Coach Mac tells how the safety rule came about

This week’s Coaches vs. Computers podcast features Syracuse legend Dick MacPherson. Also joining us is Richard Billingsley, a computer pollster with the BCS, and Legends Poll executive director Andy Curtin. Part three features a discussion about the week’s upcoming match-ups.

• Billingsley says Alabama vs. Mississippi State is the game to watch.
• Coach Mac says Alabama will be ready to play because they’ve had adversity already.
• Coach Mac’s explains how the safety rule was invented.

Coach Mac wants Billingsley’s help with math

This week’s Coaches vs. Computers podcast features Syracuse legend Dick MacPherson. Also joining us is Richard Billingsley, a computer pollster with the BCS, and Legends Poll executive director Andy Curtin. Part two features a discussion about the Big Ten conference and Ohio State. The guys also talk about Boise State and their strength as a team.

• Jim Tressel was on Coach Mac’s staff at Syracuse. Mac says he has fun watching his team.
• Mac told Billingsley that he needs his help with math.
• Billingsley says the Pac-10 race is still wide open — most conferences are.
• Billingsley says that the Louisiana Tech game was a trap game for Boise State.

Legends say Oregon can play with the big boys

After Oregon dismantled perennial Pac-10 power USC in Eugene on Saturday, the Legends Poll became the only collegiate top-25 poll to rank the Ducks in the top-5. The Legends Poll voters were overwhelmingly impressed with the way Oregon dominated the Trojans. On this week’s conference call, the Legends Channel had a roundtable discussion with the voters, and former BCS commissioner Roy Kramer joined us to offer his take on the fifth-ranked Oregon Ducks.

Dick MacPherson: Everybody who plays Oregon better know how to defense the spread or they’re in trouble.  Because they’ve got a guy who knows exactly what to do if they don’t have the defense right and I think USC blew it.

Frank Kush: I watched that game very closely and I was so impressed with the diversity of their offense.  Not only the quarterback running the ball. Masoli, he’s very capable of passing, running, etc but their running backs too.  They’ve got two running backs —James and Barner — that I think are exceptionally good.  But above all I think the coaching is remarkable and the diversity of their offense is just as good as I’ve seen in the country.  They attack just about every hole at the line of scrimmage.  Whether it’s the quarterback or the running backs, whoever it may be, they’re pretty dog gone athletic.  James, that running back, to me has to be one of the quickest I’ve ever seen.  I was really impressed with them.  They just kicked the hell out of (USC).

Kush: I don’t think the entire Pac-10 matches up with the SEC what I’ve seen of them.  Southern Cal has talent but I don’t think they were into it for some reason.  Just watching the Pac10, Cal was over here (Arizona) and I wasn’t impressed with them even though they kicked Arizona State’s butt.  But the interesting thing about it is that Oregon and Oregon State, in my opinion, get the maximum out of what they have from the standpoint of talent.  But I think the Southeastern Conference, from what I see, has a heck of a lot more talent than the other conferences.

John Cooper: I’m going to tell you guys, Southern Cal has as much talent as anyone in the country — including Florida, LSU, and any of those teams down South.  And for Oregon to beat up on them like they did…I think if they play like that I think if you were to play them on the west coast or in Pasadena they could beat anybody in the country.  Based on what I saw.

Kush: They were remarkable.  No question about it.

John Robinson: I think SC hasn’t developed as a team.  They started out having to replace 10 defensive players and they just couldn’t do it.  They just haven’t matured as a team.  They got preoccupied with the quarterback position and it seems like they just forgot about the rest.  Now Oregon. Utah was like Oregon a year ago.  I think they had an undefeated year and nobody thought they were any good and they go down and beat Alabama badly in a bowl game.  So those teams out West don’t see the spread as much and it’s effective especially when you put the speed element with it.  SC hasn’t seen it very much, doesn’t know how to defend it.

Robinson: I think Oregon for the last few years has really recruited speed.  They’re little guys, they all look like midgets when you see them but they can RUN.  And they teach speed.  I remember back in the wishbone, teams like Oklahoma were faster than everybody.  I think Oregon and Texas who throw the ball a lot are tough to handle.  And I know we’ve been talking about all this conference stuff, but what it comes down to is one team playing one game.  We don’t know that Oregon doesn’t match up with anybody in the country for one game.  Now, they’ve lost a lot of defensive players.  I think they could get embarrassed on defense against a really strong powerful team.

Robinson: SC is not the team it wanted to be and it’s slipped away from them.  The good players are not playing the way they’d like to be playing and it’s an anomaly for them because Pete Carroll’s teams have always played really well.  The story out here is Oregon, and I think they’re going to go the rest of the way and that’s a great thing for the Pac-10.

Pat Dye: I was impressed with Oregon’s defense against Southern Cal, and I know everyone’s going to be impressed with their offense…that quarterback is like Houdini, but I thought their defense was quick and they ran to the football.  After looking at them against Southern Cal, I guarantee you that you can call Nick Saban or Urban Meyer and neither one of them is going to want to play them.

Roy Kramer: I think Phil Knight gave Oregon new shoes to wear because I’ve never seen so much speed against Southern Cal as I did that night.  They were impressive.  You know they’ve got that loss to Boise State and in all fairness if you look at the ratings across the board, Boise State is riding Oregon’s balloon.  And if that balloon were to burst it would affect Boise State as much as Oregon.  This makes TCU a much stronger outside candidate because they beat Clemson at Clemson, they had that good win over BYU and if they beat Utah they’re going to have a better resume across the board than Boise does.

The only good thing about it at the BCS is that it sort of plays out with the rankings because Florida and Alabama play each other and I think Texas can ride it out to the national championship game.  You can argue about the other people but I think it’s hard to argue against Texas and the SEC champion playing for the national title.

If you asked me about the two best-coached teams in the country I agree that Oregon and Iowa should be it from what I’ve seen based on what they’re playing with.

Virginia Tech should be wary of the triple-option

The ACC has been a disappointment so far this season, with only a few teams ranked in the Legends Poll top-25 — Virginia Tech being the lone top-10 team. In a roundtable, the Legends analyzed the important match-up this weekend that features the No. 5 Hokies and No. 21 Georgia Tech.

George Welsh: I think that the game this weekend with Georgia Tech hosting Virginia Tech is huge. I believe that Georgia Tech will be able to run the ball. I think Virginia Tech has had too many close calls — with Nebraska who had them beat, then to let Duke take them down to the wire. I’m just not sure about Virginia Tech yet, even though I ranked them in the top-10. If Georgia Tech can get that running game going — which I see no reason they won’t be able to — they have a great chance to knock off Virginia Tech. Duke beating NC State on the road, I just don’t think there are any defenses left in the conference. Past Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech there really is no one left in the ACC. I saw Miami get pounded by Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, so I’m not sold on them.

Dick Macpherson: Georgia Tech is winning with their head coach (Paul Johnson) calling the plays. I’m interested to see if that can work against Virginia Tech.

Welsh: Virginia Tech won’t hesitate to give you an eight-man front  — which is one of the keys to stopping the triple-option. I don’t think Virginia Tech is going to get beat that way.

Frank Broyles: Georgia Tech rushed for over 400 yards Saturday. It’s hard to prepare for the wishbone and option when you have worked the team for five weeks in a row on defending the pass and sitting back on their haunches, which makes it hard to get a picture in just a week. I can remember when Darryl (Royal) started running the wishbone and we tried preparing for it one week and we just didn’t know how to run it. It’s a big advantage for Georgia Tech.

Welsh: If I was coaching these teams, I would start preparing for the option in the spring and then they could also prepare for it in the summer. You also need to try and find out what those line calls are.

Broyles: The problem is Georgia Tech is not the top team on the other team’s list to prepare for. But it’s so different you just can’t not prepare.

Welsh: The other problem is you cannot simulate that speed with your B team. I figured by now the ACC would catch up with that speed and that style. I think that Virginia Tech is good but I do still think Georgia Tech has a chance against them.

Tide gain ground on No. 1 Gators

Florida is No. 1. Alabama is No. 2. Texas is No. 3.

And Then?

“Everybody else is on a lower level,” former West Virginia Coach Don Nehlen said.

Another wild weekend brought a shakeup Sunday in the second Legends Poll of the fall. Boise State cracked the top five, Cal tumbled 18 spots…

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	Legends Poll
September 28, 2009 – Week 4

SN Radio: Coach Mac on the Post-Game Show

Coaching Legend Dick MacPherson reviews the Legends Poll for week 14 on the SNR Post Game Show with host Peter Brown.

SN Radio: Beamer & MacPherson Pt. 1

Listen to the first installment of Syracuse Coaching Legend Dick MacPherson and Virginia Tech’s Coach Frank Beamer on Sporting News Radio talk about Virginia Tech, the ACC and much more. Click here for Pt. 2

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SN Radio: Beamer & MacPherson Pt. 2

Listen to the second installment of Syracuse Coaching Legend Dick MacPherson and Virginia Tech’s Coach Frank Beamer on Sporting News Radio talk about Virginia Tech, the ACC and much more. Click here for Pt. 1

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