Maybe you were sulking around Nebraska the past couple days thinking that your Cornhuskers are the only sucky team around, that everyone else's teams are living up to expectations, winning games in style, with flair,
Uh, no. There was plenty of suckage going on across the college football landscape this past weekend, and here's your CN writers nominees for the COB OF THE WEEK (we really need a photoshop to go with this). PLENTY OF SUCKAGE, HAHAHAHAHA, that didn't involve Nebraska at all!
Yes, you heard that right! So hit the jump and you can gloat over this week's nominees of suck!
Gary Pinkel
The Missouri head coach has a long-standing reputation for unorthodox coaching moves that backfire...so much so that it even has it's own label: the Pinkel factor. The Pinkel factor reared it's ugly head late in the fourth quarter when Missouri lined up to attempt a game-winning 47 yard field goal. But then Pinkel called timeout just before the playclock expired. Then he did it again. It's become a standard strategy for coaches facing a crucial game-altering field goal attempt... but Gary Pinkel is likely the only coach who called timeouts when his team is kicking. Usually coaches defending against a field goal attempt call timeouts to add to the pressure on the kicker...it's called "icing the kicker".
Pinkel, of course, denies that he was icing the kicker. His strategy was to try and draw Arizona State offside. Fair enough. But the strategy didn't work. After burning two timeouts, Grant Ressel missed the field goal, and the Tigers went on to lose in overtime. And that's the Pinkel factor in a nutshell: an unorthodox strategy fails, and Missouri fans don't understand why Pinkel gets criticized for it.
There's a reason why defensive coaches burn all their timeouts before trying to defend a crucial field goal attempt, and whether Pinkel intended to ice his own kicker or not, that's what he did.
Kirk Ferentz
Kirk Ferentz, for once again playing it way too safe and heading to overtime despite having 2 timeouts and 1:17 on the clock, in a tie game on the road needing only about 40 yards to get his good PK into position. He did the same thing in the pivotal 2009 Ohio State game @Columbus, and suffered the same result. Playing not to lose is no way to win.
Result, Iowa State wins because PAUL RHOADS DOES NOT PLAY FOR TIES, PUSS BOY!
The Pac-12 Conference
How about the Pac-12 office putting a touchdown back on the board two hours after the USC/Utah game ended last night? Trying to send a message to Austin that the league office will do whatever it takes for the name programs???
Just in case you're not familiar with what happened - USC blocked a potential game-tying field goal against Utah. While a Trojan footballer was returning the ball for an apparent touchdown, many USC players ran onto the field as the clock expired. A foul was called, and due to new rules changes this season, the points were removed from the board. Game over, USC 17, Utah 14.
BUT WAIT! The Pac-12 conference later ruled that the call should have been a dead ball foul, and puts the points back on the board. Now game over USC 23, Utah 14, which would have beaten the 8.5 point spread. OH VEY, WHAT IS THE PAC-12 CONFERENCE TRYING TO DO, GET THEMSELVES WHACKED WHILE MAKING THEIR NAME TEAMS LOOK GOOD?
The Big Ten
Minnesota lost to New Mexico State, Purdue lost to Rice, Ohio State nearly lost to Toledo, Iowa lost to Iowa State and Penn State didn't have an offense against Alabama. Oh, and Indiana lost to Virginia, but I don't know of anyone who thinks that's a huge upset.
This is not the way a conference depicts greatness. Minnesota, Purdue and Indiana may not be the cream of the crop but holy crap - losing to New Mexico State and Rice? I guess the only way to go is up.
A Last Minute Addition - The Entire State of Indiana
I wasn't going to, and then I saw this at BGHP:
Also, the state of Indiana's weekend in football:
Indiana: L, 34-31, Virginia (lost on last-second field goal)
Purdue: L, 24-22, at Rice (lost on last-second field goal block)
Notre Dame: L, 35-31 at Michigan (lost on last-second touchdown pass)
Ball State: L, 37-7, at South Florida (down 30-0 at halftime)
Indianapolis Colts: L, 34-7, at Houston Texans (down 34-0 at halftime)
That's a whole lotta suck in one place.