The 2011 college football season is on the verge of starting. While waiting for the first game to kick off, a few issues should be addressed. The fallout from teams' changing conference affiliations will take full effect this season. Future defections appear on the horizon, as does the trend toward "super conferences". Another issue of concern involves the nearly universal trend toward scheduling outmanned opponents from the Football Championship Subdivision, formerly known as Division 1-AA. Finally, I present some questions for fans to ponder heading into the season.

 After reviewing of schedules, some programs deserve applause for including two Football Bowl Subdivision non-conference opponents and no one from the FCS. Ohio State will play at Miami and host Colorado. East Carolina will host Virginia Tech and North Carolina plus will face South Carolina at neutral field. Marshall will play at West Virginia and will host Virginia Tech. Rice will visit Texas, Northwestern and Baylor then host Purdue. Tulsa will head to Oklahoma and host Oklahoma State. Alabama-Birmingham will travel to Florida and have a home date with Mississippi State. Ball State will play at South Florida and face Indiana on neutral field. Miami (Ohio) will travel to Missouri and Minnesota plus host Cincinnati. Colorado will host California in a previously scheduled non-conference game and play at Ohio State. Stanford will travel cross-country to Duke and will conclude the regular season at home against Notre Dame. Southern California will host Minnesota and Syracuse plus play at Notre Dame. Florida Atlantic will open season with three games on the road versus Florida, Michigan State then Auburn. Florida International will play at Louisville and host Duke. Middle Tennessee will travel to Purdue then will host Georgia Tech. North Texas will go to Alabama then host Indiana. Troy will start its season at Clemson then at Arkansas. Nevada will travel to Oregon and Texas Tech. New Mexico State will face Minnesota and Georgia, both on the road. San Jose State will start its season at Stanford then at UCLA. Notre Dame will play ten opponents from FBS conferences, with half of those on he road. Honorable mentions should be extended to Michigan and UCLA for not scheduling any FCS opponents.

On the flip side, some programs should have derision heaped upon them for their shamefully schedules. North Carolina State, Eastern Michigan, Air Force and Wyoming will each play two FCS teams. Such a slate should qualify as automatic demotion to the former Division 1-AA. Slightly less egregious lists of opponents belong to Virginia Tech, Texas Tech, Mississippi State and Mississippi. Those four will face a FCS opponent but no one from the FBS in a non-conference match.

 One issue for this season and in the immediate future concerns the fate of Big East Conference. Already expanded beyond its traditional realm of the former Eastern Independents by including Louisville & Cincinnati then South Florida, it feels like a marriage of convenience for its members. The conference has stretched the term "East" to the breaking point by adding Texas Christian University for 2012. At least the possible addition of Villanova would fit geographically. However, the conference already jettisoned a previous member from Philadelphia for pathetic levels of attendance and non-existent interest among the alumni and other locals.

In order for the Big East to have any semblance of viability, its members must accomplish a few tasks. First, the conference needs to convince a broadcast network to give the members a financially large contract. That could prove difficult after it lost two huge media markets when the Atlantic Coast Conference snatched Boston College & Miami. In looking for more members to secure its credibility and possibly implement a conference title game, how much more can its borders be stretched? If further expansion lies in the works, what other teams would be considered and willing to relocate? Is Notre Dame's inclusion within the realm of possibility? Without a generous contract, the ACC may pilfer more members in pursuit of a super conference.

How likely is a repeat of the Southeastern Conference champion also winning the BCS national championship? Alabama and LSU seem most likely candidates to continue the stretch of national titles to six according to pre-season polls. That would double the number of consecutive national titles won by a conference; the Big Ten won three straight from 1940 through 1942. However, anyone could emerge. How many people predicted Auburn to sweep through the SEC undefeated then win the BCS title last season?

 Will the conference title game convince the Big Ten to drop plans for nine conference games starting in 2017? The addition of a ninth game would have made sense years ago. Since Penn State joined in 1993, each Big Ten member did not play two members. The 2002 season comes to mind when both Ohio State and Iowa finished undefeated in conference; they had to settle for a split conference title since they did not play each other that year. What is the point of nine conference games now that the championship game will prevent split titles in the future? Perhaps the inability to fill bowl slots due to more losses among members will accomplish that when the expanded schedule occurs.

How will fans react to new conference title games in the Big Ten and Pacific Twelve? Will they receive it with enthusiasm with an annually sold-out stadium as in the SEC? Will they treat it with indifference and leave wide swaths of unsold seats like in the ACC's version? The locations of the game will play a huge role in the success of the matches. Indianapolis fits the role of a centrally located site with a stadium full of amenities for the Big Ten. The Pacific Twelve must decide on one off-campus site or at least two rotating locations to host; otherwise, the game will carry only a little more luster than an ordinary regular season game.

 As the concept of "super conferences" continues to gain momentum, one must ask: Will the Big Twelve manage to hold itself together? Can the new television contract dissuade Texas A&M, Oklahoma or others from defecting to the SEC as was considered last yr? Would the conference consider adding two replacements to revive conference title game? If so, which programs appeal in terms of huge fan bases, geography and large media market size? Would Texas Christian renege on its decision to move to the Big East? Could some members of the Western Division of Conference USA or the Mountain West Conference receive invitations to join?

 COPYRIGHT BY CHARLES KASTRIOT AUGUST 2011

The joy of several prominent media outlets in response to the mass murder in Oslo more than a week remains unmistakable. The New York Times proclaimed Anders Behring Breivik as a “Christian extremist”. CNN referred to him as a “Christian fundamentalist”. The Washington Post insinuated that he is a “Christian terrorist”. Even Islamists such as the Council on American-Islamic Relations have gleefully spouted such inanities in the promotion of their totalitarian agenda.

                  In response, I submit these questions to all the Christophobes among the media and those in the blogosphere.

1.     What evidence do any of you possess that Breivik practiced Christianity such as membership in a church? How can you willfully ignore his reference to his oxymoronic term “Christian atheism” to describe himself? Why do you instinctively assign his motivations to his supposed Christianity but not to his atheism?

2.      Can you cite any Christian scriptures, Biblical or otherwise, which explain his murderous spree? On what basis do you ascribe his crimes as fundamentally Christian considering that no words attributed to Christ condone murder?

3.      Why are you so reluctant to label blatantly and fervently violent jihadis as adherents to and practitioners of Islam? Since Breivik’s rampage, two reminders of the peril of Islamic terrorism to the Free World have occurred. A jihadi, Abdulhakim Muhammad, who murdered Private William Andrew Long, a recruiter for the U.S. Army, in Memphis received a life sentence for his crime committed in June of 2009. Also, a Mohamadan soldier, Naser Abdo, abandoned his assignment in Kentucky and gather weapons for another jihadist slaughter at Fort Hood before being arrested this week. These stand out among numerous other episodes of attempted or actual episodes of Islamic terrorism in the United States.

4.     Why do you erroneously deny that Islamic texts repeatedly sanction violence in furtherance of imposition and maintenance of Mohamadan hegemony?  Why do you ignore blatant verses that do permit, even celebrate, violence against non-Mohamadans?

5.     If Breivik was motivated by hatred of Islam, why were his targets decidedly non-Islamic? Why did he plant a bomb near the Prime Minister’s office and then go on a shooting spree at a Labor Party children’s day camp?  Mosks and other obvious Islamic targets dominate the ghettos in eastern Oslo.

6.     Why are none of you blaming his homicidal streak on anabolic steroids when you are willing to consider other criminals’ usage of alcohol, stimulants, Twinkies or other substances as the true motivating force behind their horrific deeds?

 

COPYRIGHT BY CHARLES KASTRIOT JULY 2011

On the fifth of July, USA Today reported on its front page “Jobless Claims Abuses on Rise”. One dollar out of nine is misdirected to those who do not deserve it according to the criteria. United States Department of Labor figures show that approximately nine million, three hundred thousand people receive checks for not working. However, a glaring portion of those do have jobs or are otherwise not adhering the rules related to eligibility.

No one should be surprised by these cases of fraud. The entire system is founded on an immoral precept: demanding money from others without working for it or repaying the sum received. The fact that recipients expect that government will seize money from others on their behalf instead of the jobless forcibly allocating it to themselves does not lessen the receivers’ complicity in this outrage. Reliance on bureaucrats to fleece productive citizens in order to subsidize idle individuals only underscores the sloth of those benefitting from the payments. The continual siphoning of the proceeds of the labor of working Americans dissuades those out of work from seeking jobs or respecting the value of employment.

This income redistribution, along with forcibly transfers of money to give vouchers for housing and grants of food stamps and other nutritional handouts, approximate theft. The mere difference lies in that Uncle Sam is immune to prosecution. Politicians perpetuating addiction to governmental give-aways take from producers and give to looters. These elected officials benefit from the allegiance of the dependent class. These shameless nanny-statists base their actions on the axiom of their fellow socialist, George Bernard Shaw: “A government which robs Peter to pay Paul, can always count on the support of Paul.”

Those expecting to be paid for simply existing differ little from animals. Pigeons swarm picnickers or anyone else with food in hand in urban areas; seagulls act in the same manner in coastal locations. The birds congregate around people who actually provide their own sustenance. These creatures aggressively and persistently congregate around, even snatching items from the rightful owners as though it is the birthright of the thieves. Do these beasts sing or otherwise perform to merit the food? No, they simply beg or harass those who fend for themselves into parting with their possessions to placate pests refusing to exert any serious effort into feeding themselves. Anyone who has witnessed professional leeches such as ACORN and other Marxist outfits organizing and leading protests by persistently nonproductive Americans can identify the similarities to their parasitic avian counterparts.

 Unemployed members of society who expect to live off the toil of productive persons will find themselves helpless if their governmental benefactors cease the transfusions of earnings. Likewise, if the victims of involuntary donations halt their economic prowess or perish due to the excessive blood-letting, then the babied wards of the government will suffer as well. Those who lack even the drive to seize the provisions themselves, preferring to let strangers in government commit the de facto robbery will possess even fewer means to act proactively for self-sustenance when the goodies without strings attached no longer arrive.

Advocates of open borders and amnesty for illegal aliens frequently claim that those non-citizens perform jobs which Americans will not do. Of course, if legal residents need only fill out some forms to receive checks and other benefits, those with no scruples or self-respect will think nothing of taking money collected from working people to support those who do not. However, those Americans leeching off the industrious will likely drop their objection to menial jobs if those are the only way to avoid starvation and homelessness. Americans would be wise to heed Marcus Tullius Cicero’s advice from over two thousand years ago, “If the nation doesn't want to go bankrupt, people must again learn to work, instead of living on public assistance.”

Professor Thomas Sowell eloquently explained in his book, Black Rednecks and White Liberals, the origin of the contempt for honest employment and for those who work for their living. He referred to the freeloading Britons who imported this attitude into the American colonies as “rednecks”. He admitted that this mentality proliferated among black slaves and persists to our current era among various ethnicities and races. He must have had such leeches in mind when he announced in 1992, “If you have been voting for politicians who promise to give you goodies at someone else's expense, then you have no right to complain when they take your money and give it to someone else, including themselves.”

COPYRIGHT BY CHARLES KASTRIOT JULY 2011

Representative Anthony Weiner engaged in acts of an unseemly nature. Although I have not seen all of the images, I have heard that in one of them, he demonstrated his impression of the Washington Monument although it was much smaller than scale. It appeared that he was flirting provocatively with women approximately half his age. Perhaps his racy photographs and sexually provocative conversations are rooted in a mid-life crisis or merely part of a pattern of narcissism common among career politicians. His practices seem creepy, if not, bordering on adulterous and pornographic. He compounded his foolish behavior by lying about what he had done. He may have to face legal consequences for using government-owned equipment.He will also face questions about his franking privilege with no connection to sending mail to his district.

For a Congressman who craves time in front of cameras doing interviews and press conferences as much as a rutting rabbit desires receptive mates, one would think that he would have had his fill of appearing in the public eye. Perhaps, he assumed that his dalliances on Twitter would never become public. Maybe he is just obsessed with photographic devices. Does the Betty Ford Clinic offer treatment for that addiction?

Weiner is rebuffing calls for his resignation. Obviously, he enjoys the prestige of serving in Congress. In his mind, holding a seat in Congress aids in his pursuit of young women on the Internet. How many women would care to chat with a shrimpy, forty-something blowhard otherwise? Also, he certainly realizes that he could not engage in such shenanigans in the private sector. His behavior would have cost him his job if he had used an employer’s computer, sent those images on company time or violated a morals clause in an employment contract. Therefore, he may cling tenaciously to his position until voted out by his constituents because he knows that he will not find another source of income elsewhere.

Elsewhere, Debbie Wasserman-Shultz threw down the race card in an attempt to rally opposition to legislation intended to prevent fraudulent voting. She compared efforts to confirm voters’ identities to legal and unofficial obstacles to voting under racial segregation. Banks, stores and post offices demand photographic identification during transactions yet for a voter to show the same evidence is a racist outrage? When a logical and legal argument against a policy does not exist, one can rely on nanny-statists to resort to race-baiting.

In Schultz’s defense, mandatory verification will impede some people’s ability to vote. Those intending to cast ballots in the names of others will need to be more creative in their deceptions. Certainly, such requirements will reduce the number of dead people who manage to drag themselves to the polls and cast ballots. Hmm, this legislation does seem anti-zombie now that I am pondering it further. Non-citizens may find voting to be more difficult under such regulations. Felons in jurisdictions barring them from casting ballots will face an obstacle under this type of law. What kind of country has this become when people do not feel comfortable to vote illegally anymore? Unless Schultz believes that Blacks and Hispanics regularly engage in voter fraud, then how can she explain that such laws would discriminate against those two groups?

In contrast, Sarah Palin muddled a response to a question about her visit to a national landmark during her “yet to be formally announced” presidential campaign. For a star of a popular television series to speak incorrectly or ridiculously about a topic outside of her profession is nothing new. Does anyone remember Ted Danson’s dire predictions of impending environmental doom in the 1980s? The Oscars have served as a venue for pontificating on socio-political issues at least since Marlon Brando’s boycott of the ceremony in 1973 over his objection to the portrayal of the indigenous peoples of the Americas in films despite the absurd lack of connection to winning an award. The Dixie Chicks, Sinead O’Connor and other musicians have injected their political beliefs during performances in recent decades. Numerous other stars in different arts and in various venues have spouted off inanely or incoherently so Palin is just fitting into the same mold, at worst.

Palin did not recount the tale of Paul Revere’s late night ride to the satisfaction of some amateur historians. Many of these critics would have vilified her even had she delivered a one hundred percent accurate description with Churchillian eloquence. Yes, she did misstate the purpose of his ride: to warn militiamen of the impending arrival of Redcoats intending to seize their stash of weapons and ammunition and arrest two of their leaders. No, he was not sent as a messenger to the Redcoats; he did reveal his role in raising the alarm after they captured him.

Palin did hint at the famous line attributed to Revere, “The British are coming!” No historical evidence exists to confirm that he yelled this line. In fact, it seems highly improbable. His ride occurred more than a year before the Declaration of Independence. Therefore, even the most ardent opponents of the authorities still considered themselves as “British” at that time. Despite that, every pupil in elementary school undoubtedly learned this falsehood in American history class. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow deserves the blame for that bit inaccuracy in his epic poem “Paul Revere’s Ride”, not Sarah Palin. Nevertheless, the “lame-stream media” prefers to continue their obsession with the woman who has labeled them thusly. The media’s lust-hate relationship with Palin does not appear to be approaching its end for at least eighteen more months.

COPYRIGHT BY CHARLES KASTRIOT JUNE 2011

Americans rightfully celebrated Osama Bin Laden’s demise. Now, they have returned to the routine of life under the continual threat of jihadist violence. This includes preparing for anticipated reprisals by Mohamadans seeking revenge for the death of their poster boy. Before closing this chapter of Islam’s war against the Free World, a bit of review and some plans for the future are needed. 

Soon after seeing reports that American forces had killed Osama bin Laden, I initially questioned the whereabouts of his corpse. Eventually after scanning various channels for more than an hour, the journalists announced that his body had been dumped into the Arabian Sea. While awaiting confirmation, I began to formulate a suitable fate for the cadaver. Although the United States Navy has disposed of Bin Laden’s remains, I offer these suggestions, both as an exercise in retributive brainstorming and ideas for any other Islamists eradicated in the future.

The American government could have exploited his corpse as a prop for videos to dishearten jihadis. His carcass could have been shown with a beer in one hand and a pork chop in the other, sitting on a beach in a Speedo man-bikini, apparently gawking at sunbathing beauties. This would have included captions indicating that Obama had renounced Islam after realizing what a miserable existence that he had endured following the absurd dictates of a seventh century criminal from Arabia. This first proposal combines the film Weekend at Bernie’s with hedonistic Koranic portrayals of paradise spun by the fabricator of Islam.

The Navy Seals could have attached some underwater cameras to Bin Laden before they dumped his body. Arrangements for pay-per-viewing would have been established so people could have seen his remains. The segment of the population who enjoys so-called “reality shows” would have loved this type of broadcast. Perhaps those hungering for ultimate justice could have been satiated by watching aquatic life forms feasting on him. British Petroleum managed to submerge a camera to monitor its leaking oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico long before it found a solution to the problem. Why should the federal government not have generated some revenue from the former “Public Enemy Number One” considering all that he had cost us?

Another possibility of benefitting financially from Bin Laden’s departure for Hell involves selling the jihadi’s carcass. Uncle Sam would have placed his corpse up for public auction for museums to purchase with the proceeds going to paying for the costs of combating against his fellow jihadis. I prefer that alternative to raising taxes. His digestive tract would have been stuffed with scraps of rancid pork and his body dressed in an outfit made of dog fur after it had been embalmed.

Continuing in the vein of incorporating Bin Laden’s cadaver into efforts to raise revenue for the federal government, what if it were publicly displayed at Ground Zero? I envisage a spectacle similar to that inflicted on Benito Mussolini’s corpse after his execution. People would have paid a fee for five seconds with his body to spit upon, kick, punch or otherwise defile as long as they do not unsecure it from its moorings. I suspect that competitions would have occurred in which Americans wait in line for their opportunity to inflict humiliation then try to outperform those who have already had their chance. Repeat business would have resulted, thus, increasing the profits to pay down the debt from the anti-jihadist effort.

Perhaps a specific type of business would prefer to claim Bin Laden’s remains.  A pork processing plant could have dumped his corpse in a pit which is used for disposal of swine excrement. That exhibit could have been turned into tourist attraction. The company could have made it the highlight of the tour of its facility. If breweries and candy-making operations can invite customers inside their plants for tours, why should a pork processor not follow the same model?

Osama Bin Laden’s body could have been buried somewhere in the United States with a public pay toilet installed on top of it. Not only would the tolls to use the toilet defray the costs of operating the facility, it could easily become a cash cow. Every civilized human being needs a toilet at some point. Why not use one that makes a statement against the savage whose ideology would have precluded the invention of an implementation of sanitation?

Finally, this operation has shattered any delusions of Pakistan’s importance in the struggle against jihadis. The Obama administration plus the American intelligence and armed forces conducted the operation to eliminate Bin Laden without involving or even informing Pakistan. Previous experiences have taught Americans that Islamists have infiltrated Pakistan’s military, intelligence services and law enforcement. With this in mind, all American aid to Pakistan should be halted immediately in order to stop funding this regime of double-talking backstabbers. Those who turned a blind eye to the presence of the most famous jihadi in the world for years inside a conspicuously high security compound in the vicinity of their capital should never receive another penny from the taxpayers of the United States.

COPYRIGHT BY CHARLES KASTRIOT MAY 2011    

Last week, feminists rallied in Washington and lobbied Congress to prevent the elimination of federal funding for a private business. This business’ primary reason for existence is to perform abortions. Representative Louise Slaughter of New York ratcheted up the hyperbole to defamatory levels by stating, “Now they're (referring to Republicans) here to kill women.” Obviously, Representative Slaughter needs to see a side-by-side comparison of the number of humans killed at the hands of the Republican Congressional delegation (presumably zero) as opposed to the number of slayings by Planned Parenthood (definitely millions). Maybe she could slip an earmark into the revised budget to fund research to resolve her confusion.

Leaving aside the debate over the legality or morality of abortion, conscientious citizens should question why this funding even exists as an issue. How can anyone constitutionally justify funding a private business? Why is one that facilitates sexual acts without unintended consequences worthy of subsidies? One should notice that these blowhards cannot cite any clause in the Constitution mandating that Uncle Sam contribute to the cost of women’s and girls’ birth control and of their abortions after those measures fail or they failed to use them.  

Federal funding of Planned Parenthood serves as fodder for militant supporters of teen girls engaging in sexual acts then aborting the unwanted consequences. Planned Parenthood does nothing which a private enterprise could do without any governmental subsidies. Pharmacies sell contraception and pregnancy tests, often after business hours and on weekends and holidays when Planned Parenthood’s locations are closed. In order to display some intellectual honesty, should not they demand that funding go to businesses which provide the same goods and services as Planned Parenthood at more accessible times for the general public?

        

Last week, feminists rallied in Washington and lobbied Congress to prevent the elimination of federal funding for a private business. This business’ primary reason for existence is to perform abortions. Representative Louise Slaughter of New York ratcheted up the hyperbole to defamatory levels by stating, “Now they're (referring to Republicans) here to kill women.” Obviously, Representative Slaughter needs to see a side-by-side comparison of the number of humans killed at the hands of the Republican Congressional delegation (presumably zero) as opposed to the number of slayings by Planned Parenthood (definitely millions). Maybe she could slip an earmark into the revised budget to fund research to resolve her confusion.

Leaving aside the debate over the legality or morality of abortion, conscientious citizens should question why this funding even exists as an issue. How can anyone constitutionally justify funding a private business? Why is one that facilitates sexual acts without unintended consequences worthy of subsidies? One should notice that these blowhards cannot cite any clause in the Constitution mandating that Uncle Sam contribute to the cost of women’s and girls’ birth control and of their abortions after those measures fail or they failed to use them.  

Federal funding of Planned Parenthood serves as fodder for militant supporters of teen girls engaging in sexual acts then aborting the unwanted consequences. Planned Parenthood does nothing which a private enterprise could do without any governmental subsidies. Pharmacies sell contraception and pregnancy tests, often after business hours and on weekends and holidays when Planned Parenthood’s locations are closed. In order to display some intellectual honesty, should not they demand that funding go to businesses which provide the same goods and services as Planned Parenthood at more accessible times for the general public?

Why do self-proclaimed advocates for women’s rights obsess over facilitating abortion while failing to address issues such as polygyny, wife-beating, marriage of child brides, female genital mutilation, wearing of suffocating and dehumanizing clothing? Do they fear threats or violence from Islamists who regularly torment fighters for rights of women and girls throughout the Islamic bloc? Do feminists remain ignorant of these crimes committed against women and girls under Sharia? Do they excuse brutality inflicted on female Mohamadans as mere “cultural differences” that must be tolerated within the Free World? Why do they equate a lack of taxpayer dollars underwriting abortionists to American society being outrageously misogynistic? Are they blind to the plethora of freedom that they enjoy compared to the second class status of their sisters under Islamic regimes? It seems that their allegiance to political correctness and nanny-statism outweighs any concern for the lives and liberties of women and girls.

If feminists truly valued all of those of the feminine gender, their priorities would include diverting funds from businesses like Planned Parenthood to pressing concerns affecting women and girls. Increased focus of law enforcement agencies is necessary to respond to rampant incidents of anti-female violence. Mohamadan men are brutalizing and eventually killing their female relatives for being raped, refusing to hide under tent-like outfits, dating infidels, listening to music or otherwise not conforming to Islam. Also, Mohamadan families are transporting their girls out of the country to undergo mutilation of their genitals. Increasingly, Mohamadans are setting up clandestine networks to perform the gruesomely cruel Islamic ritual that scars women for life. Even the most hardcore libertarians and progressives should agree that a government must intercede in such cases to protect the lives and human rights of female victims of Islam. Now, feminists must decide if their notion of women’s rights extends beyond extracting taxpayers’ money to dispose of the results of irresponsible sexual activity.

COPYRIGHT BY CHARLES KASTRIOT APRIL 2011

 

Representative Keith Ellison's crocodile tears flowed freely in front of Congress and the general American public last week. The representative from Minnesota lamented the death of a Mohamadan fireman caused by Ellison's fellow Islamists on the eleventh of September in 2001. Evidently, Congressman Ellison could not be bothered to mention or mourn any of the other nearly three thousand others who were murdered by those sharing Ellison's ideology. After all, the brutal extermination of non-Mohamadans is not something over which two goats will butt heads, as the fabricator of Islam, Mohamad ibn Abdullah (May he burn in Hell forever) was fond of saying.

So what else moves Representative Keith Ellison to plentiful tears and angry denunciations? Where was his overt display of grief over the non-Mohamadans slaughtered by the Nidal Malik Hasan at Fort Hood? When did he express furious indignation over the thousands of American armed forces personnel killed by jihadis in Irak, Afghanistan and elsewhere? How many times did he decry the recent foiled bombing and murder plots by jihadis such as those directed at American soldiers at Fort Dix, at civilians in Times Square, at Christians at the Christmas tree lighting ceremony in Portland or at non-combattants in the vicinity of Wrigley Field and elsewhere? His lack of any similar outburst following these true crimes reveals his indifference to the suffering of those outside of his totalitarian cult.

What did Representative Keith Ellison accomplish with his opening of the ocular water works? Only time will tell. He drew another card from the deck of perpetual Mohamadan victimhood and played it in front of the entire nation. His tantrum may succeed in squelching any further investigation of the Islamist agenda of undermining the national security and the general tranquility of the American public. Undoubtedly, he will add more irrelevant tear-jerking rants to halt improvements in security that focus on the most likely and recurring perpetrators of terrorism, his fellow Islamists. Given his Islam-supremacist viewpoints, any discomfort of or offense taken by Mohamadans supersede the peace of mind and right to live of all infidels.

COPYRIGHT BY CHARLES KASTRIOT MARCH 2011

The specter of a secret allegiance to Islam has hung over Obama since the presidential campaign of 2008. His membership in a church led by a racist and anti-American preacher did little to dismiss the speculation. His pronouncement of his Islamic middle name during his taking of the oath of office seemed like a taunt toward those questioning his affiliation. His Ameriphobic speech in Cairo threw into doubt whether he considered the United States as more of a threat to the world than Islamists whose goal is imposition of a world-wide caliphate, the Mohamadan version of a totalitarian regime. His reaction to uprisings in Islamic countries has further heightened the uncertainty over his true loyalty.

Obama has repeatedly shown his affinity for heavy-handed governmental policies. He and his wife want to dictate how and what people eat and what types of foods are permitted to be sold. He has hinted at suppression of media that have been used to express criticism of governmental officials or historical personalities. His administration has attempted to mandate how and on what Americans spend their money in terms of their own health. Obama and his underlings have committed multiple incidents of overreaching statist commandments while scoffing dismissively at proponents of individual freedom.

Islam manifests itself in similarly collectivist and dictatorial fashion. Islamists demand the banning of consumption of or even the presence of food which its adherents do not eat such as pork. Islamists expect to censor all media that question or criticize their ideology or the megalomaniac who fabricated it. Islamists demand that their cohorts and even non-Mohamadans hand over sums of money in order for redistribution to those deemed worthy by those Islamists in power. Proponents of Islam give its followers license to threaten and kill anyone impeding their seizure of power over societies, dismissing the very concept of freedom of religion, of speech and other inalienable liberties.

Obama has embraced the Egyptian protestors demanding the ousting of an autocratic yet non-Islamist regime. Mubarak would never be confused for a supporter of human rights or representative democracy. However, his government has maintained the bulwark against the tide of complete Islamization which has been overwhelming other areas in the Middle East and starting to infect Europe and North America. The unmistakable presence of the terrorists known as the Mooslum Brotherhood within the demonstrations demands that someone claiming to support democracy should not align himself with those jihadis.

In contrast, Obama refrained from publicly supporting demonstrators against the Islamic theocracy in Iran. Instead of doing anything to exhort those demonstrating against a regime hostile to the Free World, Obama remained mute. He could have fanned the flames of discontent within a hostile state, possibly resulting in the toppling of that totalitarian state. Someone looking out for the vested interests of the United States had an incentive to foment chaos in Iran, if only to disrupt and delay the Iranian program seeking nuclear weapons. The occupant of the White House ignored Rahm Emanual's credo of "never letting a crisis go to waste" when presented with a chance to sabotage his country's enemies while distancing himself from any association with Islam.

COPYRIGHT BY CHARLES KASTRIOT JANUARY 2011

One of the annual debates among those who play, coach, report on or simply enjoy college football involves relative strength of the eleven Football Bowl Subdivision conferences. Bowl games have frequently served as benchmarks of comparison. This has been further highlighted by a cable television network awarding a trophy to the conference with the highest winning percentage during the plethora of bowls.
    
However, the final scores of bowls result from various factors, some of which have no relation to the size, speed or skills of the players or to the expertise and preparation of their coaches. Every season, high-profile teams lacking motivation to play in lower-tier games flop in the bowls, especially when those serve as consolation prizes for teams predicted to win their conferences but failed. Others face the distraction of coaches having bolted for other jobs or of an interim head coach after a termination, disrupting pre-bowl practices. Additionally, some bowls arrange glaring mismatches such as a conference champion facing someone who finished third or worse in its conference. Even more absurdities include a second place finisher from one conference squaring off against a sixth place team from another. Clearly, results from bowls cannot fully settle the question of how the conferences rank.

In order to help resolve this issue, this writer presents the calculation of the 2010 conference strength results. Only objective data such as wins and losses versus other FBS teams are factored in this report. In order to demonstrate a reasonable comparison, victories over teams in the formerly labeled Division 1-AA do not contribute to a conference’s total of points but losses to those do result in penalties.  Wins on the road or at neutral sites carry more value than those at home.  Bonuses go to teams who defeated outright or co-champions of other conferences.  Rankings of teams in the top twenty-five polls are irrelevant for this report.

Therefore, I present the ranking of all eleven conferences previously called “Division 1-A”. The total points of each are included as a basis of comparison.

Big Twelve:             .821
Southeastern:          .707   
Big Ten:                  .635   
Pacific Ten:             .570
Big East:                 .529   
Western Athletic:    .470
Atlantic Coast:        .467
Mountain West:      .456       
Conference USA:   .385   
Mid-American:       .080                           
Sun Belt:                .069                           
                   
This result comes with mixed emotions for the Big Twelve. They clearly emerged with the highest total along with five victories over other conferences’ outright or co-champions. However, the conference’s sole win versus the SEC and the win over co-champion of the WAC belong to Colorado who is stampeding to Pacific Ten for next season. Also, without including soon-to-be former member Nebraska’s victory at Washington, the Big Twelve split its four other matches versus the Pacific Ten. Conference pride will be on the line when the champion, Oklahoma, plays the co-champion of the lowly regarded Big East in the Fiesta Bowl. Will the Sooners break their habit of choking in BCS bowls?

These totals lend credence to media reports of the decline in strength of the Southeastern Conference. Every member of the SEC except Vanderbilt played an FCS team, which dragged down the conference’s number of points. Also, the SEC finished with a win and loss in two matches against the Big Twelve and Big Ten respectively.
   
The Atlantic Conference has once again showed itself as a basketball conference with football as a sideshow. Its champion lost at home to James Madison, a mediocre FCS member. The ACC finished 2-5 versus the SEC and 0-2 against the Big Twelve. How many more times can a low ranked Virginia Tech team proceed to Miami before the fellows in the orange blazers seek to end its annual obligation to invite the ACC champion?

The Big East did little to quiet the critics demanding than its guaranteed spot in the Bowl Championship Series should not continue. Its members only won two out of six games versus the equally maligned ACC. They scored just one victory in four tries against SEC members.  The Big East did manage two wins over Florida International, the Sun Belt co-champion, for whatever that is worth.

The Sun Belt made its annual appearance in the cellar of conference rankings. Its co-champions Troy and Florida International finished a combined 1-7 in non-conference games. If a twelve or sixteen team playoff system were ever to be implemented, the Sun Belt has proved that its champion definitely does not deserve an automatic bid. A play-in game versus the MAC or CUSA champion seems a generous compromise offer to this collection of de facto FCS programs.

The Mid-American Conference narrowly avoided the Sun Belt’s annual place in the standings. The MAC is the only conference with two losses to FCS teams.  The MAC must win more than one or two of its numerous trips into Big Ten stadia in order to bolster its ranking.

This concludes this season’s comparison of conferences. The readers are encouraged to debate among themselves, at least until the bowls have concluded.

COPYRIGHT BY CHARLES KASTRIOT DECEMBER 2010

Less than two weeks remain before one of the most important holidays occurs. Although the plethora of décor in retail locations would lead one to assume that Christmas is rapidly approaching, the calendar indicates otherwise. Thanksgiving Day provides not only its traditional platter of National Football League’s games, it also serves as a benchmark at this point of the season.

Numerous turkeys have already appeared on the scene. Dallas made the first termination of a coach. Randy Moss has accelerated his “Alienation of the Nation Tour” by joining his third team this season; one must assume that he will jump to yet another team after this season. Fans rooting for a team to finish undefeated were all crushed by the end of the fifth week of the season. Also, the folly of players hosting their own television series has been exposed as a cause of a defending divisional champion to crumble.

American Football Conference
Eastern Division: The Jets hold a slim lead over the Patriots, based mostly on their victory at home versus New England. New York can distance itself from the rest of the division with victories in the first weeks of December. However, New England has plenty of experience to overtake New York, if they can win the rematch to keep pace with the Jets. Miami is fading fast due to its losing record within the division and the conference. The Dolphins must win on the road against both divisional leaders just to have a prayer of making the playoffs.
Northern Division: Baltimore and Pittsburgh are running neck and neck, with the Ravens ahead by a nose due to its head-to-head win. Each team plays three divisional games during the last five weeks of the season. Those will decide who grabs the AFC North title and who settles for a wildcard entry. The prima donnas in the orange and black stripes have flopped miserably.

Southern Division: The Colts no longer can claim this division as their personal playpen. Indianapolis is alone in first place by only one game, with the cellar dwelling Texans only two games back. Houston and Jacksonville have already beaten Indianapolis to remain in contention for the divisional crown. Everyone in the AFC South has at least one divisional win. This race most likely will not be settled until Week Sixteen at the earliest.

Western Division: This division is also no longer the domain of a single franchise. The Chargers have plodded to losing records, both overall and within the division. The Raiders and Chiefs have overcome their recent history of putridity to eke out records a game above .500. One must wonder if Oakland and Chiefs might become too distracted by media reports of their resurgence then falter, allowing San Diego to regain its mastery of this group.

National Football Conference
Eastern Division: The media’s favorite division is not as dominant as predicted but still entertainingly competitive. The top two teams in this division have yet to face each other. In fact, the Giants have yet to face either the Redskins or Eagles. Despite the Eagles’ demolition of the Redskins, Washington remains in contention. Cowboys’ fans can only lament Jerry Jones’ late decision to fire Wade Philips and his predictions of hosting the Super Bowl with his team participating.

Northern Division: Chicago holds multiple tie-breakers over Green Bay so their first place tie is rather deceiving. Vikings’ fans only have the never-ending speculation over Bret Favre’s retirement to occupy the remainder of the season. The Lions will have to settle for trying to win on Thanksgiving Day for the first time since 2003.

Southern Division: If not for the awful presence of Carolina, this division would clearly stand out as the toughest in the league. Both NFC wildcard could easily emerge from this group. Atlanta holds the advantage over New Orleans and Tampa Bay by virtue of victories over both. However, both trail the Falcons by only one game so either one could surpass Atlanta to grab the divisional title. This race will go down to the final week and likely require multiple layers of tie-breakers.

Western Division: Could someone delve into the NFL’s by-laws to find an obscure clause precluding this division’s least odious team from the entering playoffs? The divisional leader sits one game above .500 while the rest sport losing records. Despite the hype over Pete Carroll’s arrival, San Francisco’s revival and Arizona’s recent post-season success, this is the still the “NFC Worst”.

COPYRIGHT BY CHARLES KASTRIOT NOVEMBER 2010

They are technically called “members of the Football Championship Subdivision”. However, people still refer to them as “Division 1-AA”. Fans and commentators often label them as “warm-ups” “punching bags” “rent-a-wins”, “tomato cans” and other demeaning monikers. However, several of these slighted teams have already scored upsets.

FCS members have already played sixty-nine matches versus the Football Bowl Subdivision in the first three weeks of the 2010 season. Six FCS members have already beaten Football Bowl Subdivision teams in that span. Four of these wins occurred versus members of the six conferences whose champions automatic qualify for the Bowl Championship Series. They have upset a member from each of these conferences: Southeastern, Atlantic Coast, Big Ten and Big Twelve respectively. Additionally, two Mid-American Conference teams have lost to FCS opponents. James Madison, Liberty, Gardner-Webb, Jacksonville State, North Dakota State and South Dakota all deserve a round of applause for overcoming the disparity of scholarships and overall talent to topple those "Big Boys".

Considering that the FBS versus FCS games are no longer guaranteed victories, should college football fans expect to see no more of these mismatches? An optimistic fan might say that because nearly ten percent of these FBS versus FCS contests have resulted in a victory for the FCS, the formerly labeled Division 1-A members will no longer schedule FCS teams to avoid any future ignobility. A pessimistic fan would counter that FBS teams will simply lower those odds of embarrassment by lining up teams from Division Two of the NCAA.

COPYRIGHT SEPTEMBER 2010 BY CHARLES KASTRIOT

I wish to respond to the Islamists, their useful idiots and the ignorant sheeple who indignantly whine about the opposition to the proposed monstrosity at Ground Zero. All of these bleat about the freedoms enshrined in the Bill of Rights. Ironically, these same liberties will disappear if the Islamists ever seize control of the United States' government. Until the Islamists achieve their goal of undermining and destroying the American republic, they will continue, with the aid of other statists and other mushy-headed types, to squeal about imagined injustices against Mohamadans.

The opposition to the planned monument to the jihadis' mass murder at Ground Zero is not denying Islamists' freedom of religion. They are free to pray to their meteorite in Mecca, spout the hateful and violent verses of the criminal who fabricated their totalitarian ideology and otherwise continue to wallow in their pitiful lunacy. However, the civilized people in the United States do not have to permit the construction of structures that will bolster the Islamic infection. This insult to the memory of all the murdered civilians will serve as yet another malignant tumor which will further metastasize the cancer called Islam.

As Supreme Court Justice Robert H. Jackson wisely stated, "The Bill of Rights is not a suicide pact."

COPYRIGHT BY CHARLES KASTRIOT SEPTEMBER 2010

The people of the Free World will be commemorating the deaths of nearly three thousand civilians at the hands of jihadis next month. What can Mohamadans do to ensure that they do not unwittingly offend their civilized counterparts during the sacred month of September? In response to the demands of Mohamadans and of their useful idiots for deference to Islamic mandates regarding Ramabomb, I submit this list of equitable responses from them.

-Remove your burkas, nikabs, and all other misogynistic clothing that Islamists demand that every woman wear. We object to women being forced to hide under oppressive outfits because some men erroneously think that they cannot control their libidos.

-Leave your absurd superstitions like fear of sitting toilets and dogs plus your phobia of pork and alcohol in the Islamic bloc when you enter the Free World. We do not like to be told what we are allowed to eat or drink based on others’ delusions.

-Cease quoting from the Koran or any other Islamic texts that encouraged those terrorists to commit mass murder and condones their actions. We know that your supposedly sacred scriptures are full of hateful oppression directed toward us. We resent the threats which your ilk spews in reciting these totalitarian texts.

-Dispense with any absurd and baseless conspiracies that anyone other than nineteen Arab Mohamadans committed these crimes. At least have the decency to admit that your cult wants to kill us.

-Stop the plan to build a monument near Ground Zero to the Islamic terrorists who carried out the hijackings. Such a construction will provoke a formidable backlash against those who wish to gloat over our losses.

I wish a peaceful eleventh of September to all civilized people. Likewise, to all Mohamadans, I hope for your complete failure in all your attempts at violence during the remainder of Ramabomb.

COPYRIGHT AUGUST 2010 BY CHARLES KASTRIOT

Before the first college football season of the two thousand teens kicks off in a few weeks, I think a review of the single digit years is appropriate. In the process of determining the rankings for programs, I decided, for the sake of brevity, to consider only those teams, which had advanced to the mythical national title game at least once. However, given the hopelessly rigged system of determining who plays in the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) title game, I am including the programs that also experienced one or more undefeated seasons. A total of thirteen teams won a BCS title, finished undefeated or both during the past ten seasons. I ranked each of them after reviewing the following criteria:

Record versus Division 1-A opponents:
Number of winning seasons:
Number of shared conference/divisional titles:
Number of outright conference titles:
Record in bowl games:
Record in BCS bowl games:
Number of BCS title game appearances:
Number of BCS titles:

The readers should note a few elements of my rankings. First of all, they are not based solely on an objective standard like number of BCS titles or overall wins. Secondly, only wins versus Division 1-A opponents, Football Bowl Subdivision in NCAA's newspeak, are included so teams will not have inflated totals of wins playing undermanned teams from lower classifications. Also, since some conferences recognize more than conference champion while others have a conference title game resulting in one champion, I have equated a shared conference title with a berth in a conference championship game. Lastly, only teams that advanced to their conference's title games are credited as a divisional champion for a particular season. Even though they may have finished with the same record as another team, which advanced to the title game, if a team was denied a trip to its conference's championship game due to tiebreakers, then I have not counted that finish as a "divisional championship". Therefore, I presented my rankings of the programs of the decade in ascending order.

#13 NEBRASKA
Record versus Division 1-A opponents: 81-44 (64.8%)
Number of winning seasons: 7
Number of divisional titles: 2
Number of outright conference titles: none
Record in bowl games: 5-3
Record in BCS bowl games: 0-1
Number of BCS title game appearances: 1
Number of BCS titles: none
Summary: These past ten years saw Nebraska fall from a perennial top ten member to a perennial also-ran in the weakest division of the conferences with conference title games. A telling statement about the Cornhuskers’ performances is the fact that their most notable accomplishment in ten years was falling backside first into the BCS championship game despite not even winning their own division that season.

In addition to providing a huge store of ammunition to anti-BCS pundits, that dubious feat and subsequent mauling by Miami foreshadowed a meager decade for the Big Red. Streaks of winning seasons and bowl appearances were halted. The Children of the Corn became spoiled and grew impatient for conference and national titles under Frank Solich. Then, they saw their beloved program slid even lower as the radical experiments of Bill Callahan ended in four years of disaster. Only time will tell if Bo Pelini’s first two seasons are building a foundation to return to prominence or if Nebraska will simply exchange mediocrity in the Big Twelve for mediocrity or worse in the Big Ten.

#12 ALABAMA
Record versus Division 1-A opponents: 77-48 (61.6%)
Number of winning seasons: 6
Number of divisional titles: 2
Number of outright conference titles: 1
Record in bowl games: 4-3
Record in BCS bowl games: 1-1
Number of BCS title game appearances: 1
Number of BCS titles: 1
Summary: The Crimson Tide ended this span of ten years as kings of the mountain. However, that one season cannot mask the preceding nine years of controversies, terminations of coaches and NCAA probation. The coaching carousel in Tuscaloosa was spinning far too often to build continuity vital to long-term success. Five different men held the position during this span.

Nick Saban has righted the most successful program in the history of the Southeastern Conference. His three years alone account for forty percent of the wins and both SEC title game appearances in the single digit years. Given Saban’s history, one can logically wonder how long will he remain at Alabama. His ego may push him back into the NFL to prove that is two-year washout in Miami was just a fluke.

#11 FLORIDA STATE
Record versus Division 1-A opponents: 81-44 (64.8%)
Number of winning seasons: 10
Number of shared conference/divisional titles: 1
Number of outright conference titles: 4
Record in bowl games: 5-5
Record in BCS bowl games: 0-4
Number of BCS title game appearances: 1
Number of BCS titles: none
Summary: A program that had assumed Atlantic Coast Conference titles and top five finishes in the polls as annual birthrights in the 90s was barely avoiding the murky waters of irrelevancy from swallowing Bobby Bowden’s hard-fought legacy as the decade progressed. Sadly, the man who lifted the Seminoles from the status of everyone’s homecoming opponent to everyone’s entry on an annual list of contenders for the national championship had to retire before he wanted to do so. Bowden became a victim of his own success; therefore, finishing one or two games above .500 and in a fourth rate bowl game would not pacify the faithful in Tallahassee, especially not in successive years.

If Jimbo Fisher cannot re-establish the level of success of the 90s, then those who forced out Bowden will undoubtedly began to pine for the “good old days”. If the excellence continues in Gainesville along with the Gators' dominance of their annual series versus Florida State, the Seminole Nation will extend Fisher even less patience.

#10 UTAH
Record versus Division 1-A opponents: 84-36 (70%)
Number of winning seasons: 8
Number of shared conference titles: none
Number of outright conference titles: 3
Record in bowl games: 8-0
Record in BCS bowl games: 2-0
Number of BCS title game appearances: none
Number of BCS titles: none
Summary: Utah’s move to the soon-to-be Pacific Twelve occurred several years too late to help its program compete for BCS titles. So much of rankings in the polls depend upon legacy of sustained success over decades. Both the 2004 and 2008 squads deserved to be included in any eight-team playoffs or a “plus one” scenario after the BCS games are played. Unfortunately, Utah had to overcome decades of obscurity playing in a conference with very few large media markets and little history or nation-wide respect.

Twice finishing undefeated and dominating a major conference opponent in a BCS bowl in a span of five years undoubtedly contributed to their invitation into the Pacific Ten. The Utes built a respectable reputation for themselves over those ten years. In the preceding decade, Utah finished with eight wins and eight losses versus the Pacific Ten. When the Utes were able to lure West Coast teams to Salt Lake City, the Utes won five of the seven contests. Additionally, they grabbed wins in both bowls against Pacific Ten teams. Undercutting Utah’s case for acclaim was the Utes’ one lone victory in seven games occurring at Pacific Ten members’ stadiums. Utah also fared well in games against the other BCS conferences: SEC (1-0), Big 12 (1-1), Big 10 (3-1) Big East (3-0) and ACC (2-1). The future appears promising for Utah and the prospects of another undefeated team settling for a consolation prize of meaningless BCS bowl game seem remote.

#9 BOISE STATE
Record versus Division 1-A opponents: 104-17 (85.95%)
Number of winning seasons: 10
Number of shared conference: 1
Number of outright conference titles: 6
Record in bowl games: 6-4
Record in BCS bowl games: 2-0
Number of BCS title game appearances: none
Number of BCS titles: none
Summary: Boise State captured the affinity of fans of underdogs by barging its way into the “old boys club” of the BCS then upsetting Big Twelve champion Oklahoma in one of the most memorable college football games in history. That one game has contributed much to the growing reputation of the Broncos as a perennial power. Another opportunity to stage another seismic stunner was wrongfully denied to them last season. An invitation to play Florida in the Sugar Bowl or Georgia Tech in the Orange Bowl should have been extended to the Broncos instead of the so-called “Mid-Major Bowl” in Glendale.

However, an overview of their results over a ten-year span slightly diminishes the luster of that magical evening in the Fiesta Bowl. On the bright side, the Broncos did score two wins in the only two games versus Big Twelve members, both in bowl games in addition to a 4-5 record against the Pacific Ten. However, Boise State’s four losses in four contests versus the Southeastern Conference diminished their reputation. Additionally, a third of their bowl wins took place in their home stadium. Another one of these de facto home games disguised as a bowl game resulted in a loss. Time will tell if the Broncos’ domination the Western Athletic Conference will carry over into the Mountain West. If they do, that should lead to more chances to prove their worth to the BCS for an automatic bid for their new conference.

#8 AUBURN
Record versus Division 1-A opponents: 74-39 (65.49%)
Number of winning seasons: 9
Number of divisional titles: 2
Number of outright conference titles: 1
Record in bowl games: 6-3
Record in BCS bowl games: 1-0
Number of BCS title game appearances: none
Number of BCS titles: none
Summary: The Tigers confounded the prognosticators throughout most years. Auburn floundered when they received much pre-season acclaim, such as in 2003 when the team started the season ranked as number six in both polls but ended the year unranked. The previous season, Auburn was listed among those “also receiving votes” yet finished number fourteen in the media’s poll and number sixteen according to the coaches. After being embarrassed by their overrating of Auburn in 2003, the media listed the Tigers as their seventeenth team and eighteenth by the coaches. That contributed to Auburn’s inability to leap over Southern California or Oklahoma into the BCS title game. Additionally, in 2008, the Tigers found themselves as number eleven in both major polls but did not receive a single vote in either post-season survey.

The 2004 Auburn Tigers serve as the poster child for the anti-BCS forces. An undefeated team from one of the six automatically qualifying conferences had to settle for a victory in the Sugar Bowl while campaigning at the last minute for Associated Press voters to give it their national title as a consolation prize. No matter how much tinkering the fossils behind the BCS perform, nothing short of additional games beyond the bowls can ever rectify this injustice from re-occurring.

#7 MIAMI
Record versus Division 1-A opponents: 87-33 (72.5%)
Number of winning seasons: 7
Number of shared conference/divisional titles: 1
Number of outright conference titles: 3
Record in bowl games: 5-4
Record in BCS bowl games: 3-1
Number of BCS title game appearances: 2
$Number of BCS titles: 1
Summary: This other heavyweight throughout the 90s from the Sunshine State also slid into lean times as the single digit years proceeded. The Hurricanes started the decade being wrongfully excluded from the national title game in favor of Florida State whom they had beaten during the regular season. They took out their frustrations on all opponents in the next season, concluding by creaming corn in Pasadena then seemingly flinging it at anyone whom they held as responsible for their exclusion the previous season. A controversial pass interference penalty in overtime helped deny them a repeat in 2002.

Hurricane fans searching for an excuse for the downturn have grasped at few causes but none seem totally explicative. Miami struggled after its defection to the ACC, failing to win even a divisional title in its new conference. The Hurricanes only conference titles occurred as members of the Big East. The Hurricanes only lost more than one conference game in two of their thirteen seasons in the Big East. In the ACC, Miami has lost at least three conference games per season in five of it six seasons.
Larry Coker received a massive amount of blame as ill-suited to carry the mantle of Schnellenberger, Johnson and Erickson although he did serve on Butch Davis’ staff and lead the team to three straight Big East titles and one national title. The talent-laden state of Florida can prove the Hurricanes with more than enough players to succeed. The questions is whether or not coaches can be found to lead them back to greatness of the two previous decades.

#6 OKLAHOMA
Record versus Division 1-A opponents: 108-24 (81.82%)
Number of winning seasons: 10
Number of divisional titles: 7
Number of outright conference titles: 6
Record in bowl games: 5-5
Record in BCS bowl games: 2-5
Number of BCS title game appearances: 4
Number of BCS titles: 1
Summary: Oklahoma started the decade by emerging from its irrelevance during the 1990s, including five straight non-winning seasons, by stunning the nation en route to the BCS title in 2000. The success continued in winning more than half of the Big Twelve conference championships in the decade. However, their trouncing at the hands of a mediocre Kansas State in the 2003 conference title game preceded losses in its last five BCS bowls caused snide whispers of “Choke-lahoma” among critics. Fair or not, fans remember results in bowl games more than all the wins in the regular season. In these past ten years, the Sooners have finished perfectly mediocre in that regard. With their conference losing two high-profile programs, Big Twelve championships will garner less respect nationally, making post-season wins increase in value in terms of respect and rankings.

Barring committing mass murder or losing again to Oklahoma State in consecutive years, Bob Stoops' job is not jeopardy. However, the Sooner Nation will expect another national title in the coming decade in addition to continued domination of the slimmed down Big Twelve.

#5 OHIO STATE
Record versus Division 1-A opponents: 100-25 (80%)
Number of winning seasons: 10
Number of shared conference titles: 3
Number of outright conference titles: 3
Record in bowl games: 5-5
Record in BCS bowl games: 4-3
Number of BCS title game appearances: 3
Number of BCS titles: 1
Summary: The same problem that plagued Oklahoma has tarnished the tremendous level of success for Ohio State. Despite multiple conference titles and berths in the BCS title game, too many losses in bowls diminished the Buckeyes' view in many fans' opinions. Overlooked is their perennially serious contention for the Big Ten championship not experienced since Woody Hayes punched his way into retirement. Despite the addition of a conference championship game in 2011, no indication of a drop-off in the Buckeyes' elite status in the Big Ten and nationally appears possible.

Despite some ugly losses in bowls, Jim Tressel need not worry about his professional future. Any impatient Buckeye fans only have to be reminded of John Cooper's impotence against their archrivals from Ann Arbor plus his abysmal record in the post-season. If only Tressel could put an end to the Buckeyes' infamous futility versus the Southeastern Conference in bowls, his legacy in Columbus would be complete.

#4 TEXAS
Record versus Division 1-A opponents: 110-19 (85.27%)
Number of winning seasons: 10
Number of divisional titles: 3
Number of outright conference titles: 2
Record in bowl games: 7-3
Record in BCS bowl games: 3-1
Number of BCS title game appearances: 2
Number of BCS titles: 1
Summary: In 1998, Mack Brown arrived in Austin with this mission: restore Texas to a national powerhouse and perennial domination of its conference. On both counts, he has succeeded tremendously. The Longhorns developed a nasty habit of flopping late in the season just as a trip to the national title game seemed tantalizingly close. Too often for the pleasure of the fans clad in burnt orange, promising seasons ended up with consolation prize trips elsewhere. With so many trips to the Holiday Bowl, the Longhorns seemed as at home in San Diego as Shamu was.

Despite a loss in the BCS title game after the 2009 season, Mack Brown has lifted his program to sustained success throughout the decade, both in conference and on the national scene. The struggles to beat Oklahoma in the middle of the decade irritated the Longhorn faithful but not enough to seriously demand his ouster. With tons of talent within its states borders, one could safely bet that he will lead the Longhorns back to a handful more Big Twelve championships and at least two more BCS title games before retirement.

#3 SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
Record versus Division 1-A opponents: 102-26 (79.69%)
Number of winning seasons: 9
Number of shared conference titles: 3
Number of outright conference titles: 4
Record in bowl games: 7-2
Record in BCS bowl games: 6-1
Number of BCS title game appearances: 2
Number of BCS titles: 1
Summary: Sure, the NCAA probation announced earlier this year called into question the Trojans outstandingly successful run throughout the single digit years. Nevertheless, USC ran roughshod over the rest of the Pacific Ten with the exception of the two bookend years of the decade. Some cynics will disparage their wins in bowls since five of their seven wins occurred within commuting distance of their campus. However, their sole BCS title was secured on the opposite side of the United States in a stadium heavily filled with their opponents' fans.

With the departure of Pete Carroll and the impending scholarship limitations, one has to wonder if the glory days have ended for the Men of Troy. If they can continue to lure in the in-state blue-chip athletes by the bushel, then no discernable decline should occur.

#2 LOUISIANA STATE
Record versus Division 1-A opponents: 94-31 (75.2%)
Number of winning seasons: 10
Number of divisional titles: 4
Number of outright conference titles: 3
Record in bowl games: 7-3
Record in BCS bowl games: 4-0
Number of BCS title game appearances: 2
Number of BCS titles: 2
Summary: After the Dark Ages of 1990s, which included only three winning seasons, LSU's program entered its Golden Age. After only having won two outright Southeastern Conference titles once within a decade (in the 1930s), the Fightin' Tigers won three in the ten year span. They won more national titles in this past decade (two) than the program had won in the previous eleven (one, in 1958). Just as critics may devalue the majority of USC's bowl victories, they could also say the same about four of LSU's bowl victories since they happened only seventy-five miles away from Baton Rouge. In LSU's defense, the Tigers defeated Georgia Tech twice in the Peach Bowl, a few miles from the Yellow Jackets' campus.

Despite winning an SEC and a national title, Les Miles remains in the shadow of the man who resurrected the struggling program in 2000, Nick Saban. With Saban now in charge of the hated Crimson Tide, every season includes a head-to-head referendum on Miles' current progress in succeeding the man who is now on the other side of the field from him. Regular victories over Alabama and trips to the SEC title game will allay most concerns over who is responsible for LSU's recent success. A few more national titles would bury those doubts.

#1 FLORIDA
Record versus Division 1-A opponents: 96-30 (76.19%)
Number of winning seasons: 10
Number of divisional titles: 4
Number of outright conference titles: 3
Record in bowl games: 5-5
Record in BCS bowl games: 4-1
Number of BCS title game appearances: 2
Number of BCS titles: 2
Summary: As much as Steve Spurrier was revered in the Sunshine State and reviled elsewhere, his level of success never attained the lofty heights as Urban Meyer has. Spurrier did lead Florida to its first official Southeastern conference championship and it first national title. However, Meyer doubled the national title total in less than half of the time Spurrier spent in Gainesville.

The Ron Zook experiment between those two coaches led to winning seasons that would have sufficed at most programs. However, a decline from the domination to which the Gator Nation had grown accustomed would not be endured for long.

Despite Meyer's health problems and persistent rumors of a departure for South Bend, he has the opportunity to surpass "Bear" Bryant's total for wins and status as greatest coach in the history of the SEC.

FINAL NOTES

Soon after establishing the criteria for inclusion on my list, I realized that several teams deserve to be rated higher than Nebraska. Georgia, Oregon and Virginia Tech spring immediately to mind. However, I had to draw a line at some point or I would end up reviewing more than a hundred ten programs. Frankly, I wish that I possessed that much time to devote to one column.

Auburn is ranked above Nebraska and Alabama, in part, based on a victory over the Cornhuskers in the Cotton Bowl and 7-3 record versus Alabama.

Although Oklahoma finished with just over two percentage points more than Ohio State, the Buckeyes did fare more successfully in BCS bowls, thus the higher ranking.

Unfortunately, LSU and USC were denied a chance to settle the question of who was the true national champion of 2003. Since they never played in the preceding ten years, I looked at their records against each other's conference to help to determine who deserved the second slot. LSU had 5-0 record versus the Pacific Ten; USC finished 4-0 versus the SEC.

To break the tie between Florida and LSU for "program of the decade", I consulted their head-to-head matches. Florida won six of the ten games over LSU.

COPYRIGHT JULY 2010 BY CHARLES KASTRIOT