en-us https://www.intensedebate.com/users/710317 Comments by fparnon http://cliffkirkpatrick.mvourtown.com/2009/12/12/cliff-lv-bowl-thoughts/#IDComment47133644 Mike Riley and his coaches have a big challenge to get the Beavers energized to play BYU only eight days from today. It will be tough after the Civil War loss to get the players excited and "up" for the Las Vegas bowl. But I think Riley is up to this challenge. I sure hope so, because this could be a very important game for the Beavers. It's one of the best bowl matchups this year, featuring two ranked teams with high-powered offenses and capable defenses. Fans are eager for the start of bowl season, and this matchup coming right at the start of bowl season should draw a large TV audience. It's another great stage for the Beavers to show their stuff to a national audience, including pollsters and high school recruits. If the Beavs win this game, they will get a Top 15 ranking for this year, and (even more important) a Top 15 preseason ranking for next year. If the Beavs start in the Top 15 next year, and then win their very tough early season games (including Boise State away, and maybe also TCU away), the Beavs will be positioned for a serious run at a BCS bowl next year. In short, there is a lot riding on this year's Las Vegas bowl. Go Beavers!! Mon, 14 Dec 2009 17:04:46 +0000 http://cliffkirkpatrick.mvourtown.com/2009/12/12/cliff-lv-bowl-thoughts/#IDComment47133644 http://cliffkirkpatrick.mvourtown.com/2009/11/11/cliff-quick-football-notes/#IDComment42994523 If it's not broken, don't fix it. PAC-10 football is not broken -- it's acknowledged by many to be the best and most competitive conference in the country. Nine of ten teams in the PAC-10 are in the top 20 for strength-of-schedule. Every week during the regular season, there are compelling games involving excellent teams. The race for the PAC-10 championship is often decided only in the final week. PAC-10 fans are privileged to see great football week-in and week-out. Contrast this with fans of a team like Florida (rated #40 in strength of schedule this year), which plays a cupcake OOC schedule each year to pander to the BCS beauty contest (as do Alabama and Texas and bunch of other SEC and Big 12 schools). Florida fans this year were treated to exciting hard fought contests against Charleston Southern (62-3), Troy (56-6), Vanderbilt (27-3), and FIU (TBD). If that's what it takes to get into a BCS bowl, it's not worth it. Not even close. If anything is broken, it's the BCS bowl system (as noted by President Obama, and various members of Congress, among others). So, sure, go ahead and fix the BCS bowl system by creating a playoff system for the national championship. Meanwhile, leave PAC-10 football alone -- it's the best college football in the country, and there is no reason to change that. Thu, 12 Nov 2009 22:55:20 +0000 http://cliffkirkpatrick.mvourtown.com/2009/11/11/cliff-quick-football-notes/#IDComment42994523