The GRAHAM-COOPER Cup Chronicles

RE: The Official Constitution of The Graham-Cooper Cup of College Football Supremacy 

Well folks, the results are in.  A majority of the ballots were returned and the sentiments included were varied.  Upon further review and reflection I have made the following decisions ...

1 - I should APOLOGIZE.  That was not really a ballot ... at least not in the traditional sense.  Blame it on the psychology training.  I came up with a hypothesis [IOWA should win The Cup, as they beat all other G-CC teams] and set out to prove it.  Oh Pious Bovine - did I retain something from the lectures of my second sophomore year ?  The fact that I did not provide voters with a "yea/nay" option resulted in some creatively amended responses.  Thank you all for your time, consideration and feedback.

2 - I do not want to be branded a POOR SPORT.  Not that I can't take it ... I have been called much worse.  However, as a representative of The University of IOWA, the Hawkeye athletic teams and the fine student-athletes that comprise them I must carefully measure my decisions before they are executed.  It is based upon the belief that my actions have a profound effect on the global Hawkeye community that I realize ...

3 - Football is a better game than DIRTY POOL.  I think the group consensus is that it is unfair to "change the rules once the game has started".  My argument is that it may be even more unfair to play a game with hazy, undefined rules.  As such, I attempted to establish the aforementioned parameters for our contest.

Considering the input I have received and the statements above, I now propose that we put The Constitution [including the caveats below] to a second vote.

I.                    The document will go into effect AFTER the current season.  The 2008 G-CC Winner will be decided via the current standings.

II.                 Beth Graham will be added to the G-CC voting body.  Beth is a member of a G-CC founding nuclear family and even though she graduated from Marquette, her sports IQ is growing faster than Shonn Greene can rack up 100 yards.

PLEASE cast your vote by commenting on this entry. 

YES = I approve The Constitution, as amended above.

NO = I do NOT approve The Constitution, even after considering the thoughtful revisions and at the risk of being omitted from BLAKE's holiday card list.

Let's get this thing solidified, move on and begin to focus on The Bowl Season.

Per Wikipedia, Ewell Doak Walker, Jr. [1927 - 1998] was born in Dallas, married his high school sweetheart, re-married an Olympic skier named Skeeter and died as a result of injuries suffered in a skiing accident.

However, this is not the story of an amorously indecisive individual who met his ironic end on the snowy slopes.  Rather, it is the tale of 175 pound footballer extraordinaire whose prowess is remembered around this time each year.  

The legend began at Southern Methodist University, where Walker played every side of the ball ... running back, defensive back, place kicker, passer, receiver, punter and kick returner.  For these efforts, he was awarded the Heisman in 1948.  The man of many talents also played for the SMU basketball and baseball teams.

After college, Doak advanced to the NFL where he earned all-pro honors four times and lead the Detroit Lions to two championship titles on his way to Canton. 

The legacy of Walker's athletic achievement [in football - not skiing] is embodied by the Doak Walker Award, given annually to the best running back in college football.

That's right people, if you had not guessed it already; this story ends [as the best ones do] by coming full circle to IOWA football. 

Shonn Greene, the heart of the Hawkeye offense, is one of three finalists for the 2008 Doak Walker Award ... the only major college football honor that requires all candidates to be in good academic standing.  Way to go Mr. Greene! 

VOTE FOR SHONN and all the 2008 college football awards here.

Penn State should be so lucky.  While the Big10 football world lies dormant, counting the days until bowl play, the Nittany Lions continue to satiate our desire for gridiron gossip.  Hold on though, before you jump to the obvious conclusion ... the most recent report does NOT center on the off-the-field shenanigans of the blue & white clad student athletes.  Rather, this parable showcases the lion himself ... or closer to the truth, the boy behind the mask ... the Sheep in cougar clothing.

Happy Thanksgiving all.  Hope you all are well fed and getting ready for the Texas / Texas A&M game.

This past week, I finalized the Constitution for the Graham-Cooper Cup of College Football Supremacy and sent a copy to all participants for review and approval.  You may access the proposed set of official rules and regulations here.  Please use the comment interface to voice your questions, concerns or admiration.

What a great way to end the regular season.  It took the Hawkeye offense a few possessions to get firing on all cylinders but once they did ... look out!  After settling for two Murray-kicked FGs, IOWA found a groove and followed it to the end zone - over and over and over again.  Shonn Greene was able to keep his rushing streak alive.  For those who have not been paying attention, the IOWA rusher has earned more than 100 yards each and every game this season.  Further, he took possession of the IOWA single-season rushing record with style, on a 15-yard touchdown-scoring run in the third quarter.

The defense was stellar as well.  Not only did they contribute to the score [Amari Spievey returned an interception 57 yards for a touchdown, raising the IOWA second quarter scoring total to 24] but they limited the Gophers to 134 offensive yards and zero points.  So decisive was the IOWA victory that the shockwaves it sent through the sporting community nearly cured Lou Holtz of his endearing lisp! 

Sadly, Shonn Greene will not get a shot at the Heisman trophy.  So it goes for the nation's best runner on an 8-4 team.  But on the plus side, a decent bowl should be in our future.  Here's hoping that our strong showing [on the field and in the stands] in Minneapolis will allow us to jump Northwestern and earn a spot in the Jan. 1 Outback bowl.  Who knows ... we may even crack the top 25 if we can continue to ride the wave we are on.  Currently, the Hawkeyes are circling the bottom limit of the rankings with the likes of West Virginia and Pittsburgh.  [note: these two face-off on 11/28]

 

With Texas Tech battling Oklahoma and Ohio State facing Michigan, who could have guessed that Wisconsin / Cal Poly would be one of the tightest games of the weekend?  The Mustangs of the Football Championship Subdivision [oh yeah - you read that correctly] jumped on top of the Badgers and did not surrender the lead until overtime.  Cal Poly actually scored a touchdown rather quickly in OT but missed the extra point.  Wisconsin was not so careless.  It was nice that the seniors could wrap up their last game at Camp Randall with a victory, but if you saw the way they were celebrating you would think they had just won the Rose Bowl, as opposed to squeaking by a Division 1-AA foe.

 

Speaking of roses, Penn State secured their trip to Pasadena by defeating Michigan State in a snowy game in Happy Valley.  Due to their matching records, the Nittany Lions "share" the Big10 crown with Ohio State but with the head-to-head victory going to PSU so too does the privilege to represent the conference in the January 1 game.  Just think ... if it were not for a one-point loss to IOWA, Penn State would likely be playing for a national championship.  Also interesting to note:  the sideline heaters [which according to many PSU fans were the missing key to victory in Iowa City] were present and cranked to high this last Saturday.  It seems that the hypocrisy of denying players warmth, from the climate controlled press box finally became apparent to Coach Paterno.  However, next year's Lions better invest in some long johns, for JoePa is currently recovering from his hip replacement surgery and itching to run out of the Beaver Stadium tunnel for another year or three.  Get ready for another silky smooth segue ...

 

In the land of coaches that know when to retire ... Joe Tiller ended his career at Purdue on a high note.  The Boilermakers sent their coach out with a thundering 62-10 win over intra-state rival Indiana.  I am happy to say that the departing coach supported my prior notion that he is a cool guy by throwing both fists in the air to celebrate his final Gatorade bath. 

Neither team will contribute to the conference coffers by the way of post-season play. 
But there is always next year.  Mark your calendars now ... the Old Oaken Bucket is up for grabs on 11/21/2009.

Tiller's successor should have the opportunity to ease into his new position.  Not only does Dan Hope have the benefit of taking over after a 4-8 season but the absence of Penn State and IOWA from the 2009 schedule provides an opportunity to surpass the lowered expectations, as long as the team is ready for Notre Dame.  

Indiana's outlook for the upcoming season is not so bright.  Not only are Penn State and IOWA both on the schedule but each contest is a road game for the Hoosiers.  At least Wisconsin and Ohio State are home games.  Let's not forget the Memorial Stadium expansion project ... next year Indiana will be able to lose in front of even more empty seats.

Well folks, here we are.  We knew it had to happen, couldn't be avoided but that does not make it any easier to bear.  Tomorrow marks the end of the Big10 season ... at least the regular season.  Though, I hate to use the term "regular" to describe what the last 12 weeks have given us. 

I am going to miss writing these posts almost as much as I will miss the games.  Not as much as the game wherein a hard-nosed, smash-mouth team of over achievers from IOWA knocked off a #3 ranked team from PA [the name escapes me now] but you know what I mean. 

Thank you to everyone who has checked out this site.  The visitor hit counter has just rolled past 500!  My goal for next season is to get enough traffic that I can generate some ad revenue.  I am thinking Sierra Nevada, Planters and Rotel. 

Thank you to those that contributed a comment.  I apologize for my initial censorship of a certain Ohio State supporter and I appreciate her [or his] continued support after the fact.

Thank you to my wife, Sarah.  Lady gridiron may be my muse but you are my valued proofreader, creative consultant and funny meter. 

Thank you to my biggest fan ... get ready ... this is gonna be cute ... my MOM.  Not only is she the proud owner of her first computer but she knows how to use it to get the e-mails AND the google.  Plus she thinks I'm the coolest kid in school ... and handsome.  Welcome to the nineties Mother Dearest.