whole ACC-Big Ten challenge. She says Mom "please do not laugh but which one are we?" I am like no way she is my daughter!

[solarcane]

(poms raised)

you can say that again canechic!

peace

[Sarasota 'cane]

I thought I was hacked, but Kehoe created a different account with my screen name and Avatar! What a F'ing "D" Bag! They know we're coming!

Go 'canes!

[Captain Optimist aka Cavaleer]

Vince, clearly Tiger's the fool. Like Canez1 said, he's a dork who happens to be really good at golf, so all that honey staring him in the face was something new, and he clearly wasn't able to handle it. lol

Like I said, he should've just had his adventures BEFORE HE MARRIED that little girl. And wasn't she a nanny or some ridiculous shyt?

He needs to get fleeced by someone, lol.

[CanesAddiction]

Forget Nix, I'm ticked about losing the Belle Glade kid. But I'll save most of my recruiting talk for the offseason.

I was so happy to see B. Washington start on the O-line. We're past due as far as seeing young O-linemen develop as the season goes along.

"Calling Ben Jones. Mr. Jones please report to the development center."

It would be a real shame if we get shafted in the bowl location because of Bowden.

[Captain Optimist aka Cavaleer]

Watch it surface that Randy Shannon loves soccer, played it as an elementary schoolboy and

BAM!!!!!!!!

"I never said I didn't like soccer I was saying foreigners playing soccer sucks, not when Randy plays it.

peace

Posted by: solarcane | December 02, 2009 at 04:50 PM

>>>>

LMAO!!!! Hey, if Chad Johnson played it, it can't be all that bad can it? lol

Now let me find out Roger Maris and Barry Bonds played cricket and I might have a heart-attack.

[miamimike01]

I know I'm biased, but the reffing is going the Gopher's way. Shocker. Touch fouls on UM but not on Minnersota (yeah, I meant it).

Also, I'm sick and damn tired of the bowl tie-ins. a 7-5 UT team goes to the Peach and UM goes to the Champs Sports, Music City, or MCar Care?

What a joke. The bowl system is corrupt and needs to be blown up (PLAYOFF! YOU DAMN OLD FOGEYS!)

[CaneSawMassacre]

LOL your girl... Canechic.. Just wow!!

[Captain Optimist aka Cavaleer]

I have a story, Nicole calls me and says "I am going to the BB game tonight, I am not sure why but it is a big deal everyone is very excited at school". So I explain to her about the whole ACC-Big Ten challenge. She says Mom "please do not laugh but which one are we?" I am like no way she is my daughter!

Posted by: canechic | December 02, 2009 at 07:50 PM

>>>>>

CC, that's precious. Girls are allowed though but more importantly she's showing that True U disdain for conference. WE DON'T NEED NO STINKIN CONFERENCE!! lol

[86Cane]

Miami basketball:

1. No offensive strategy
2. Awful execution
3. Terrible coaching
4. Ugly performance

Miami trails 30-25 to Minnesota at the half. Nothing has changed since last year.

[canechic]

I know Cav I really wish it was the Big East!

She just sent Nick a text asking if BB has 4 qtrs in College. She is afraid to ask me.....lol! You know she has always danced and never ever paid much attention to the bb game. So now as a fan she can pay attention to the little things...like periods or qtr's.

[canechic]

Wow 86! 7 games in and we are done? COME ON MAN!

[Captain Optimist aka Cavaleer]

If Nix is gone..does that mean Glenn is gone? I think losing Dent is more of a concern, but then again he wouldnt of been happy at DB

Posted by: UMike | December 02, 2009 at 05:32 PM

>>>>>

UMike, like Calvin said, NEXT. I'm actually glad these cats decommitted in a timely fashion so we can bring in some more ballers.

[86Cane]

What a joke. The bowl system is corrupt and needs to be blown up (PLAYOFF! YOU DAMN OLD FOGEYS!)

Posted by: miamimike01 | December 02, 2009 at 08:16 PM

What was your FIRST clue? LOL

[Daytoncane]

the fouls are not going Minnesota's way. we have drawn more charges on them than they have on us. plus we're still outrebounding them.

we turn the ball over way too much. but i guess that's going to happen with such a young team. and the Gopher defense is starting to heat up.

Haith needs to get out of the man to man and go back to the box and 1/ 2-3 zone. Minnesota's guards are driving right past our guys.

one thing that i really like about this team is that there is a lot of movement on offense. we are going to make bad defensive teams pay.

[CGNC]

86 - one thing has changed -no Jack. and where are your supercool avatars?

[Captain Optimist aka Cavaleer]

Solar, add Joe DiMaggio to the top of that list. To me, the fact that he never said a word about his relationship with Marilyn says everything you need to know about him.

But with a few exceptions, like JFK, Newman and those others were from a different generation, a different time.

I'm sure there are a lot of guys out there who are still handling their business at home as well as they handle it on the field, we just don't hear about them.

[canechic]

I almost called into the Dan Sileo show today to cuss him out with very big attorney words....he made me very angry!

[86Cane]

Wow 86! 7 games in and we are done? COME ON MAN!

Posted by: canechic | December 02, 2009 at 08:23 PM

We have played SEVEN games already? And we look that bad?

OMG...it is WORSE than I tought. Cancel the season. Do it NOW!

[canechic]

Cav and not to mention in the "old days" media did not cover affairs....they left that stuff alone. May thing is if you want to play like a bachelor...stay a bachelor. You do not have to married....guys do not realize how this affects their entire family and hurts like hell. She will probably leave him can forgive 1 but not 3. Very sad!

[SOUP]

86 - one thing has changed -no Jack. and where are your supercool avatars?

Posted by: CGNC | December 02, 2009 at 08:26 PM

U mean like this one? LOL

[canechic]

Oh 86 go get a drink...it will be fine!

[canechic]

meant My thing

[Captain Optimist aka Cavaleer]

umike, losing no one is a concern, the last 3 recruiting classes somebody went the other route, it's going ot happen, NEXT!

cav, after watching that rugby highlight clip you put up, i can't recall ever seeing a rugby match, but watching that rugby match, it is CRYSTAL clear now where they got the option from. I saw the 1st 15 to 25 secs of it and said damyum, is that where oklahoma and nebraska got their players from and now g-tech.

As far as the soccer thing goes, all i know is, they lost me when i was trying to watch a game and the commentator kept saying "they're dominating this game" i knew than that i knew nothing about soccer, cause the score was 1 to 0 when the announcer kept saying that, and i'm saying, WTF is he talking about, it's 1 to zero.

Anyway, alot of us like sports because of the collisions, in football bi hits, in basketball, breaking the rim dunks/collisions. In soccer and rugby, the contact is just not their for me.

rugby also reminds me that game we all played back in the day "one man stand"

Posted by: Calvin | December 02, 2009 at 05:51 PM

>>>>>>

LMAO!!!!

That shyt reminds of Cal-Stanford and nothing else.

We, as Canes fans, should get used to decommitments and such because each year we get closer to 85 deep, kids are going to look at the depth chart and get nervous.

Nix will probably play next year at ND if he works hard. Here, he'd be on the pine for a year or two.

Now as we all know, it's actually BETTER for these kids to RS but they don't know that and whoever's advising them isn't telling them this.

But if I-Mac and Harris decide to go elsewhere we'll know it's because of PT for the most part.

No loss, no worries. We're loaded for a NC run next year. Like you said, #11 is right where Shannon wants him, and with all the other LBs in place, Spence, Buchanon, Futch coming back and developing to 100%, along with the elder Boss, C-Mac, and maybe even Holton and Green chipping in, WE READY, WE READY, WE READY!!!!

[SOUP]

Oh 86 go get a drink...it will be fine!

Posted by: canechic | December 02, 2009 at 08:33 PM

Good advice. I'll be back...

[miamimike01]

I know this will never happen, but its fun to speculate:

1) Winner of Bama/UF
16) Oregon St. (if they win Thurs, but otherwise would be Miami

2) Texas (barring Nebraska upset)
15) Pitt (if they beat UC, otherwise USC

3) Loser of Bama/UF
14) BYU

4) TCU
13) LSU

5) Cincinnati
12) Virginia Tech

6) Boise St.
11) Penn St.

7) Oregon
10) Georgia Tech

8) Ohio St.
9) Iowa

Nebraska, Oregon St., and Clemson wins would ruin this scenario. If Oregon St. won, UM would go to a minor bowl.

How about a vote all the way down to the Champ?

[pb(CSROH10)]

GO CANES! (poms raised)

Posted by: canechic | December 02, 2009 at 07:42 PM

This was great.

[Captain Optimist aka Cavaleer]

I know Cav I really wish it was the Big East!

She just sent Nick a text asking if BB has 4 qtrs in College. She is afraid to ask me.....lol! You know she has always danced and never ever paid much attention to the bb game. So now as a fan she can pay attention to the little things...like periods or qtr's.

Posted by: canechic | December 02, 2009 at 08:22 PM

>>>>>

CC, I didn't know she was a dancer. She has every right to be completely ignorant of anything other than CANES WIN!! lol

On Tiger, yeah, he and Kobe should've just done some wild stuff like most of us do in HS and college and be done with it, WHEN IT DOESN'T MATTER AND ITS PRIVATE, for the most part.

Now, it shatters his image for a minute, and his marriage forever.

Oh well, tough lessons and he won't be pulling a Kobe out of this one with a fat ring. lol More like a FAT alimony check every month. haha

[Six]

If Bossman Shannon played soccer as a schoolboy, then that's normal b/c everyone did when they were in elementary school

It was the lazy way for the P.E. teacher to spend the day .. just roll a ball out there and tell the kids to kick it around while he (or she, which was usually a Rosie O'Donnell, so I can use "he" for the female P.E. teacher as well) was picking lint of out his belly button and scoping out the high school chicks across the way

Other than that, you know that face that Shannon makes that solar calls his "walked through a fart cloud" look? I'm sure you'd get that right away if you asked Boss Man if he played soccer past puberty

[86Cane]

I'm hungry...

[Daytoncane]

Haith is one stubborn coach. the zone is clearly more effective and yet he keeps playing man to man.

[CanesCanesCanes]

This sucks - in Orlando, hotel has Bright house but NO ESPNU! Help me out here people.

[Six]

Tiger's wife was the nanny for Jesper Parnevik's kids

And why did everyone think that Tiger was some unflawed godly person before any of this happened? B/c he has a big bright shiny smile? B/c in the commercials of him, he looks like a nice guy? B/c the media portrayed him to be Mr. Rogers like?

Please.

Ever heard that guy on a golf course? Ever really paid attention to him or his actions during tournaments or public appearances?

That's everyone else's fault for allowing themselves to fall into that trap.

The guy showed that he is actually human with flaws and not some unbelievable golf robot that makes other golfers urinate in their pants when they have to go up against him

[canechic]

tied at 51 5:51 left in the 2nd period.

[86Cane]

Canes 51, Minn 51 in the sixth inning...

[canechic]

Six I found most men are dogs....but guys,sports and chics.....it does not seem to matter how hot their wives are....they cheat...I think it is a power trip...just my opinion

[canechic]

86 - ok Nicole!

[solarcane]

Capt O great example with Joe D.

canechic you are right,about hurting the family.
There are a lot of very happy couples dedicated to each other that have something Tiger will never be able to buy.

peace

[CanesCanesCanes]

Thnx cc & 86

[canechic]

Alright 86 I just screamed at the tv.....

[canechic]

CCC still tied with 4 minutes left

[canechic]

53 the U and 51 GG 3:32 left Collins big dunk

[canechic]

ok just screamed again

[canechic]

tied with 2:20 left

[CanesCanesCanes]

cc you might be right but IMHO Tiger is a nerd around women and doesn't know his way around them. He's worth like a billion dollars and doesn't have enough sense to know he's not going to putt his way out of the rough with a $10/ hr. cocktail waitress - and I mean NO offense to working women but come on - she was blabbing to all her friends -what did he expect??

[CanesCanesCanes]

cc - you rock!

[canechic]

57 U 53 GG with under a minute to go
GG with the ball TO

[404Canes404]

There's my boyz!!! We ballin boyz! Let's Go Canes!

[solarcane]

aqua on national TV
sweet
peace