Trivia Tuesday – Football and Basketball Championships

March Madness is now upon us and SOD gets just as caught up in the basketball hysteria as many others of you. I, too, will fill out a bracket that gets all busted before the end of the 1st weekend. It’s a yearly tradition in our house; my wife, who doesn’t follow the game very closely, and I, who watches intently all season long, will each fill out brackets and track our results. She has about a 15 year winning streak going on me – she always kicks my football lov’n backside. But, this is a College Football Blog and it is Trivia Tuesday; so, today’s trivia will focus on Football and Basketball.

QUESTION #1. You probably heard in the build up to the National Championship game the coincidence that Ohio State and Oregon also played in the first ever NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship. The then called Webfoots from Oregon beat Ohio State, 46 – 33 in that game. But, do you know what other two teams made up the first Final Four?

QUESTION #2. This one is pretty easy. SOD looked to see how many times the same school was the reigning Football Champion and Basketball Champion. It has only happened once and that was pretty recently. What is the only school to be both Football Champions and Basketball Champions in the same off season? (It gets weird because the Football Champion is listed as the previous year – but, they would both be Champions over the same summer.) Not only that, but they achieved this feat by beating the same school in the championship for each sport.

QUESTION #3. Now here’s the tougher one. To make what the team that is the answer to Question #2 did so remarkable, there are only 10 schools that have ever won at least 1 of each national championships over all the years. Name the 10 schools that have at least 1 National Football Championship and 1 National Basketball Championship.

THE BUFFER ZONE

ANSWER #1. In the semi-finals of that first ever NCAA Championship Tournament, Ohio State defeated Villanova, 53 – 36 in the East Bracket and Oregon defeated Oklahoma, 55 – 37 in the West. The entire tournament consisted of only 8 teams and was played on the campus of Northwestern University in Evanstown, IL.

ANSWER #2. The Florida Gators won the BCS Championship Game over Ohio State to conclude the 2006 season and then won the 2007 NCAA Basketball Championship by beating the Buckeyes again on the hardwood.

ANSWER #3. The 10 schools to have at least 1 National Football Championship and 1 NCAA Basketball Championship are:

Arkansas – Football Co-Champs in 1964 (with Alabama and Notre Dame); Basketball Champs in 1994

California – Football: 1920, 1921 (with Cornell), 1922 (with Cornell); Basketball: 1959

Florida – Football: 1996, 2006, 2008; Basketball: 2006, 2007

Maryland – Football: 1953; Basketball: 2002

Michigan – Football: 1901, 1903 (with Princeton), 1904 (with Pennsylvania), 1918 (with Pittsburgh), 1923 (with Illinois), 1933, 1948, 1997 (with Nebraska); Basketball: 1989

Michigan State – Football: 1952, 1965 (with Alabama), 1966 (with Notre Dame); Basketball: 1979, 2000

Ohio State – Football: 1942, 1954 (with UCLA), 1957 (with Auburn), 1961 (with Alabama), 1968, 1970 (with Nebraska and Texas), 2002, 2014; Basketball: 1960

Stanford – Football: 1926 (with Alabama); Basketball: 1942

Syracuse – Football: 1959; Basketball: 2003

UCLA – Football 1954 (with Ohio State); Basketball: 1964, 1965, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1995

NOTE: This information is from the NCAA List of recognized champions. SOD did not look at NIT Champions for the years that this was the premier end-of-season basketball championship.

Trivia Tuesday – Power 5 Conferences

In recent years, there has been a lot of shuffling of College Football Conferences. And, if you believe Some Other Dude, there is more yet to come as we advance upon the age of the Mega-Conferences. But, SOD wonders, how well do you know the history of the current Power 5 Conferences?

THE TRIVIA CHALLENGE

Name the original teams in each of the current Power 5 Conferences.

THE BUFFER ZONE

THE ANSWERS

The Atlantic Coast Conference.  Even though we appear to be headed to 16 team Mega-Conferences, back in history there was an even mega-er conference; the Southern Conference.  The Southern Conference, at one time, consisted of 23 teams and eventually splintered into other, smaller conferences.  One of those splinter conferences was the ACC which officially formed as a conference in 1953.  The 7 charter members of the ACC were: Clemson, Duke, Maryland, North Carolina, North Carolina State, South Carolina and Wake Forest.  Only South Carolina no longer calls the ACC home as they eventually joined the other splinter conference with former Southern Conference brethren.  Link to information source.

The Big 12.  The history of the Big 12 is a little more convoluted than that of the other conferences.  The Big 12 itself wasn’t formed until 1994 when teams from the Big 8 merged with teams from the Southwest Conference.  The Big 8 Conference was originally chartered in 1907 as the Missouri Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Association and eventually became known as the Big 6 and then grew up to become the Big 8.  The original members of this conference were: Iowa (two-timing with the Big Ten), Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska and Washington University in St. Louis.  Only Kansas remains as a current member of The Big 12.  Link to information source.  The Southwest Conference was first formed in 1912, consisting of: Arkansas, Baylor, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Rice, Texas and Texas A&M.  Baylor, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Texas remain as current members of the Big 12.  Link to information source.

The Big Ten.  The name “The Big Ten” was actually not officially incorporated until 1987, but the conference referred to as the Big Ten has been around since 1905.  The original conference was made up of 7 teams in what was known as the “Intercollegiate Conference Athletic Association”.  In 1917, when the conference had expanded to 10 teams, it was labeled the “Big Ten” by members of the media.  The original members of this so-called Big Ten Conference were: Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Northwestern, Ohio State, Purdue, University of Chicago and Wisconsin.  Only the University of Chicago is not a member of that conference today.  Link to information source.

The Pac 12.  The Pac 12 Conference started off as a little seedling conference that eventually grew up into the Pac 12.  Forming in 1916 as the Pacific Coast Conference, its original members stood at only 4 schools: California, Oregon, Oregon Agricultural College (later known as Oregon State) and Washington.  All four schools still remain in the conference today.  Interestingly, Idaho and Montana were one time members of this conference and the conference was disbanded and re-assembled in 1959 due to a pay-for-play scandal.  The re-formed conference was called the Athletic Association of Western Universities, commonly known as the Big 5. After growing once again, the conference started being referred to as the Pacific 8 in 1964 and officially became the Pacific 8 in 1968, the Pac 10 in 1978 and the Pac 12 in 2011.  Link to information source.

The SEC.  The SEC preceded the ACC in splintering away from the huge Southern Conference when 13 schools left in 1932 to form their own conference.  The 13 schools that made up the first version of the Southeastern Conference were: Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Kentucky, LSU, Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Sewanee (University of the South), Tennessee, Tulane and Vanderbilt.  Georgia Tech now resides in the ACC; Tulane, although still an FBS school is no longer a member of a Power 5 Conference; and, Sewanee, after having decided to de-emphasize sports in 1940, currently competes in Division III athletics.  Link to information source.

The NFL Combines and the Holes They Create

The NFL has invited over 300 draft eligible football players to its annual, pre-draft combine in Indianapolis, February 17 – 23.  Although this doesn’t tell the whole story, the list of invitees is a good place to start in identifying the talent that FBS schools have to replace going into the 2015 college football season.

SOD took a look at the teams that finished in the final AP Poll Top 10 to assess which teams might have the biggest challenges to overcome in a repeat visit the top based on this list of invitees.  Here is what SOD observed.

#1 Ohio State.  The Buckeyes have just 4 graduating seniors attending the NFL Combine.  As you would expect, all of the players invited were key contributors to their teams in 2014, and the Ohio State players are no different, but the four that the Buckeyes lose do not indicate that there will be gaping holes to fill in the 2015 roster.  This doesn’t bode well for the rest of the Big Ten and is a good indication that the Buckeyes will enter the 2015 season sitting at the top of the polls.

#2 Oregon.  There will be 7 ex-Ducks participating in the 2015 NFL Combines this year – not least of which will be Heisman Trophy winning, QB Marcus Mariota.  The Ducks also lose a couple offensive linemen and 4 defensive starters.  Not too many names on the list, but one huge hole to fill at QB.  That QB hole, however, is more than just talent; the leadership and character wrapped up in that Marcus Mariota package will also be hard to replace.  SOD doesn’t see Oregon falling too far down the polls, but the QB issue remains a big question mark.

#3 TCU.  Texas Christian will be represented by 5 players at the Combines this year, including 2 juniors.  The Horned Frogs lose 2 DBs, 1 LB, 1 OL and 1 RB.  All in all, not too big a hit for the Frogs who also come back to 2015 with a big ‘ole chip on their shoulder.  It looks like, using this as an indicator, that TCU has every reason to believe they can make another run at the playoffs in 2015 and, hopefully, this time, not be left out of the party.

#4 Alabama.  Alabama sends 11 players to the NFL Combine including 3 juniors.  ‘Bama’s list of attendees includes several players from skilled positions, including QB Blake Simms, RBs TJ Yeldon and Jalston Fowler, and WRs Amari Cooper, Chris Jones and DeAndrew White.  Yes, the Tide did just sign the #1 ranked Recruiting class; yes, Alabama does have a deep roster; and, yes, Nick Saban is a master at filling holes every year – but, it just seems that replacing experienced talent with inexperienced talent – especially in the skilled positions, might eventually catch up to the Tide and, if not move them out of the Top 10, maybe move them out of the now-all-important Top 4.  I wouldn’t bet against the Tide in 2015, but it also wouldn’t surprise me if they have some trouble replacing all of the talent they have recently lost to the NFL.

#t5 Michigan State.  The Spartans send 6 prospects to the NFL Combines including 1 junior.  The Spartans will be losing 2 DBs, 2 WR, 1 RB and 1 LB off of their 2014 roster.  Not too big of a hit.  The Spartans’ issue is not so much what they are losing, but the fact that the team that hovers above them in the Big Ten also brings back the majority of their starting lineup, as well.  Even so, the Spartans’ roster should keep them in the pre-season Top 10 going into 2015.

#t5  Florida State.  The Seminoles have placed 12 men into the 2015 NFL Combine including 5 early declarers.  A pretty huge hit to a regular season, undefeated team that got little respect for that accomplishment.  Florida State’s losses include a Heisman Trophy holding QB, in Jamies Winston, and a darn good RB in Karlos Williams.  The Seminoles also will be losing 4 from their offensive line and 2 from their defensive line.  The Seminoles did have a highly ranked recruiting class, but this is a lot of talent to lose – too much, SOD believes, to even sniff at next years’ playoffs.

#7  Baylor.  Like Oregon, Baylor’s issue is not in the number of holes created, but in the significance of the hole created at the QB position.  The Bears only have 4 players participating in the 2015 NFL Combine but one of them is super-star QB Bryce Petty.  Baylor does have the advantage (or, perhaps, disadvantage) of a relatively weak schedule again in 2015 but the fate of the Bears in the rankings may lie in the hands of the new QB.

#8  Georgia Tech.  The Yellow Jackets have two WRs participating in the NFL Combine – not a position too heavily relied upon in the Georgia Tech offense.  But, the Yellow Jackets finish in the 2014 rankings is not as much a result of the talent on their roster as it is in the system they run in Atlanta.  Georgia Tech is the kind of team that earns its way into the top ten on the field of play – seldom do they make the pre-season top 10 based on expectations.  SOD suspects the same will be true in 2015.

#9  Georgia.  The Bulldogs, the yearly enigma of college football, will have 5 players participating in the NFL Combine this year, including RB Todd Gurley.  The Bulldogs have successful and experienced running backs in the fold that have already proven they can do just fine without Mr. Gurley – even as talented as he may be.  So, Georgia does not lose too much from their roster and can be expected to be ranked highly in the pre-season rankings.  If history is any indication, however, you can almost as surely count on them losing a game or two they are not expected to during the year, knocking them down a peg or two.

 #10  UCLA.  UCLA is another 2014 Top 10 team who loses its star QB to the NFL in 2015.  That fact alone always makes a pre-season ranking hard to predict and hard to get right.  Besides QB Brett Hundley, the Bruins will have four defensive players participating in the NFL Combine.  Once again, not too big a loss in terms of numbers, but a question mark with who replaces the signal caller.  UCLA probably starts 2015 outside of the Top 10 but should have chances to play their way back into it as the season goes on.  The Pac-12 will be an interesting conference to follow in 2015 with so much turnover in the QB position.

So, the combines begin in less than a week and some of us will be watching closely to see how our favorite sons perform and project where they might land in the NFL.  Meanwhile, College Football’s Spring Practices are not far behind when the teams that have holes to fill start auditioning potential replacements.  Fun for everyone.

The Rich Getting Richer

National Signing Day, the first day High School seniors can officially commit to the college they will attend, is just around the corner, Wednesday, February 4.  If you have found yourself to this blog that is probably something you already know and are looking forward to.

No real surprises are expected, as regards to the top classes; there may be a few individual commit surprises, but not enough to drastically change the class rankings.  In some people’s minds it’s just more of, “the rich getting richer”.  Some Other Dude thinks of it more as, “the rich staying rich”.  One of the downfalls of signing such elite classes year after year is the resulting high number, relatively speaking, of early declarers into the NFL Draft each year – so, SOD thinks of it more as replacing your riches as opposed to adding to them.

If you look at the Class Rankings from any number of Recruiting Web Sites, you see the same, usual suspects at the top of the list.  The ESPN Top 10, for example, lists, in order from 1 – 10: Alabama, Florida State, Clemson, Georgia, Tennessee, USC, Ohio State, Texas A&M, Texas, and Notre Dame.  All elite programs, maintaining their elite status.  To no one’s surprise, 6 out of those 10 teams finished 2014 in the AP Top 25 rankings.  Just the rich staying rich.

So, it seems to SOD that this pattern of Top Classes stays pretty consistent from year to year.  This would support the feeling that the elite schools in college football stay pretty constant from year to year.  I wonder, thinks SOD, am I influenced by recent events, or does history bear this out?  If we grouped college football programs into classifications, such as: Elite Programs; Near Elite Programs; Middle of the Road Programs; Below Average Programs; and Bottom Dwellers, how hard is it for one program to move from one grouping to another, and, how often does that occur?

Just relying on SOD’s instinct, it seems there are not that many programs that have moved into Elite or Near Elite status in recent history.  Just go down this years’ Final AP Poll and put a label on each program and how long they’ve been in that classification.  Go ahead, I’ll wait.

SOD, using only his instinct and, rather challenged, memory, labeled the Top 10 this way:

• Ohio State – Elite for a long time
• Oregon – Relatively new Elite
• TCU –Near Elite, moving upwards
• Alabama – Elite for a long time
• Michigan State – Moves between Elite and Near Elite
• Florida State – Moves between Elite and Near Elite – Mostly Elite
• Baylor – Newly Near Elite, moving upwards
• Georgia Tech – Fluctuates through all categories
• UCLA – Moves between Elite and Near Elite

Interested to see if facts support perception, SOD found this web page that lists the total number of appearances each school has in the final AP Poll throughout the years.

At the top of the list is Michigan, with 57 appearances.  The Wolverines have fallen on hard times of late but have had a long enough history of being an elite program that it is going to take more than a few years of mediocrity to knock them from this group.  And, Jim Harbaugh might have some magic to help get them back into the club.

Tied for 2^nd with 54 appearances are Oklahoma and Ohio State.  Elite and elite, although Oklahoma is at risk of slipping a bit if they don’t get back into Top 10 levels soon.

And, as you continue down the list there are no real surprises – one elite program after another.  Those with a deep history of being top programs are the same ones that are tops today – for the most part.  Certainly you have programs that have periods of mediocrity sprinkled in, but, you wouldn’t be surprised to see them bounce back to the top soon.  For instance, programs like Tennessee, which hasn’t had a Top 10 team for some time, weighs in at #9 all time.  The Volunteers haven’t finished in the final AP Poll since 2007, when they were ranked #12, and haven’t been in the Top 10 since 2001 (#4).  Tennessee is slipping down the list, but, it wouldn’t be a huge surprise to see them back in the polls in the near future, especially given their Top 10 ranking in this year’s recruiting class.

This list does suggest that some of today’s better programs are new members to the Elite and Near Elite category, as SOD suspected.  TCU, a team that probably deserved a spot in this years’ playoff, ranks 29 on the all-time list.  Oregon, an elite program today, ranks only 39 on the list.  The Ducks have only 15 appearances in the Final AP Poll, 14 of them since 1994 and 11 appearances since 2000.  So, the Ducks are proof that a program can move up through the classifications – but, they are that rare breed.

And, there are programs, like Georgia Tech, that seem to enjoy a roller-coaster ride through the classifications.  The Yellow Jackets have 25 appearances in the final rankings scattered throughout the decades, never staying too long and never being absent for too long.

So, let’s do one final comparison; let’s compare the Top 25 in the Final AP Poll for the decade years against 2014.

• The 2010 Final AP Poll included 11 of the same teams as in the Final 2014 Poll.
• The 2000 Final AP Poll included 10 of the same teams as in the Final 2014 Poll.
• The 1990 Final AP Poll included 6 of the same teams as in the Final 2014 Poll.
• The 1980 Final AP Poll included 7 of the same teams as in the Final 2014 Poll.
• The 1970 Final AP Poll included 6 of the same teams as in the Final 2014 Poll
• The 1960 Final AP Poll included 7 of the same teams as in the Final 2014 Poll.
• The 1950 Final AP Poll included 4 of the same teams as in the Final 2014 Poll.
• The 1940 Final AP Poll included 3 of the same teams as in the Final 2014 Poll.

NOTE:  The 1940 – 1980 Polls only ranked the Top 20 teams.

So, if you go back far enough, the list of elite teams changes a bit more drastically, but, over the past 50 years or so, it appears that it is rather difficult for teams to move up on the elite program scale.  But, programs like Oregon and Baylor show that it can be done.  And, there are other programs, like Rutgers for instance, that have slowly moved up from Bottom Dwellers to Middle of the Road that could be on the precipice of Near Elite or higher, especially given the recent change in conference affiliation.

It is a slowly changing landscape, but, if you root for one of those teams on the journey, it can be a fun ride.