Mid-term Report Card

Now entering November, most of us college students are starting to get into the depth of our classes, meaning longer hours in the library and less time for recreation. This may not be true for everyone, but it certainly is for me. That's why you haven't seen a post from me in a few weeks. Don't fret, though, friends, for I have come up with a wonderful idea to combine school and sports for an awesome story.

I am going to give out letter grades to certain teams based on their performance compared to their expectations. Hope you enjoy! And remember, Professor DiSchiano doesn't give grades, teams earn them.

St. Louis Cardinals - A+

Not only did the Cards win the World Series, they won when the Rangers were just an out away from the title - twice! St. Louis conveyed the meaning of resilience, winning with class and heart. A great World Series with two great teams; certainly a treat for all sports fans alike.

Clemson Tigers - A-

Starting out the college football season 8-0 with wins over the defending-champion Auburn Tigers, Florida State, and Virginia Tech, the Tigers established themsevles as national title contenders. Will they make an appearance in the BCS National Championship? Probably not. Even if they win out, they're still in a weak conference in the ACC, so the BCS isn't likely to recognize their strength. Good team, but not A+ caliber.

The Big 12 Conference - B

You can wave goodbye to Texas A&M (which may not be such a bad thing after all) and Missouri looks to be parting ways (be careful what you wish for, Tigers), but the Big 12 has made up for its future losses by adding some very solid schools with TCU and West Virginia, and there's still rumor that Louisville will be on board as well. When you add Kansas into that mix, you're getting closer and closer to a powerhouse basketball conference.

Kansas Jayhawks (Basketball) - C+

The preseason AP Poll has come out, and the Jayhawks are feeling no love from the voters. Ranked 13th, this Kansas team has something to prove coming out of the gates, and we'll just have to wait and see if they were placed accordingly.

Philadelphia Eagles - D

They're 2-4, Michael Vick is playing like he did in his rookie year, and the defense is handing out points like candy. If they don't shape up now, the players of this proclaimed "Dream Team" will only be playing in the Super Bowl in their dreams.

Texas A&M - F

Is there a grade lower than "F" that I can give? How about "H" for "helpless"? "I" for "inconsistent"? "Z" for "Zach thinks that you are all incompetent football players who can't hold on to a lead to save your lives, and for some reason you think that you will fare better against SEC teams when you can't even leave the middle of the Big 12 standings"? Pitiful. I really do want to see the Aggies succeed - they're a talented team with a great coaching staff and excellent fan base -  it's just so frustrating when they continue to underachieve yet act as if they are number one in the polls.


With all that said, I'm naming the Cardinals my teacher's pet and sending the Aggies to detention. Any questions?

Stop Whining, Texas A&M

In case you've missed it, Texas A&M did a lot of whining today about the upcoming Longhorn Network, resulting in the NCAA forcing the Big 12 to limit what can be shown on ESPN's new affiliate in Austin. Texas A&M is crying because it thinks that somehow the release of this network will give Texas an "unfair advantage" in recruiting. The Aggies also believe that the Longhorn Network will destroy what's left of the Big 12.

Texas A&M president R. Bowen Loftin used the term “uncertainty” time and again Thursday in describing the state of the league, thanks to the start of the ESPN-owned Longhorn Network in Austin next month.

“The (recent) announcement by ESPN that the Longhorn Network might carry a conference (football) game in addition to a nonconference game was troubling, and then following right after that was ESPN’s announcement regarding high school games would be televised as well,” Loftin said. “Both of those we believe provide a great deal of uncertainty right now for us and the conference."

Loftin said the LHN has no business showing Big 12 football games, and especially high school games that might target top recruits.

“If (they show) one conference game, then maybe we have two or three,” Loftin said. “High school games are very problematic. … If we have an unequal playing field for various schools (concerning recruiting), we think that is a problem. That creates uncertainty.”

Where do I start? These claims are so far-fetched and ridiculous, I don't even know if they deserve to be addressed.

Let me just point this out to you, A&M, before you go on tearing down something that Texas has worked for. You can create your own Aggie Network. Just like any team can start their own network. If you think that the Longhorn Network is giving Texas an advantage, then start your own network and give yourself an advantage. No one is stopping you.

ESPN is putting a lot on the table for this Longhorn Network. To let the NCAA force them to put restrictions on what viewers can see on the network is absurd. Remember, ESPN is not employed by the NCAA. In fact, the only reason the NCAA makes millions and millions of dollars in annual revenue is because of ESPN. So why ESPN is adhering to the NCAA and Texas A&M's lucrative complaints is beyond me.

A&M is blaming the fall of the Big 12 on Texas for its new network, yet the Aggies have been strongly considering switching to the SEC. How does that make sense? Practice what you preach, Aggie Nation.

Listen, I have no problem with A&M moving from the Big 12 to the SEC. If that's what they want, then awesome. But do not talk about the success you would have if you did join the SEC, and then stay in the Big 12. If you truly think that you can beat up on the likes of Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, South Carolina, and LSU, then by all means do it. I support you. But don't just sit there and talk about all that you could do if you switched conferences. Just do it.

Do I think that you have a legitimate chance in the SEC, absolutely not. Don't forget that the last Big 12 title you won was over a decade ago. If you can't win in the Big 12, how is moving to the SEC going to be any better? You have one of the worst defenses in the country, especially with the departure of Von Miller, and your offensive players are not nearly on the same plane as any competition in the SEC. I think that Vanderbilt and Kentucky would finish above the you in the conference standings. But if you think that it would help you get some more attraction from recruits and maybe down the road you would become an elite football program, then by all means go ahead and do it. But do not walk around proclaiming yourselves as a top tier football program when you've lost 12 out of your last 15 bowl games. Oh, and three of those bowl games were against SEC opponents, in which you lost by a combined 72 points. And the last bowl game you've actually won was the Galleryfurniture.com Bowl against TCU in 2001.

I'm not trying to rag on Texas A&M here. They have excellent academics, some of the best fans in the country, great facilities and good athletic programs.

But they are not title contenders, and they don't need to act like they are. The Aggies need to either move to the SEC, or shut up. It's that simple. Stop talking about Texas because the more you do that, the more you look like Texas' little sister begging for attention from Mom. If you feel like the SEC is realistic and that you can do well in that conference, then move. If not, stop telling everybody you can, and go about your business.