Emerald Nuts, Almonds, Cashews, Other Salty Confections and Delicious Yogurt Covered Raisins Bowl Preview

MIAMI (7-5) vs. CALIFORNIA (8-4)
Saturday, 12/27/08, 8pm ET - AT&T Park, San Francisco, CA
Series record: Miami leads 2-1; the Hurricanes won the last meeting 52-24 in 1990
What may or may not happen: With the Canes admirably suspending kids left and right - including starting and soon-to-transferring QB Robert Marve - it seems as if they're treating this game as preseason 2009. Which is all fine and good, but traveling 3000 miles to play what amounts to a road game - just to get your perpetually young team reps while getting your ass handed to you - seems to be a poor use of university cash in these trying economic times. While the Canes' offensive woes this year have been well-chronicled, keep in mind that the Miami defense got slapped around in their last two games by Georgia Tech and NC State. Think Cal might be able to move the ball a bit? One thing's for sure, if Miami pulls this one off, Kirk Herbstreit will have them winning the national title next year and Hurricane season ticket orders will double to 58. California 37, Miami 17

Miami Preview

2008 Schedule

Aug. 28	CHARLESTON SOUTHERN
Sept. 6	@Florida
Sept. 20	@Texas A&M
Sept. 27	NORTH CAROLINA
Oct. 4	FLORIDA STATE
Oct. 11	UCF
Oct. 18	@Duke
Oct. 25	WAKE FOREST
Nov. 1	@Virginia
Nov. 13	VIRGINIA TECH
Nov. 20	@Georgia Tech
Nov. 29	@N.C. State

2007 Results: 5-7 overall, 2-6 ACC (5th Coastal Division)

Offense: Gone are quarterbacks Kyle Wright and Kirby Freeman, who regressed badly (right along with the program) over the last three seasons. Taking their place under center most likely falls to either redshirt freshman Robert Marve or true frosh Jacoby Harris. And, in case you're wondering, the third and fourth string QBs are freshmen as well, which has to be some sort of record....four QBs on a roster, 0 career snaps among them. The running attack returns it's top four rushers from 2007 with Javarris James leading the pack. The receiving corps will likely be dependent on the youth movement, with junior Sam Shields (disappointing so far in his career) being the only upperclassman expected to contribute much in this department. The offensive line, reeling from woeful performances in '06 and '07, returns just one true starter but several others with starts here and there over the last few years. In summary, the Miami offense in 2008 is short on experience, long on young talent, and a complete mystery in terms of forecasting how they'll perform.

Defense: For a program accustomed to finishing in the Top 10 in total defense most years, last year's 33rd rated finish was cause for a pink slip for former defensive coordinator Tim Walton after just one season. Moreso than the overall slip on defense in 2007, the complete disasters on that side of the ball in nationally televised games against Oklahoma (51 points allowed), Virginia (48 points), and Virginia Tech (44 points) may have been a good reason for the change. So, for the third time in three years, a new face sports the title of DC in Coral Gables, and that face belongs to Bill Young, fresh off leading the 12th rated total defense at Kansas in 2007. As for the talent Young is to guide, it is very young and very green. Just a handful of starters return from last year's un-"U" like unit, and it's a mystery as to how quickly that young and inexperienced talent adapts to yet another new DC. If you're looking for a breakout star for the Canes on this side of the ball, look no further than linebacker Colin McCarthy, the team's top returning tackler.

Special Teams: Aside from the loss of kickers Francisco Zapogna and Darren Daly, the main cogs of this unit return. Punter Matt Bosher, shaky early in 2007, improved as the season went on. Leading returners Graig Cooper and Ryan Hill are back, although Cooper only averaged 4.8 yards per punt return last year. This is a middle-of-the-road unit as far as the ACC goes.

Coaching: Stability in this department is something that hasn't been seen in Coral Gables in a while, as Miami enters the season with it's third defensive coordinator in as many years, whereas offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Patrick Nix is a wily veteran of the staff, returning for a second year after a disastrous 2007. A cause for concern with Nix is that in 5 seasons as a QB coach, all of his main pupils regressed (Reggie Ball and Taylor Bennett at Georgia Tech, Wright and Freeman at Miami). Head coach Randy Shannon had a tough first season in 2007, as the Canes limped to the finish, losing 6 of their last 7 games and the last three in blowout fashion. It remains to be seen whether he will be able to right the ship. What he can do is recruit, and his first two classes will be thrown into the fire in 2008, given all the personnel shortcomings on the team.

Odds & Ends: As mentioned above, the Canes lost six of their last seven games last season; the one victory? At Florida State....Miami's 16-16 ACC record since starting league play in 2004 is tied for 6th overall in the conference over those 4 seasons.....the Canes lost three games by 30 or more points last season; prior to 2007, their three most recent losses by 30 or more points were to LSU in 2005, Virginia Tech in 1999 and Syracuse in 1998

Schedule Analysis: The Good: a cozy opener at home with Charleston Southern so the kids can ease into the season. The Bad: six road games on the slate (every other ACC school has just four or five). The Ugly: @Florida, @Texas A&M, UNC, FSU, UCF all in a row over a span of six weeks starting in week two. All of those games are losable in a good year, but that stretch coming so early with such an inexperienced young squad spells something like a 2-4 or 3-3 start at best. The Canes close the year with two Thursday Night match-ups with the Techs, then a road trip to NC State. Only road trips to Duke and Virginia appear like sure things. Boston College, Clemson and Maryland are absent from this year's slate.
Projected Wins: Charleston Southern, UCF, @Duke
Projected Losses: @Florida, @Texas A&M, Wake Forest, Virginia Tech, @NC State
Toss-Ups: North Carolina, Florida State, @Virginia, @Georgia Tech

Primo Hurricane Blogs: Canes Rising, Hall of Canes

Heartwarming You-Tubery:

A lot of this would be helpful in 2008

Preview Disclaimer

That'll Do

Virginia 48, Miami 0.

Allow me to quote myself from one day ago:

"If the Cavaliers can make it through the buzzsaw they're about to face and come away with a victory, I don't see how anyone can doubt them the rest of the way."

There are no doubters here at ACCFR. No sir.


Checkmate, bitches

An Orange Bowl Retrospective

Miami fans (both of you.....haha, I kid!), this one's for you.

Lest I Forget...

BOSTON COLLEGE 38 - WAKE FOREST 28
It certainly appears that Jeff Jagodzinski knows what he's doing, and that any apparent college-game rust has an effective cure-all called Matt Ryan. Let the Phillip Rivers comparisons begin (and the ABC guys calling the game wasted no opportunity in doing so), but for the Eagles' sake, let's hope Ryan can have a bit more overall success in the W-L department.

Wake, meanwhile, acquitted themselves nicely, churning out some decent offensive production if we ignore the fact that running the football is a part of most team's gameplans. In a league that is so incredibly quarterback deficient, it's amazing that the Demon Deacons can just plug in anyone on short notice and have him smoothly and cleanly throw the ball around (see: Skinner, Riley; and now Hodges, Justin).

GEORGIA TECH 33 - NOTRE DAME 3
The Pride of the ACC so far, the Yellow Jackets dropped the hammer on the Domers despite a somewhat clunky passing game (11 of 23, 121 yards) from UFC wannabe Taylor Bennett. All that is needed for the Jackets to win the league is for the running game - led by Tashard Choice and the powerful OL - to grind out 175+ yards per game, have Bennett dink-and-dunk and chuck it for 200 yards per contest, and make sure that Jon Tenuta's defense continues to screw with the minds of all those mediocre ACC QBs ("Matty Ice" Ryan aside). Just don't let The Chan get in the way.

MIAMI 31 - MARSHALL 3
You know big-time Hurricane football is back when the Orange Bowl is proudly half-full for a game against a non-Florida State, Virginia Tech, or Florida squad. 39,000+ saw Miami quietly control the game, scoring one touchdown per quarter and picking off Marshall QBs four times. Sure, Kirby Freeman was unimpressive (9 of 21, 86 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT), and he'll probably get abused like a fresh inmate at Oz next Saturday at Oklahoma, but for one week Miami football looks to be back on track.

CLEMSON 24 - FLORIDA STATE 18
Meh. I've rarely seen such a bipolar game as this one, and since the manic/happy side was delivered by FSU in the 2nd half, you can't help but leave this game thinking that the Noles - while still appearing to be a year or two away from prominence - will have a more encouraging future. Like many seasons prior, Clemson started this game HOT HOT HOT and then just sorta deflated in the third and fourth quarters, much like they've done over the second half of many a season under Tommy Bowden.

And for God's sake Tiger fans...act like you've been there before. Charging the field after hanging on against a #19 Florida State squad is almost as pathetic as the Noles' "offensive line" in the first half. FSU hasn't been rushing-the-field-worthy since about 2003.

Miami Preview

2007 Schedule

2006 Results: 7-6 overall, 3-5 ACC (4th Coastal Division); beat Nevada 21-20 in the MPC Computers Bowl

Offense: A unit that scored just 11 TDs in eight ACC contests last year returns nine starters, although the heavy rotation last season (due to injuries, suspensions, and all-around horrendous play) saw nearly 20 players make at least two starts in Larry Coker's farewell tour in Coral Gables. QBs Kyle Wright and Kirby Freeman are to date still battling it out for the starting nod, while RBs Javarris James and Charlie Jones are back as well. The Hurricanes' WR corps does not instill fear into the hearts of men, let alone opposing secondaries...at least not yet. Senior Lance Leggett, highly recruited way back in the day, has been a mild bust so far. Sam Shields (he of 37 receptions on '06) returns as well. 2006's sieve-like OL (26 sacks allowed, just 3.5 yards per carry) returns tons of experience, but whether the new coaching staff has improved fundamentals and strength/conditioning remains to be seen. With their third different offensive coordinator in as many years, I don't see the Hurricanes returning to the Dorsey-Portis-Shockey days of yore for a while.

Defense: This unit alone is good for at least six wins on the Canes' slate this season. The question is whether it can be as good as last year's Category-5 unit. The loss of murdered DT Bryan Pata leaves not only an emotional void, but a personnel void as well, and a strong one at that. The sick skillset of DE Calais Campbell will punish many an OL and QB this season, while the deep but not-quite-star-studded LB corps should inflict plenty of damage as well. The secondary loses stalwart Brandon Meriwether, but nearly every player on the two-deep depth chart at corner and safety has significant experience.

Special teams: In the parity-infected/parity-rich (depending on your point of view) ACC, this is where the Canes could come up very, very short in those inevitable nailbiters. Gone are K Jon Peattie and P Brian Monroe, who handled those duties since roughly 1989. Their replacement is redshirt freshman Matt Bosher, who will handle both roles in 2007. Also doing double duty is Bruce Johnson, fielding both kicks and punts this year, just as he did in '06 in adequate - but not overly impressive - fashion.

Coaching: Out- Larry Coker and the Sunshine Band....well, most of it. Four holdovers from Coker's staff remain, most notably his replacement as head coach, his very own defensive coordinator Randy Shannon. Shannon's DC is Tim Walton (who coached DBs for Coker the last 3 seasons). In- Patrick Freaking Nix? The most puzzling hire of all the ACC coaching changes last season, Nix's offenses at Georgia Tech in his 3 seasons there ranged from unpleasant to appalling, especially given the talent on hand (like this guy). Sure, some of it was Reggie Ball's fault, some was Chan the Man's fault, but a lot of it was Nix's doing as well. Probably more than any other reason, Miami's new OC is the biggest reason I'm a bit cool on the Canes this year.

For What It's Worth: Career coaching records- Larry Coker (60-15), Mark Richt (61-17), Butch Davis (51-20), Ralph Friedgen (50-24), Jeff Tedford (43-20); I'm just sayin'....Miami's average 2006 home attendance in the decrepit 72,000-seat Orange Bowl - 41,908 (9th ACC)....the Canes' 3-year ACC record: 14-10; their worst 3-year stretch in the old Big East (1996-98): 14-7....Miami is still the 4th-winningest college football program of this decade (71-16 since 2000)

Schedule Analysis: Despite early out-of-conference matchups with Oklahoma (in Norman) and Texas A&M (in the Orange Bowl), the slate is still more bottom-heavy, as there is a decent chance that the Canes can enter the Oct. 20 contest at Florida State with a 5-2 or possibly 6-1 record. After the FSU matchup, they get a week off before hosting NC State and Virginia, but finish up with the decidedly non-tropical late November matchups in Blacksburg and Boston.
Projected Wins- Marshall, Florida International, Texas A&M, Duke, @North Carolina, N.C. State, Virginia
Projected Losses- @Oklahoma, @Florida State, @Virginia Tech
Toss-Ups- Georgia Tech, @Boston College

For More Opinionated, Yet Delightful, Hurricane Insight: Out of Kilter

Blast-From-The-Past, Feel-Good YouTube:

The Conquering "Soldier"

Preview Disclaimer

MPC Computers Bowl Preview

MPC COMPUTERS BOWL - Dec. 31, 2006 - Bronco Stadium, Boise, ID
Miami (6-6) vs. Nevada (8-4)
Larry Coker's final game as Miami's coach ends in a climate that is - almost literally - the polar opposite of the balmy ocean breezes found near Coral Gables. The fact that his successor is on his coaching staff gives this contest a somewhat unique set-up and subplot heading into the matchup with the Nevada Wolf Pack.

And who is this "Nevada" of which I speak? A team that closed out the season on fire, that's who. A team that started off the season as badly as possible, with terribly ugly losses to an awful Fresno State club and a below average Arizona State squad. A team that then righted their ship in a big way, winning 8 of their next 10 (the closest win being a 31-21 victory over Northwestern). A team that was about average on both offense and defense, but excellent in turnover margin. A pretty dadgum good team, that's who the Nevada Wolf Pack are.

The Canes, on the other hand, were a bit of mess this year, but closed the season out nicely with that upset over Boston College. And, if there was ever a team that needed a break from the season, it was Miami. Considering that, along with the emotions that will sure to be flowing in light of Coker's coaching finale, look for the Hurricanes to play one of their best games of the year. And they'll need to.

Miami 27, Nevada 14

Randy Shannon's The Man at Miami

In a move sure to fuel speculation as to whom the Hurricanes couldn't get, The U nonetheless named current defensive coordinator Randy Shannon as their new head coach. Considering that he was part of the Larry Coker regime that was deemed unworthy by Shalala standards, I'm really looking forward to this spinnouncement from the university.

No word on the level the Miami Freak-O-Meter reached after their interview with Mike Leach, and whether that had anything to do with them passing him over.


The new boss....same as the old boss?

ACC Coaching Carousel Update

Well, it looks as if one open job has now been filled in ACC-ville......which unexpectedly has opened up another spot.

In a bit of a surprising move, all signs point to Boston College coach Tom O'Brien accepting the vacant head coaching position at Atlantic Division foe N.C. State, where he will get an annual chance to stick it to Eagle fans and show that 9-3 and mid-level bowls ain't all that bad.

Predictably, the two most prominent BC bloggers are in high spirits, albeit to varying degrees:

>>>Good Night Tom, and Good Luck
>>>F*** Off Tom!

Which now leads us to the newly available head coaching spot in Chestnut Hill. Since no official announcement has been made on O'Brien's departure, and with other head coaching spots open nationally, I'm not going to delve into the Eagles' opening just yet since many of the potential candidates could be snapped up by the time their official search gets underway. However, I will say that there is a great potential for disaster if BC doesn't hit a home run with this hire...unlike NC State, UNC and to a lesser extent Miami, whose programs are in relative shambles, the Eagles program is in it's best shape since the Doug Flutie days. The new Wolfpack, Tar Heel and Cane skippers could go 8-4 the next two years and would be lauded. That is certainly not the case for the next BC skipper. The Eagles are in a precarious spot; they have driven off - and make no mistake about it, O'Brien was driven out by the fan base - the winningest coach in school history, to a division rival no less. Going 8-4/9-3 every year, and winning 6 straight bowls wasn't good enough for BC, who clearly are at a disadvantage recruiting-wise and facility-wise from most of the other ACC programs. All of that is going to give every candidate for the job a bit of pause.

The Miami head coaching vacancy is apparently not generating the buzz Queen Shalala and Court Jester Dee were expecting. Steve Spurrier and Greg Schiano said no thanks in nearly record time. Texas Tech's Mike Leach, a curious possibility, interviewed in Coral Gables a few days ago. Hurricane DC Randy Shannon interviewed yesterday. Leach, while certainly a fall-back candidate, would not be an out-of-the ordinary hire for Miami (i.e. not "splashy" at the time). They plucked unheralded Jimmy Johnson from Oklahoma State in 1985, and no-name Dennis Erickson from Washington State in 1989. The Canes got a few rings out of those fellas. Still, Leach is a quirky dude, and perhaps a risky choice for Miami.

Last and probably least, the Florida State vacancy at offensive coordinator has been reliably linked at various times to the following: Norm Chow, Jimbo Fisher, Larry Fedora, Steve Logan (former ECU head coach and now an OC in NFL-Europe), Chris Hatcher (head coach at Div. II Valdosta State), George Henshaw (FSU OC from '79-'82, now with the New Orleans Saints), and Frank Cignetti (recently axed as UNC's OC, was much more successful as OC at Fresno State before). Insight from folks in the know say that Fisher is the guy if he can't land a head coaching gig somewhere, with Steve Logan climbing up the charts. Chow is considered an outside shot as he is clearly going after a fairly prominent head coaching job, while Hatcher and Cignetti are the fall-back guys if all of the other candidates decline.

Canes can Larry Coker

Paging Mr. Schiano, Paging Mr. Schiano...

A little over 12 hours after defeating #18 Boston College to become bowl-eligible, Larry Coker was fired as head coach by the University of Miami, effective after any potential bowl game. Coker's firing caps a hellish season for the Hurricanes both on and off the field.


Would I like to be the next Florida State offensive coordinator? Hell yeaaaaahhh!

ACC Blog Check

Before we go on our quick journey through the ACC Blogosphere, allow me to express my condolences to the University of Miami family on the senseless loss of Bryan Pata.

--The Miami blog Out of Kilter has the latest on the Pata tragedy.

--Sporting Gnomes has the requisite perspective piece on Clemson football, something none of us thought we'd have to read this year, heck even two weeks ago. Funny game, this college football.

--Mobius at The Chop Shop has chimed in with his national-championship format that I find quite reasonable. And if we ever do get a real "Bowl Championship Series" (and whoever thought of that moniker should be shot, but that's another post altogether), in my opinion it will look very much like Mobius' plan.

--Eagle in Atlanta has his usual spot-on weekly review of his Eagles, complete with the obligatory blaming of Tom O'Brien for their defeat at Wake.

--Gotta love UNC fans. Butch Davis hasn't even signed a contract yet and they're already speculating on how long he stays in Chapel Hill. Carolina March has a sane perspective on that topic.

--MadJay at TechSuperfans has a very nice review of the Hokies' victory at Miami, although I take issue with his ranking of the Tech and Cane overall defenses.

Media Whinefest 2006: Florida State-Miami

What is the deal with the media horde panning the FSU-Miami game these last two seasons? Outside of the obvious - atrocious offensive line play on both sides - the game was not the horrid affair you are led to believe. Yes, both rushing attacks ker-flopped; see OL comment above. Both QBs were at 50% or above pass completions. There were just two turnovers all night. There were 15 penalties in total - not great, but less than in the Notre Dame-Georgia Tech skirmish, and I have yet to find an article or column bemoaning that game as a violation of the Geneva Convention.

Sorry fourth-estate-elitists, but FSU and Miami don't owe you a pristine football game. The last two years have seen that game come down to the very end, and now all of a sudden the contest itself sucks. And is it just me, but when Miami was winning ugly, defensive football games against FSU (see 2004, 2004 Orange Bowl, 2003, 1992, 1991) it was perfectly alright and the Canes "just found a way"? But now that FSU has found ways to pull out close wins against Miami, all of a sudden the games themselves are abominations, with nary a comment on how, gee, the Seminoles actually found a way to win and that at the end of the day, that's what flippin' matters.

Sheesh. Anyway, the list of the most prominent unhappy customers. Sorry fellas, you can't those 4 hours of your life back.

ESPN's Maisel
Sportsline's Dodd
SI's Mandel

BCS "Blunders"

The good folks over at CollegeFootballNews.com have a weekly section imaginatively titled "Ask CFN", and this week one of the reader-submitted questions was an inquiry into the worst BCS blunders since the inception of the BCS. The Nebraska travesty of 2001 and the Oklahoma fiasco of 2003 were correctly noted, but then talk veered into more questionable "blunders" such as Florida State over Ohio State in 1998 for the Fiesta Bowl bid, and Florida State over Miami in 2000 for the right to get blasted by Oklahoma.

DISCLAIMER: This blogger graduated from Florida State University in 1995, bleeds Garnet and Gold, thinks the War Chant belongs in public schools just after the Pledge of Allegiance, and so on and so forth. So feel free to question my reasoning, but not the facts outlined below.

Any debate between Florida State and Ohio State for the '98 Fiesta Bowl bid is almost a non-starter. The Seminoles deserved the bid. FSU lost to 7-5 NC State in early September, and then rolled through the remainder of their schedule, with the closest game a 23-12 win over #4 Florida (with Marcus Outzen at QB in place of the injured Chris Weinke). Furthermore, FSU had beaten 4 other teams listed in the final Top 15 BCS poll (Texas A&M, Florida, Virginia, Georgia Tech). Additionally, the Noles had beaten the two teams who made the whole "debate" possible: Miami, who knocked off 10-0 UCLA, and Texas A&M, who upset 11-0 Kansas State on that incredible December Saturday.

Ohio State certainly played well throughout the '98 season, in fact rising to #1 in late October. However, a Michigan State team that would finish 6-6 and bowl-less came into Columbus in early November and walked out with a win. The Buckeyes didn't even play anyone ranked in the final BCS poll. Debate over, thanks for playing Bucks, your parting gift was suffering through just 2 more years of the John Cooper era.

The 2000 debate gets a little stickier. The most disengenous portion of most '00 arguments is that it boils down to just Florida State and Miami, and leaves out Washington and (to a lesser extent) Virginia Tech and Oregon State. Let's take a little trip back to the final BCS poll of the 2000 regular season and see what a mess we had:

Final BCS poll - Dec. 4, 2000
1- Oklahoma (12-0)
2- Florida State (11-1)
3- Miami (10-1)
4- Washington (10-1)
5- Virginia Tech (10-1)
6- Oregon State (10-1)
7- Florida (10-2)
8- Nebraska (9-2)
9- Kansas State (10-3)
10- Oregon (9-2)
11- Notre Dame (9-2)
12- Texas (8-3)
13- Georgia Tech (9-2)
14- TCU (10-1)
15- Clemson (9-2)

So, we had one clear-cut undefeated team and 5 one-loss teams. Having 5 one-loss teams in and of itself is messy enough, but considering the fact that each of those 5 squads played at least one of the other 5 one-loss teams, and you get another brand of insanity altogether. Breaking down the games between each one-loss squad, this is what we get:

-Florida State (0-1): lost at Miami 27-24
-Miami (2-1): lost at Washington 34-29, beat Florida State 27-24, beat Virginia Tech 41-21
-Washington (2-0): beat Miami 34-29, beat Oregon State 33-30
-Virginia Tech (0-1): lost at Miami 41-21
-Oregon State (0-1): lost at Washington 33-30

For the remaining schedules, the breakdown goes as follows (remaining overall record, then other losses and/or notable wins):

-Florida State (11-0): beat #7 Florida 30-7, beat #13 Georgia Tech 26-21, beat #15 Clemson 54-7
-Miami (8-0): no other victories over BCS ranked teams
-Washington (8-1): lost at #10 Oregon 23-16; no other victories over BCS ranked teams
-Virginia Tech (10-0): no other victories over BCS ranked teams
-Oregon State (10-0): beat #10 Oregon 23-13

After reviewing the two categories above, it seems an obvious call to drop Virginia Tech from consideration. I would also drop Oregon State from consideration, due to the fact that they went 0-1 vs. the other 4 teams and played just one other ranked BCS team, albeit a victory.

So that leaves us with Florida State, Miami, and Washington. Miami played 3 of the other 4 one-loss teams and went 2-1; very impressive. But they didn't play anyone else of consequence after that. Florida State played just one of the other 4, and lost; not so great. But they beat 3 other BCS ranked teams, two of which were blowout wins; very impressive. Washington played two of the other 4 one-loss clubs and won both; most impressive. But they played just one other BCS-ranked team and lost; not so good.

So who should've gone? Well....not Miami. Of the "Big Three" one-loss teams, the team that gets the most sympathy in all the arguments - the Hurricanes - seem the least deserving of the three. Florida State played a better overall schedule and demolished much of that competition; Washington beat Miami head-to-head. Either way, Miami comes up short. They lose the overall schedule and margin-of-victory argument to FSU, and they lose the head-to-head argument to Washington. So explain to me why the Canes get all the love in these debates?

As for Oklahoma's opponent in that Orange Bowl? It probably should've been Washington. But maybe not.