Links at Lunch: ESPN QB Ratings, Preseason Polls, & More
By Kyle Kensing
ESPN Hollywood, ESPN Mobile, The Sports Guy Cartoon, Colin Cowherd; sometimes decisionmakers at the Worldwide Leader greenlight concepts ranging from ill-conceived to just plain arrogant. The latest falls in that latter category. Tonight is the debut of a quarterback rating system developed in the megalab that is Bristol, Conn. Should this special devolve into a real life version of The Chris Farley Show, with panelists fawning over one another’s awesomeness, don’t be surprised.
Now, I am no soothsayer — I have the gambling ticket stubs and failed fantasy teams to prove it. But I feel about as confident this idea will fail as I am in a Charleston Southern – Florida Labor Day weekend game’s outcome. Awful Announcing is doing what it does best, lampooning the absurdity of it all. Besides, already there exists a quarterback rating system more sensical than the existing formulas. ESPN will be hard-pressed to come up with something as logical as Patrick Johnston’s Postivie Impact Factor at In The Bleachers and explained at Big East Coast Bias.
- Yours truly is contributing to AZDesertSwarm.com. The debut is a retrospective on Keanu Reeves, Sports Illustrated and the 1994 Arizona Wildcats.
- For Pac-12 analysis looking forward and not backward, Golden Bear Lair breaks down Cal’s 2011 schedule, and the best/worst case scenarios ahead for Jeff Tedford’s squad.
- Allan Kenney, a.k.a. @BlatantHomerism takes an interesting look at how trades would affect the college football landscape.
- Kansas had a rough first year under Turner Gill. Establishing an offensive identity will be paramount for the Jayhawks to again be competitive. Through The Phog examines what that offense should look like in the near future.
- The team KU lost its 2010 opener to, North Dakota State, has designs on a tremendous 2011. Bison media day is afoot, and FCS Roundtable contributor Kyle Roth is on the scene.
- Penn State’s roster is undergoing a facelift, but not from trades. The Nittany Lions had significant transfers, but PSU should have an impact on the polls. Victory Bell Rings has more.
- Is there nothing worse than preseason polls? Allowing preconceptions to dictate the national championship race is my No. 1 gripe with the postseason system. Polls should hold off until midway through the season, and 7220 Report agrees.